Glenys sighed at Mo’s entreaties but knew what she was like. If the girl had set her heart on the dressing table, she would not rest until she had searched the entire sales area for its new owner. She cast a glance at Sam, who raised his eyebrows. ‘She’s always known her own mind,’ he said ruefully. ‘You know what kids are. I’ll start loading the van whilst you and Mo go for a look.’

Glenys nodded. She and Sam had come to an arrangement to hire the driver as well as the van, and he had agreed to transport their belongings to the cottage over the course of the next two days.

Mo and Glenys toured almost the whole sales area without success, but when Sam appeared to say that they were nearly ready to set off with the first load, Mo jutted her lip. ‘I’ve not quite finished lookin’ for that dressing table,’ she said. ‘Can I have another ten minutes?’ Sam agreed, and Glenys said it would give her time to have a quick look at the clothes, so Mo went off to search the only part left which was the stables, with their lovely deep mangers and half-doors, similar to those at Weathercock Farm. She went straight there, going carefully from stall to stall, staring up at the names over each manger: Millie, Flossy, Black Prince. Each name board held a variety of rosettes, red, blue, yellow, green and orange, though they were now so dirty that the colours were barely discernible.

Mo noticed a little window giving on to the tack room, and thought she could see movement on the other side. She went nearer and heard voices, then peeped through the glass and made out the dressing table. Even as she began to pluck up her courage to go and ask if she might buy it from the new owner, she saw a large dark-haired man raise an axe above his head and bring it crashing down on the wood.

Mo gasped just as a voice she had once known well came to her ears. ‘Cyril! Mind where you’re wavin’ that perishin’ thing. You nearly had me bleedin’ ear off,’ it said peevishly. ‘Why d’you want to destroy it, eh? I quite fancy a pretty piece of furniture, instead of the old rubbish your Auntie Letty thinks so posh.’

Mo stood on tiptoe and peered more closely, then hastily dropped on to all fours. She could not possibly be mistaken; it was the Huxtables! It had been more than seven years since she had seen them last but she would have known them anywhere, particularly the old woman. If only Jimmy were here, he would have known what to do! When they had lived in the Court he had told her to run to him if she was in trouble, but Jimmy was doing his National Service, so she would get her father – and Auntie Glenys, too – to tell the scuffers that they must arrest the wicked Huxtables before they could do any more mischief to her beautiful dressing table. She crawled carefully across the stable floor and did not rise to her feet until she reached the half-door which led out to the yard. Then she ran like the wind, putting as much distance as possible between herself and the Huxtables. When she collided with someone she was already breathless, and for a moment could not answer his: ‘’ello, ’ello, ’ello? What’s up with you, queen?’