‘I was going to stop for coffee, anyway,’ she lied, pouring water into the kettle. ‘Friday is my day for doing the books – it’s the only time you’d catch me at home.’

‘I know. I made enquiries.’

She wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or annoyed.

‘We can be friends, can’t we?’ He had pulled out one of the mismatched chairs and sat down uninvited. ‘No hard feelings?’

‘None at all.’ Maddy rinsed mugs under the hot tap. ‘And of course, if our paths cross, I can’t see any point in screaming like banshees. Is that what you came for?’

‘More or less. And I’ve missed you.’

‘No you haven’t,’ she hissed, her throat dry. ‘Any more than I’ve missed you. Don’t waste your sweet talk on me, Peter. I know you too well. Sure, if you’re coming back to live in the village I’m quite happy to accept that. And of course we can be polite to each other when we meet. But that’s all.’

He took the mug of coffee, nodding. Maddy was furious with herself. She’d remembered that he took it black and without sugar. It would have looked far more cool to have asked him.

‘You really have changed. You’ve grown up. Diana told me I’d see a difference in you. And I have missed you, Maddy. No one could ever make me laugh like you did.’

‘You’ll have to employ a court jester then, won’t you?’ She rested her back against the refrigerator. ‘As a replacement. After all, I’ve heard you’re intending to be Lord of the Manor.’

The golden eyebrows arched. Damn. It sounded as though she was interested in what he was doing. She shrugged. ‘So, now that you’ve found your new home, have you come to ask me for a quote on cleaning?’

‘I wasn’t being serious about that. I couldn’t employ you, not after –’

‘Why on earth not? We’re supposed to be friends, aren’t we? I don’t see the problem.’

Peter spread his hands in a helpless gesture. ‘Stacey and I are getting married.’

‘Is she pregnant?’ God! Now she sounded just like her mother.

‘No.’ Peter’s laughter bounced off the walls. ‘Not yet. Maybe we should have got married, Maddy …’

‘And added to the divorce statistics in record time? Hardly. I don’t think marriage was ever mentioned, was it?’ Maddy hoped her face had retained its expression of polite cynicism. If it had, it was a miracle of mind over matter. She felt, perversely, like bursting into tears. ‘Well,’ she placed her half-finished coffee on the table. ‘Thanks for coming to tell me your news. Give my best wishes to Stacey – I’m sure she’ll need them. When’s the big day?’

‘Not until September. You’ll get an invitation. I wanted to tell you first, before the grapevine got hold of it. I owe you that much – especially because of the way I treated you when I left.’

‘Don’t even think about it. It’s in the past, Peter. We’re different people now.’ She was secretly pleased that he’d told her. Maybe Peter had grown up too.