Singing under her breath, she completed her tasks, left the little welcome packs of milk, tea, butter and a loaf of bread, went back to the Roundhouse and stuffed the first load of laundry into the washing machine, scoffed a quick sandwich for lunch then knocked on Dilys’s door. ‘Want to go to Hunny?’

‘Do I ever!’ Dilys cried happily. ‘Norma’s here. Lee dropped her off. Can we take her? The doc’s taken her zimmer away and given her crutches instead.’

Before she’d had time to reply, Ernie shot out of his front door and hurried to the hedge. ‘Are we going to Hunny?’ he demanded. As he was already clutching shopping bags, Clancy grinned and said yes. If she was going to have Norma along then there would at least be safety in numbers.

‘I have to be back by four,’ she cautioned. ‘I’m having a TV delivered.’

Ernie wanted to know about the brand and size of the TV mainly, it seemed, so he could tell her that she should have bought something different. As they bickered amiably about it, Dilys vanished into her house, appearing a few minutes later. ‘Here’s Norma!’

Norma leaned on her crutches and looked at Clancy as if she expected something bad of her.

Clancy said, ‘Good afternoon,’ ultra-politely and Norma said, ‘Good afternoon,’ back, then she stick-stepped to Clancy’s car as if against her better judgement.

Once in the back with Dilys, Ernie riding shotgun in the front with Clancy, Norma embarked on a conversation with Dilys about something called ‘buttonorama’, which seemed to be making pictures out of buttons and a small amount of embroidery. Ernie confided audibly to Clancy that she wasn’t to mind about Norma because she sometimes got a stick up her jacksie.

While Clancy struggled not to laugh, Norma muttered something that sounded a lot like ‘old git’ under her breath.

In deference to Norma’s lack of mobility and Clancy’s schedule, it was decided that they’d make the supermarket their only stop today. ‘But let’s have a bit of cake at the coffee shop before we shop,’ Dilys pleaded.

It suited Clancy, who settled down to check messages and email on her phone, leaving the three older folk to chat.

She opened an email from Will with a wriggle of anxiety but discovered it was only the same message she’d received by WhatsApp two weeks before. After a little thought, she clicked reply and returned Congratulations. It made her feel quite in control not to make a pithy comment, although she did wonder whether Will had managed to salvage anything financially from the deposits they’d already paid, so making his impulsive wedding into an economically sound one.

She wouldn’t ask.

She’d just think it.

Then her phone rang, and Alice flashed up on the screen. Clancy answered with a little burst of gladness in her chest. ‘Hey, stranger!’

Alice gurgled with laughter, her voice warm and familiar. ‘I’ve been trying to call but I’m always getting the “not available” message.’