A few minutes later Hannah popped out to Booze & News to buy Oxo cubes for the supper casserole, glancing down Little Lane in the direction of Honeybun Cottage and hoping Lars was OK and Nico would cope. She hadn’t missed that he’d been too upset to eat properly at lunchtime, though he’d put on a show for the kids. She rarely heard Nico complain. He set his jaw and tackled every obstacle. She felt guilty about her waspish remark to Nan about women supporting men. It hadn’t been Nico who’d made her position untenable, like her ex-boyfriend Luke; or taken her business from her, like Albin; or viewed her as a potential date instead of taking her seriously as a person, like Simeon. But she couldn’t abandon Nan, even if Nan was the one to suggest it.

The shop door gave a ting and clattered shut behind her. She chatted to Melanie, whose op had been postponed because of pressure on beds, then hurried home again, a box of beef Oxo in her pocket but thinking more about Nico than casserole.

She found her grandmother replacing the phone in its wall cradle. ‘Right,’ Nan said briskly. ‘I’ve telephoned Brett to settle our differences.’

‘Blimey, that’s an about-face.’ Hannah halted, wrong-footed.

Nan grimaced. ‘I suddenly saw how self-centred I’ve been. My refusal to speak to Brett tied you to me and the village. You’re a wonderful granddaughter to have given up so much time but Brett’s invited me to stay with him. So that frees you up.’ Nan gave Hannah a very direct look.

‘Frees me up to act as Nico’s nanny?’ she asked slowly, trying to keep up with this dizzying change in circumstances and examine how she felt about it.

Nan grasped Hannah’s hand with her one good one. ‘It wouldn’t be about being Nico’s nanny. It would be about being his friend. He needs one.’ As an afterthought she added, ‘And just don’t think about you being a woman and him being a man.’

Yeah, right.

Nico was exhausted. The girls, driven by Josie’s overexcitement about flying to Sweden, had run up and down stairs yelling until Maria’s cheek collided with Josie’s elbow, making Nico end the game and Josie grouse at her howling little sister for spoiling everything. It had taken cuddles, bath time and an extra special Mydad-created bedtime story about a unicorn called Maria before she’d go to bed. Nico had sent Josie up a scant hour later, saying gently but inflexibly, ‘Read quietly until you feel sleepy.’

Josie had given him a sulky look but complied.