‘And we can watch property porn on telly? I’ve been working so hard I’ve hardly had any time off. That would be lovely! I’ll just text Jago to tell him not to expect me home.’

It was only after Helena had left following a proper B & B breakfast that she remembered she hadn’t asked her mother whom she was making the cake for. ‘I’m going to be a better daughter when this show is over,’ she said out loud.

Chapter Twenty-three

It was the day of William’s surprise party and Gilly was pleased. Everything had gone to plan. The cake looked perfect and she had arranged to deliver it early. All the clothes she planned to wear were clean and none of them needed mending. Even her hair had gone right when she’d washed it the previous day – never a given. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

As Gilly felt that complacency was never a good thing she used her day wisely. She made a shepherd’s pie for Helena and Jago (she thought of them as a couple although she was now convinced he was gay) and dusted all the bedrooms. She didn’t make up the beds with fresh linen as she was expecting her help, a young woman saving to go travelling, in the morning and it was so much quicker with two. Also, she had to keep reminding herself, the minibus was due to arrive at six thirty, which was quite early. You really couldn’t be late for a surprise party, she knew; you had to be there before the surprisee arrived.

It was just before six, when Gilly had had a change of mind about what jewellery she should wear and was in her bedroom inspecting her collection, when the doorbell rang.

Thinking it was a bit bloody early and that she would ask the bus to wait and that her current jewellery would have to do, she opened the door.

Instead of a minibus driver there was an anxious-looking couple in their late seventies. Her heart sank.

‘Can I help?’ she asked, just in case by some wonderful chance they were simply lost, or their car had broken down.

‘We’ve got here!’ said the woman, who seemed near tears. ‘There was a time when I thought we never would. We are booked in here for tonight, aren’t we?’

Gilly sighed. ‘Well, I don’t think you are, but never mind. I’ve got room.’

It took ages to get them settled and then, because they were too tired to go anywhere else, she made them omelettes and settled them in the guest sitting room with the heater and the television on. Ulysses, recognising a couple of cat lovers, had settled on the woman’s lap. The minibus had been and gone and now she had to drive to the party as fast as she could and hope she got there before William did.