‘Oh yes . . . yes, of course, your meal.’ Mrs Carter was so thrilled with her gift that she’d completely forgotten about his dinner but now she turned and rushed back to the kitchen.

Amber looked on with a broad smile on her face as her uncle said awkwardly, ‘I got some dog food, dog dishes and a collar and lead for her. I wasn’t sure what else a dog might need but I’m sure you two will be able to see to anything else.’

Amber took the bag from him, resisting the urge to stand on tiptoe and kiss his cheek. Although she had told him how much Mrs Carter would love a pet, she really hadn’t expected him to act on it and it just went to show that he was wasn’t as hard as he liked to make out.

‘That was a lovely thing for you to do, Uncle,’ she told him softly. ‘I’ll just take these through to the kitchen and then we can have our dinner.’

‘Hmm!’ He quickly strode away to wash his hands, and when Amber entered the kitchen she found Mrs Carter and Biddy both down on their knees fussing over the new member of the household as she furiously licked every part of them she could reach.

‘She’s just adorable,’ Mrs Carter declared. ‘And I can’t believe that Mr Harding would do such a kind thing.’ Then, suddenly remembering the meals, she went to rise.

Amber held her hand up. ‘No, you settle her in,’ she urged. ‘I’ll take our dinners through on a tray. Oh, and you might like to think what you’re going to call her. She’ll have to have a name, won’t she?’

Mrs Carter grinned as the little dog rolled on her back for a tummy rub. ‘I think I shall call her Fancy,’ she declared and both Biddy and Amber nodded their approval. It suited her somehow.

By the time Amber had placed the meals on the table her uncle was seated and she smiled. ‘I believe the new addition to the family is going to be called Fancy,’ she informed him and again he looked uncomfortable as he ran his finger round the inside of his shirt collar.

‘Hm, just so long as they clean up after it and I don’t find dog hairs everywhere,’ he said and again Amber grinned.

When she and her uncle had eaten, Amber spent the rest of the evening in the kitchen with Biddy, Mrs Carter and the puppy and by bedtime the new addition to the household had all three of them wrapped around her little paw.

‘I might sleep in here in the chair with her tonight,’ Mrs Carter mused as the puppy finally fell into an exhausted doze on her lap. ‘If it’s her first night away from her mother she might fret and I don’t want her disturbing Mr Harding.’