‘Oh, no, not into Prue’s! I’ll be staying with Faith and Stuart while I’m here.’

‘Of course. We’ll leave your stuff where it is then and I’ll come up there with you later to help carry. But, for now, come on into my place and have a cuppa. All of you, obviously. You’ve had a long journey. Everything’s ready, and it will be so much easier for you, until you’ve unpacked and settled in.’

‘I’ve only been in London since Thursday, Mr Bishop!’ Prue said. ‘There’s milk still in the fridge, and it’s July, so I don’t need to light the fire to warm the place up!’

‘Even so …’

‘No, you go,’ Prue said, grinning at Madi. ‘Honestly. Don’t worry about us. I’d like to show Simon the cottage before I take him along to Mum and Dad’s, and I’m sure you two have a lot of catching up to do. We’ll see you later, Madi. And thanks for the lift.’

Madi stood on the pavement until Prue’s front door closed behind them.

‘Aah,’ she said, smiling. ‘I bet they’ve been dying for some time alone together.’

‘Oops, sorry, I didn’t get the hint. I’m sure you’re right though. They won’t want two old fogeys like us cramping their style.’

‘Not so much of the old. Now, I’m sure I heard you mention tea.’

‘And I have custard creams and Jaffa Cakes. Take your pick, or push the boat out and have both.’

‘Oh, Tom, you know me so well!’

‘I like to think so. And thank you, Madi, for putting the idea of getting a dog into my head.’

‘I thought it was Barbara who did that?’

‘Well, yes, she did, when things were different, when we had planned our future together. But you were right. Life doesn’t stand still. Plans don’t have to stop just because things change. It’s good to have someone to look after again, someone to share my life with, someone to love.’

‘Even if it is just a dog?’

‘Just a dog? Don’t let her hear you say that!’ Tom tried to cover the dog’s ears with his hands but they didn’t stay still long enough. ‘You’re looking well, by the way. And not wearing the wig any more?’

‘No need.’ Madi put her hand to her hair. ‘It’s a little greyer than it was, but I intend to do something about that when I’ve decided on a colour. Purple maybe, or a nice shade of blue …’

‘Heaven forbid!’

Madi laughed. ‘Only joking. It’s a lot shorter than I’m used to, but it will grow. The important thing is that it’s the real deal. All my own, every last strand of it. And since the Emily Parker business, I know I wasn’t actually losing my memory, or my mind, so I’m starting to feel like my old self again. I’ve got a job lined up too. I’ve been turning work down but I’m ready now. It’s time. Just a small part, with rehearsals starting next month, but it will get me back out there again, where I belong. And I haven’t forgotten my promise to get you a ticket, and a backstage tour.’