‘And you can see for yourself where Connie lived; you never know … some of the neighbours might be able to tell us more about her and may even lead you to find a relative, someone to inherit all the contents in unit 28. You’d be doing me a favour if we can actually shift it all and open up the unit to another customer,’ Larry said. ‘So it’s really a business trip in more ways than one, because Ellis’s friend in the jewellery department at the auction house called me and said the items in Connie’s jewellery box are very valuable – good job I’ve stored them in the safe.’ He paused to chuckle. ‘Yes, he said they are one-offs. Bespoke. They are all of Italian design and made in the 1950s and 60s. And they didn’t have computer records in those days, so he said you’re best off going to the actual jewellery shop yourself to see what you can find out and ask to look at the paper records. He did phone them himself and at first they got a bit worked up at the mention of an auction house and went on about client secrets and stuff, but then called him back and said that they would be happy to see you when you visited …’

‘And Ellis is going to meet you at the airport, love,’ Betty added. ‘He has to visit some clients in Italy anyway, so it’s easy for him to tie in some time off afterwards to spend with you on this adventure. Did you know he can speak a bit of Italian?’ Grace shook her head, feeling bamboozled, for it was like a whirlwind … she so desperately wanted to fly off to Italy and experience another, more exciting life, if only for a short while, and with Ellis too, so she could be whoever she wanted to be again. But, well … was it really even possible? Jamie might have managed to persuade Cora for the time being but, knowing how her mind worked, Grace knew that could all change in an instance if she felt so inclined, so was it even worth Grace getting her hopes up?

‘I didn’t either, but fancy that,’ Betty carried on. ‘He’s a dark horse, our Ellis.’

‘And I’ve managed to find out some interesting pieces of the puzzle too.’ It was Betty’s friend, Maggie, who spoke next as she fished inside a lovely retro cloth knitting bag with wooden handles and a bold orange flower print.