‘I’ll see what I can do, Mrs Garner,’ Charlie said. ‘But perhaps you’d be better off phoning the local council offices? They tend to deal with environmental health issues, rather than me in this office.’ This wasn’t the first Willowbury resident who’d come to him with matters better suited to the council, but Charlie was loath to turn them away out of hand. He relented a little. ‘Are you online at home at all? It’s quite easy to email them, too.’

Mrs Garner laughed. ‘You’re pulling my leg, love. It was hard enough getting my husband to use a push-button phone.’

‘Well, perhaps my assistant can email the council for you,’ Charlie said. He picked up his phone and spoke briefly to Helen, who occupied the front office. Smiling as he put the phone down, he turned back to his constituent. ‘Helen’s going to send them an email, and when they respond, we’ll drop you a line and let you know. Or you might get a letter from them.’

‘Thank you, my love,’ Mrs Garner’s rheumy eyes brimmed. ‘It wouldn’t be so bad if my husband didn’t have dementia, but facing this on my own is a bit difficult these days.’

Charlie felt a lurch of sympathy. He could well imagine the trials of the woman in front of him. ‘Does your husband have a carer to come in at all?’ he asked gently. He knew he had another appointment in a few minutes, but he was reluctant to let Mrs Garner go just like that.

‘Oh, they come in, these lovely foreign girls, twice a day, but they don’t get paid enough, and they’re always so pushed for time,’ Mrs Garner sighed. ‘It’s not their fault, but it does mean long stretches where we’re on our own.’

‘I see.’ Charlie’s mind was whirling. ‘What about respite care? Is your husband eligible for that?’

‘He goes into the local nursing home for a couple of nights a month,’ Mrs Garner replied. ‘Which would help, but with the noise from next door, it doesn’t make a great deal of difference.’

‘I see.’ Charlie was determined now to try to help. He stood up from behind his desk and came round it to help Mrs Garner to her feet. ‘If we can help with the noise issue, I promise we will.’

‘Thank you so much,’ Mrs Garner smiled up at him. ‘Now I’d best be off. You’ve got other people to see, I’d imagine.’ She walked with a surprisingly brisk step to the door of the office.