‘Well, once the swelling’s gone down, I could recommend some exercises to speed the recovery.’

‘Is that all?’ Carole still felt short-changed.

‘What were you expecting?’

‘I suppose … something different from what I’d get at Fethering Surgery.’

‘There’s no need for anything different. My training and the experience I’ve gained over the years have given me a pretty good understanding of human anatomy. For a purely physical injury, the treatment I’d recommend is more or less exactly what a GP would offer.’

‘You mean’ – Carole couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice – ‘no healing?’

Jude giggled. ‘What were you expecting – a bubbling cauldron and weird incantations?’

‘Well …’ Carole did not admit that she had been anticipating something along those lines.

‘When you consult me about something that needs healing techniques, then I’ll heal you.’

‘Oh. I think it’s very unlikely that I ever would consult you about something like that.’

‘So do I.’ Jude was having even more difficulty in suppressing her giggles. Through them, she managed to say, ‘I do have a stock of ibuprofen if you need some.’

‘That’s all right. I’ve got some in the bathroom cabinet.’

‘Fine.’

‘Oh, but you haven’t told me …’

‘Told you what?’

‘What’s actually wrong with my knee. What have I got?’

The barrier holding back her giggles burst as Jude announced, ‘Housemaid’s knee!’

Carole was shamed by the diagnosis. Housemaid’s knee? Not only did the very name have overtones of a music-hall joke, it was also extremely common. Carole Seddon would never want to have anything associated with a housemaid.

The moment she got back to High Tor, she rushed up to the spare-room office to look up her condition online. She was rewarded by a much better name for it. If the subject ever came up in conversation – unlikely but Carole always liked to be prepared – she would say that she had suffered from prepatellar bursitis. And she would say that it had cleared up of its own accord with ibuprofen, rest and exercise. She would certainly never admit to having been healed.

Fortunately, the knee was almost back to normal by the weekend in March when Carole had her two granddaughters to stay. The weather was good, Lily and Chloe were at a delightful age, and they loved scampering around on the wide space of Fethering Beach. They made so much fuss of Gulliver that he thought all of his birthdays and Christmas had arrived on the same day.