Carole was used to Jude disagreeing with her, but rarely with such overt criticism. She was subdued by the attack.

They were in an alcove near the welcoming open fire of the Crown and Anchor. Carole had felt disoriented when she returned from Shefford’s and had immediately rung Jude. (Going round and knocking on her neighbour’s door was not Carole’s way. To her, such behaviour had something Northern about it, like the worst excesses of Coronation Street.) Jude had suggested lunch at the pub and Carole, who always had to justify everything to herself, thought she deserved it after the traumas of the morning.

It had been only just twelve when they’d arrived at the Crown and Anchor, which felt very odd to Carole. Shock had played tricks with time and she felt sure it must be later than that. Arriving at Shefford’s that morning seemed like part of a different lifetime.

They’d both ordered fish and chips, good comfort food for a February lunchtime. (And in Ted Crisp’s pub, they knew the fish had been locally sourced.) Each woman had a glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Carole had protested she only wanted a small one, but didn’t put up much resistance when Jude ordered large. Warmth and company, she found, were diluting the aftershock of the morning’s events.

But Jude’s rebuke did still sting. Carole couldn’t think of a way of apologizing for what she’d said about Malee Shefford, but fortunately Jude, never one to bear grudges, had moved on. ‘I wonder how Rhona will react to the news.’

‘Rhona?’

‘Rhona Hampton. Shannon’s mother. I told you I’d been seeing her.’

‘Oh yes. For healing.’ Still disbelief in the word.

‘She certainly has it in for Billy Shefford. I haven’t heard her express an opinion on his father. But she’s sure to have one. Rhona Hampton is one of those women who has an opinion on everything.’

‘Did you know Bill well?’ asked Carole tentatively, prepared for potential jealousy. She always had the vague fear that Jude would turn out to know Fethering locals better than she did.

‘No. I’ve met him round the village once or twice – in Allinstore, you know … But, obviously, not having a car, I’ve never had any professional dealings with him.’

‘No, of course not.’ Carole looked pensive. ‘I wonder what will happen …?’

‘What will happen where?’

‘With the garage. Apparently, Bill had been talking about retirement recently. And if Billy took it over, he had plans for turning the place into a dealership for one of the big companies.’

‘Yes, I’d heard that from Rhona.’

‘But what’ll happen now?’ Carole repeated. ‘I wonder whether Bill had got round to making a new will … and whether Malee will become the sole beneficiary and inherit everything …?’