Honeybun Cottage was even more compact than Nan’s home. Still chattering a mile a minute, Maria scurrying in her wake and echoing the occasional word, Josie led the way back downstairs.

Though Hannah had opened her mouth to say, ‘Must rush now!’ in the kitchen she found the kettle boiling and Nico waiting to ask how she’d like her coffee. He smiled at the girls. ‘Dinner’s in the oven. Josie, maybe you could take Maria up and get your duvets and sheets out. You know which bags they’re in, don’t you?’

‘Yeah! And the pillows!’ shouted Josie, spinning around and racing back the way she’d come.

‘Yeah!’ echoed Maria, scurrying after her.

Hannah found herself alone with Nico, leaning on a worktop and drinking instant coffee made with powdered milk. Bumping and squealing came from immediately above their heads, marking the whereabouts of the girls’ bedroom. ‘Sorry there’s nowhere to sit.’ He gestured towards the space in the middle of the room. ‘I need a kitchen table. We have a breakfast bar built in at home. In Islington, I mean.’

‘Right,’ Hannah murmured, trying to process events. ‘You’ve actually moved to Middledip to live?’

Softly, he laughed. ‘A lot’s happened in the past couple of weeks. I’ve handed my laptop in and cleared my desk. Loren found she couldn’t cope again. Her mum begged me to take Maria temporarily so I requested unpaid leave until we go to Sweden for Lucia.’ He lowered his voice. ‘We go on the eleventh so Vivvi and/or Loren should take Maria before then. I’m afraid Josie will miss her. Anyway,’ he went on. ‘My boss wasn’t happy and we agreed a parting of the ways that gives me financial breathing space. I chatted to Ratty about his empty rental property at Rob’s wedding, wishing I could afford it for weekends in the country. I loved the village when I was a teenager.’ He sipped his coffee, eyes becoming shadowed. ‘Josie’s been unsettled and unhappy at school. My cousin who was au pairing for us wanted to move in with her boyfriend and my nanny couldn’t be flexible about childcare for Maria. I rang Ratty and asked if the cottage was still empty.’

‘So it’s a permanent move?’ Hannah asked, trying to ignore a fresh tingle of curiosity over what had happened to Loren and him ‘working on things’.

He shrugged. ‘The tenancy agreement’s six months. When I discovered I could let my Islington house for more than four times what the rent is here, it was a good opportunity to try village life and Christmas in the country. Hopefully, I can get Josie into the village school.’