‘OK,’ Hannah agreed heavily. All her beautiful plans and hard work were to be handed over to someone else and her fun, glittery opening would go ahead without her. ‘Can Simeon meet me this afternoon? I need to go home, get Nan a meal and put stuff together.’

They agreed on two-thirty and after Hannah ended the call she emitted a loud, ‘Bleurgh.’

Carola looked startled. Then she turned to the coffee machine. Hannah, slumped dismally on one elbow, suddenly saw a fresh, steaming cappuccino slide onto her table. She looked up.

‘You let the last one get cold,’ Carola whispered. ‘But if you tell them at Posh Nosh I give away free cappuccinos I’ll deny it.’

Half-laughing, Hannah thanked the older woman by clasping her hand, ashamed she’d stalked in here in a snit. ‘I’ll carry the secret to my grave.’ It was one more example of the kindness of the villagers.

Once she’d drained the second cappuccino she trudged off back to Nan’s and let herself into the warm, worn kitchen. There she discovered her grandmother playing snap with Josie – quietly, because Maria was asleep in her buggy.

‘Snap!’ whispered Josie, slapping down a two of spades on a two of hearts. ‘Hey, Hannah!’ She jumped up and gave Hannah a hug.

Holding the warm little body in her arms, Hannah thought how nice hugs were when you felt like crap. ‘Hello, Josie. Have you come to play with Nan?’

Josie slid back onto her chair. ‘Daddy brought us. He needs to take a ’portant phone call.’

Nan’s magnified eyes fixed on Hannah. ‘Nico has something to sort out.’ Her tone suggested she knew more but couldn’t air it in front of the children.

‘Right.’ Hannah nodded. ‘I’ll make sandwiches for lunch soon.’ Intending to go up to her room first, she opened the door into the dining room, which led, cottage style, to the sitting room, and then the stairs. She was in the sitting room before she spotted Nico in one of Nan’s beige armchairs, his phone beside him.

Her heart jumped and she jumped with it. ‘Sorry! I didn’t know you were in here. Josie said you were on the phone but I assumed you’d gone home for the call.’

The small twitch at the corner of his mouth might have been a smile but he was deathly pale. ‘I’ve imposed on your grandmother. I don’t know many people in the village.’ His hair was on end.

She advanced further, sinking onto the edge of the sofa. ‘Are you OK?’

‘Not really.’ Even his lips were white. ‘My brother Mattias called. Dad’s had a heart attack. I didn’t want to scare Josie by letting her hear my end of the conversation. Nan Heather said she’d keep the girls in the kitchen. She’s a kind soul.’ His voice cracked and he covered it with a cough.