Izzie started. ‘Parr’s Head? The holiday cottages with the swimming pool? That’s where we’re staying too.’

‘No way!’ They both laughed and stared at each other with zero recognition. ‘Well, then it was obviously destined that we nearly crashed into one another.’ Olivia pulled a funny face. ‘Although next time, feel free not to scare the living daylights out of me. So are you heading on into town or do you want a lift back?’

Chapter Sixteen

‘Her car’s back,’ Lorna said to Roy, looking out of the kitchen window as he walked into the room. The farmhouse where they lived was up a short track from the cottages and she tried to keep her distance from her guests, in order to afford them some privacy, but she had been baking today and it was hard to miss the comings and goings. If she was honest with herself, she was curious about their new arrival too. Olivia had looked so wretched the day before, Lorna had been quite concerned about her. It had been a relief to see her striding purposefully out that morning, and then, an hour or so ago, Lorna had noticed that her car was back in the car park again and had found herself sighing a little in relief. Good. She was okay. And maybe, just maybe, she might want to talk with Lorna about Aidan a bit more. Would it be wrong of her to go over there on the pretence of checking in on her?

‘Why don’t you pop in and say hello, if you’re worried?’ Roy asked. He’d always been able to tell what she was thinking. His hands were filthy from the vegetable patch and he went over to the sink and began scrubbing up with the Palmolive. ‘Rather than spying out the window like some nosy old biddy.’ He tilted his head towards the cake cooling on the tray, its top sticky with deliciously gritty sugar. ‘You could take her some of that lemon drizzle, before I ruin my diet with it. Save me from myself.’

‘Who are you calling a nosy old biddy?’ Lorna asked, before giving a snort at his diet comment. Roy was always going on about the diet that their GP had prescribed him – low-fat, low-sugar, low-joy, basically – but they both knew he’d chucked it in the recycling box with a sniff of mistrust the minute he’d come back from the appointment. ‘Cake’s not a bad idea, though.’

‘You don’t have to give her all of it, mind,’ said Roy, watching as she plunged the knife in. He hesitated. ‘And don’t badger her, will you now? She looked a bit fragile to me.’