‘I know. And I am considering it, Madi.’

‘And what would your Barb say about it, do you think? She’s the boss, after all. The one who makes all the decisions, you said …’

‘I think she’d have been all for it actually, but she’s not here, is she? And it’ll be me in the driving seat. Without a co-driver, or even a passenger.’

‘You’ll have Donny.’

Tom raised his eyes and sighed. ‘That’s what bothers me.’

‘Oh, don’t be mean. He seems like a nice lad. And he’s nothing if not keen.’

‘He’s keen on bell ringing and look how that’s turned out.’

‘True. But he’s very willing to learn. If only there was someone able to show him what to do.’

‘Are we still talking about the bells?’

‘Possibly not!’

‘Oh, okay, Madi, I give in! But before I can show him the ropes, you’re going to have to show them to me.’

‘But I don’t know the first thing about bell ringing. Let me loose with those ropes and I’d probably end up strangling myself!’

‘You know perfectly well what ropes I meant.’ Tom laughed, and Madi laughed with him. She was going to enjoy this day out.

While Tom had his eye test, Madi set off for a wander around the shops. He would be at least an hour, he’d said, or probably longer if he had to choose new frames, so they had agreed on a place to meet up for lunch later.

It had been a while since she had felt any need to buy new clothes. The cancer and its aftermath had left her feeling very down for a time. She had lost weight and was now slowly regaining it, so even choosing the right size would have been a challenge, and there had been no need to dress up while all she did was lie around at home, recovering from each chemo session, not at all sure how to come to terms with her new shape, let alone dress to accommodate it. The big bold colours she had always favoured seemed somehow inappropriate now that fading into the background held a lot more appeal than being centre stage. So she bypassed the fancy dresses and glittery tops and bought black, and grey, and comfy. And new boots, flatter than she was used to, but so much more suited to country life.

The café was easy enough to find and she arrived early. She found a table tucked away at the back and balanced her shopping bags around her on the floor, ordered a coffee and picked up a menu.

Every time the door to the street opened, she glanced up, hoping it would be Tom. After four or five false alarms, she wondered if she might look a bit needy, sitting here alone and watching the door. Like a woman stood up on a blind date. Not that anyone was watching her or would care even if they were. This was not Madalyn Cardew, semi-famous actress, out on public display. This was an almost unrecognisable version, looking plainer and thinner than she had for years, quietly minding her own business in an out-of-the-way café, with nothing about her likely to draw anyone’s attention at all.