‘Ooh!’ Nancy rubbed her hands together and her eyes widened. ‘Perhaps you’ll fall for one of the chaps here! “Courting in the Cotswolds”!’ She laughed. ‘Could be the title of a romance! Now, let’s see …’

Pam was pulling a face. ‘The men are hardly anything to write home about, Nance. Don’t want to raise a girl’s hopes, do we?’

But there was no stopping Nancy. ‘There’s someone for everyone, as the saying goes,’ she said.

Pam yawned.

‘Let’s go through them one at a time,’ Nancy said.

‘No, really—’ Maggie said but she was cut off.

‘Right, first off: Mr Braithwaite. Geoff,’ Nancy said.

‘Oh no!’ Pam said. ‘Of course, he’s sweet but … shy. He never looks you in the eye and if you so much as speak to the poor chap—’

‘—or even glance at him!’ Nancy added.

‘—he shrinks! Looks like he wants to curl up and die.’ Pam lowered her voice. ‘He’s got the most terrible stammer.’

There was no time for Maggie to feel sorry for poor, stuttering Geoff because they’d already moved on to the next candidate.

‘Mr Dunn? Big Bill?’ Nancy suggested.

‘Hm …’ Pam gave this prospective candidate a little more thought. She gazed into the distance, as though picturing him. ‘He’s nice, Bill. And I must say, I’ve always had a thing for red hair. If he lost his Billy Bunter belly, he’d be quite handsome. But, putting all that aside …’ She raised a manicured finger. ‘The question is, as a boyfriend, does he really cut the mustard?’

‘Too immature?’ Nancy suggested, her head cocked.

‘Exactly!’

Maggie sighed. Would they even notice if she slipped out of the room? They seemed to have completely forgotten she was there.

‘Mr Keeling – Norman – is, of course, married,’ Nancy said. She sounded most put out, as though he’d deliberately walked down the aisle in order to spite her matchmaking endeavours.

‘Is he?’ Maggie asked. She wasn’t the slightest interested but felt she ought to show willing. They were going to quite a lot of effort, after all, and perhaps this was their way of trying to be chummy.

Nancy sighed. ‘His wife didn’t want to come. I think everyone else’s were grateful for the offer. She’s taken the kiddies and gone to her parents in Cornwall. And then of course …’ She slowed down her voice, as though she’d left the best for last. ‘There’s Ray Maguire!’

Was it Maggie’s imagination or did Nancy shoot Pam an odd look as she pronounced Ray’s name? Pam was lying back, staring at the ceiling again. There was no telling what she was thinking.

‘Mr Maguire? Oh no!’ Maggie said. ‘That’s to say, I suppose he’s nice and everything but—’

‘Too bossy?’ Nancy asked.

‘Well, yes.’ Was she being indiscreet? Maggie hoped the girls wouldn’t tell him. She didn’t entirely trust them.