‘He’s looked after me beautifully,’ Nan declared. Brett smiled bashfully. He was a quiet man. Unless directly addressed, his conversation usually amounted to ‘Hello, there!’ and, later, ‘Cheerio!’ Nan’s voice dropped to a whisper. ‘I’ll be glad to get back home though. We’ve decided we’re too set in our ways for marriage. I think I’m Brett’s girlfriend.’

Hannah couldn’t resist whispering back, ‘And I think I’m Nico’s girlfriend.’

‘Oh, Hannah! He’s such a nice boy.’ Nan gave her another squeeze. ‘I’m too tired for shopping so we’ll just tootle off to Posh Nosh for stollen and mince pies.’

‘I won’t mind if you want to go straight home,’ Hannah said, concerned.

But Nan smiled. ‘No, I’ll hang around. Maybe something exciting will happen.’

‘Mark’s doing a demo of making a model sleigh at eleven if that’s what you mean,’ Hannah joked. ‘If Nico arrives, Nan, no teasing him about me, OK? We haven’t talked about when or if to tell the girls.’ Flushing that she sounded vaguely proprietorial about ‘the girls’ she pulled her phone from her shirt pocket as Nan and Brett headed for the warmth and delicious smells emanating from the tea room. She’d known Nico and co wouldn’t arrive early because of his scheduled supermarket delivery but it was nearly eleven. She tried calling but was directed straight to voicemail so she texted instead. You all OK? Christmas Opening going well. xxx

Then it was time to transform herself into a human PA system, cruising the courtyard calling, ‘Mark’s fantastic model making demo is about to begin under the gazebo! Free demo!’ and an expectant crowd began to gather.

Half an hour later, when the demo was over, Nan appeared again, wearing mince pie crumbs on the front of her coat.

Hannah paused in handing out lollipops to children. ‘Are you going?’

Nan craned to look over Hannah’s shoulder. ‘Not yet.’ Then she waved energetically, grinning. Brett, who’d followed Nan, waved and grinned too.

Hannah swung around in time to see The Bus turning into the car park, its pea-soup colours cheered by tinsel streaming from the door handles and her parents’ faces beaming through the windscreen. ‘Mum! Dad!’ she shouted in astonished delight.

The Bus paused for Mo to manoeuvre her body through the passenger door, pulling on a purple coat. ‘Hannah, darling! Are we a nice surprise?’

Jeremy drove on because Christopher was gesticulating violently that he was holding the traffic up and Mo and Hannah raced towards one another.

Hannah’s heart soared as her small, round mother cannoned into her arms. ‘I thought you were spending Christmas in Switzerland!’ Mo smelled of buttered toast and her hug felt like love.