She shuddered at the memory of the lit-up sky and the smell of the smoke that still lingered in her clothes. Well, at least there was something she could do about that, as she gathered up the things she had been wearing and bundled them into the washing machine. She’d have to strip the bed when she left next week and wash the covers, and all the towels, before she set off for home. Still, waiting for them to dry would give her time to say her goodbyes. And, even after just a month here, there would be quite a few of those.

When Madi opened her eyes, the washing had finished, the rain was pounding at the windows, and her neck ached. She must have nodded off on the sofa, with one leg tucked up beneath her and her head flopped over to one side. She stretched her limbs out and wriggled her head around a few times to loosen the stiffness, then glanced at her watch. She was surprised to see it was already a quarter past one. She really must have been tired.

Tom! She had agreed to meet him in the pub for a drink and a spot of lunch at one and she was not only already late but hadn’t even changed out of her jeans. Which would he prefer? For her to run down there now, just as she was, and be only twenty minutes late, or to take the time to dress up and apply her make-up and keep him waiting for an hour? She knew the answer to that question. That was the beauty of their friendship. He accepted her for exactly who she was, warts and all, and probably actually preferred her that way. Knowing Tom, he’d be champing at the bit with his mouth watering at the thought of one of The Brown Cow’s speciality pies, so who was she to keep him waiting? She grabbed her bag and her keys, slipped her coat and the nearest pair of shoes on and hurried out into the rain to meet him.

Chapter 31

PRUE

Prue sat in the quiet carriage of the train and closed her eyes. Flo was safely ensconced at Orchard House and had already made herself at home on her parents’ bed, the spectre that was Joe Barton had been faced and conquered, and there was a list of London colleges in her pocket, each of which she fully intended to go and take a look at, from the outside at least, before the weekend was up. Life was looking good.

She thought of ringing Aaron to let him know she was on her way back, but mobiles were frowned upon in the quiet carriage, and besides, you never knew with Aaron when he might be trying to sleep. His shifts at the supermarket didn’t follow a regular pattern and she would hate to wake him unnecessarily. Anyway, it would be good to surprise him. With a bit of luck, over the last few days, he might have seen Simon and made some headway with the garden. In any case, she was going to call on Emily to see where things were with the cake, and she had promised to arrange a photoshoot too if Simon’s mate was up for it. It would all help them to acquire the materials they needed, and perhaps a few hours of labour, if Simon had a couple of free days. She might not be around to see it completed but she liked to think it would build its own momentum once everyone saw how easy it was to do and that it wasn’t going to cost them any real hard cash. It would be a lovely way to thank Madi for her stay too. She knew full well that, if she was Madi, going back to that tatty patch of land would not be so easy once she’d tasted the spacious green delights of Norfolk.