Her heart had cracked in two as she wondered when it was exactly that Brad had started hankering after a ‘fresh start’. Because she was sure he’d been the one who had initiated the talk about them getting married, and he’d definitely been the one who’d proposed. He had always wanted them to have children too – something Maddie hadn’t felt ready for, not until she’d had a chance to pursue her dreams. He had countered by telling her she would be mad to start all over again in a new career as a photographer, especially at her age. She had only been twenty-five at the time, and for all his eagerness to have a family, Brad had been happy enough to postpone until his own dreams of promotion were fulfilled.

When the slo-mo moment of silence had subsided, Maddie had slumped to the floor, stunned and trembling. Brad had left ten minutes later with his pride and joy Player of the Match football medal, Xbox, golf bag and a carrier bag of clothes under his arm, saying she could keep the engagement ring as a token to remember the good times by.

Maddie had limped on for a while on her own, struggling to eke out her prize money for as long as she possibly could, even resorting to selling her beautiful engagement ring, before she conceded defeat. Feeling like an absolute failure, she’d moved back to Tindledale, installing herself in the spare bedroom of Honeysuckle Cottage, her granny’s tiny, ramshackle, thatched cottage overlooking the village green. The place had been standing empty since Granny had fallen and fractured her left hip. Maddie and Sofia’s dad, who lived in Spain, had been worried that the three-hundred-year-old house would fall into disrepair if left empty, so he was only too happy for Maddie to move in. Granny was delighted too, as she had politely declined Sofia’s offer to come and live with her and Ben after the fall, saying she didn’t want to be a burden. Instead, she’d booked herself into the Evergreens supported living complex, insisting that she’d be happy there with her friends, Joanie and Sandra.

‘I met them through the Tindledale Tappers knitting circle. They say it’s ever so nice living at Evergreens, having all your washing done for you and your meals cooked,’ Granny had told Maddie. ‘And they have plenty of trained nursing staff on hand in case I have another fall. There’s no end of social activities to get involved in, with trips out for afternoon tea or a stroll around the local garden centre – they even offer yoga and power walking for those that fancy it.’

Maddie had thought it sounded perfect for a sprightly octogenarian like Granny. Apart from the fall, she was generally in good physical health, but her memory was showing signs of fading and the family had been worried about her.