Carole looked around. Fortunately, there was no one in sight. No one to witness the embarrassing encounter.

As she walked Gulliver back to High Tor, she decided she wouldn’t tell Jude about her visit to Red. No need to trouble her with that. After all, she came much better out of the visit she’d paid to Malee.

To defuse the urgency she felt to ring Jude’s mobile, Carole spent the Sunday evening teaching herself how to use the camera facility on her new mobile. She had been dreading the process but found it surprisingly easy. She was soon competent to produce a full still and video record of her granddaughters’ visit to Fethering in a few weeks’ time.

Carole managed to restrain herself until the Monday morning. She took Gulliver for his usual tramp on Fethering Beach and rang Woodside Cottage as soon as they returned to High Tor. It was not yet half past seven. The bleariness in Jude’s voice expressed her opinion that this was far too early for someone to be woken, particularly someone who’d arrived back after midnight from a tiring weekend in Leeds.

‘I’m sorry,’ Carole lied – she wasn’t sorry at all – ‘but there’s something I really have to tell you. You won’t believe what I found out over the weekend.’

‘You won’t believe what I found out over the weekend,’ countered Jude. ‘I found out things about your friend Adrian Greenford.’

‘Oh, I’m not interested in him,’ said Carole. Then, after a slight pause. ‘What did you find out about him?’

‘It’s more about his wife Gwyneth. She—’

Carole changed her priorities. ‘But I actually saw Malee Shefford.’

‘You did?’ The awe in Jude’s voice was very rewarding.

‘Yes,’ said Carole calmly. ‘She told me what was in Bill Shefford’s will.’

‘Did she actually show it to you?’

‘No.’ And Carole recreated the conversation she had had with Malee the day before. ‘So, will you do it?’ she asked at the end.

‘What, you mean tell Shannon what was in the will?’

‘Yes.’

‘She’ll think it pretty odd, coming from me. And I can’t begin to imagine how her mother will react. Or perhaps I can, all too accurately. I don’t think Rhona Hampton is ever going to be persuaded that there’s any good in Malee.’

Knowing Jude’s love of conciliation, Carole pleaded, ‘It might start some kind of rapprochement between them. Make Shannon at least realize that her stepmother wasn’t just a gold-digger.’

‘I suppose it might.’ Jude didn’t sound convinced. ‘I think I’ll have to get Shannon on her own. Any mention of Malee’s name in Rhona’s presence will just unleash another burst of xenophobia.’

‘See what you can do,’ Carole pleaded.

‘I’ll try.’

‘Have you got another session booked with Rhona?’

‘This afternoon.’

‘The perfect opportunity.’