‘Oh, you know what I mean. About you. Your career. Stage or TV? Who have you met, and who have you acted with? Are you terribly well known? But then you probably use a stage name, don’t you? Not Madi at all.’ She grabbed Madi’s arm as if some sort of magic stardust was going to rub off. ‘Oh, we’ve never had an actress in Shelling before. The most famous resident we’ve ever had was a novelist – or so she said – who lived just a couple of doors along from me for a few months, but nobody had ever actually heard of her. Her books weren’t even in the library. The proper library in town, I mean, of course, not our little cupboard affair in the hall! Oh, Madi, do tell all …’

Madi had only just begun to present a very potted history of her career so far when they reached the village shop and Patty Martin came bustling out onto the pavement, almost as if she had been waiting for them to appear.

‘Oh, how lovely to see you both,’ she said, beckoning them in. ‘Business is quiet today and I was just about to put the kettle on. Do come and join me. I could do with the company.’

‘We’ll have to carry on our little chat later, Madi,’ Faith muttered under her breath, as they followed Patty into the shop. ‘Patty can be terribly nosey.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Nothing, Patty dear. A cup of tea will be just the job. Do you have any bikkies?’

Patty turned and gave her friend a look of sheer disdain. ‘Faith Harris, this is a grocery shop. We have biscuits galore, in any flavour you care to mention. But we’ll let Madi choose, shall we?’

‘Oh, you two have met then, have you?’ Faith said, looking a little peeved.

‘We have. Now, come through to the back and I’ll pop the Closed sign up for half an hour. The customers can always rap on the glass if it’s important.’

The back room was small but cosy, with two shabby armchairs, which Patty insisted her visitors sit on while she took the wooden chair at a desk piled high with papers. She reached up and took three cups and a large brown teapot down from a cupboard above the sink in the corner and put the kettle on to boil.

‘So, how are you enjoying life in our little village?’ she said, turning her attention to Madi.

‘It’s lovely. So peaceful. Charming, in fact.’

‘Well, that’s nice to hear. Charming … I like that. Are you planning on staying long?’

Madi heard Faith sigh beside her. ‘Just a few weeks. I shall be off back to London when Prue returns.’

‘Ah, yes, Prue … Poor soul. How that Joe could humiliate her like that, and in public too, I just don’t know. Idiot man doesn’t know a good thing when he sees it.’

‘Patty!’ Faith leant forward in her chair and put a restraining hand on Patty’s arm. ‘Madi doesn’t need to know about all that. And it’s my Prue’s business, not ours.’