Georgia takes a piece of parkin and bites into it, allowing the treacly chewiness to excuse her from further conversation for more than a minute. This technique has worked many times and she sees no reason to alter it. The residents of the house, past and present, call it the Parkin Pause.

Tess fills the gap, as Georgia intends her to. ‘My fiancé and I have split up. My ex-fiancé, I suppose I should call him. And I was living in his house and I couldn’t bear to be there a day longer. He is in America and I had to move out so I found a room in a B&B and he will be back on Friday and I really don’t want to be around.’ All this comes out in a disordered, illogical rush. ‘And this is Baxter, he’s a rescue from the Dog and Cat Home at Seafield. He’s never any bother.’

Georgia lifts her mug and studies each of her potential new lodgers. She takes a mouthful of tea before speaking. ‘I understand that you are giving up your job. Tell me about that.’ It isn’t a question.

‘I organise things. I work remotely.’ Tess looks at the parkin and realises that she hasn’t had anything to eat since breakfast. ‘Or rather I used to.’ She glances across at Georgia, trying to gauge if more explanation is needed. ‘By computer?’

‘I do know what a computer is.’

‘Sorry.’

‘Go on.’

‘I found out he didn’t want to be with me any more because he left his phone in a taxi and the driver brought it back and someone had sent him a text.’

‘Ah,’ says Georgia, as though this half-story makes sense. She takes another bite of parkin and chews slowly.

Tess has no option but to continue.

‘He wants children. We discussed it when we first got together and we were agreed on it. No children.’ Her voice starts to break. ‘But he’s changed his mind.’

Georgia waits.

‘He lied about it. I don’t know how long for, but he was definitely not truthful.’ Her rumbling tummy gets the better of her and she reaches across the table for the parkin. ‘I am now superfluous to requirements.’

Baxter, who until this point has been sitting at Tess’s feet, his eyes following every movement of hand to mouth, stands up and barks twice.

‘Your dog seems to disagree.’

Tess bends down and ruffles Baxter’s ears. Tears spring from nowhere and she surreptitiously wipes them away with the back of her hand. When she sits back up she finds that Georgia has placed a box of tissues in front of her and is now doodling in an open notebook. ‘You can have the room, after you’ve seen it of course.’

‘Thank you.’

‘There has never been a dog in the house but I expect we’ll get used to one another.’