‘Hello. Can I help?’ a woman, rounded like a barrel, asked her curtly.

‘Oh, hi. Yes, I’d like a coffee please,’ Lizzie said, then when the woman’s stare didn’t waver, made a big deal of perusing the cakes on offer, adding: ‘And that yummy-looking lemon drizzle cake. Did you make that? It looks delicious.’ Lizzie smiled as widely as she could manage.

‘Erm … yes, actually, I did. Thank you.’ The barrel woman blushed. Lizzie had pushed her off-track. Amazing how a well-placed compliment could massage someone’s ego enough to force them to be nice. Lizzie could tell the woman was itching to ask who the hell she was, though. But she’d make her wait. She needed to suss out who people were first, make sure she didn’t drop Muriel’s name before she even knew what she looked like, or if she was there in the hall.

‘Thank you so much. I’ll enjoy this, I feel sure. I might be up for a second slice in a moment.’ Lizzie grinned again before paying and finding a seat. She chose the table on the far side so she would have time to see people walking in and make a quick appraisal. She also needed time to perfect her ‘pitch’.

As she took a bite of the cake, which was every bit as good as it looked, Lizzie’s heart leapt. She sat forward, cake crumbs falling into her lap. She couldn’t believe it – Anna, the woman she’d met the other day had just walked into the hall. She was with a delicate-looking older woman – the elderly mother she’d spoken of? Lizzie’s arm was raised before she’d consciously decided to do it, and she waved Anna over.

‘Hi, Anna. Thanks so much for your B&B recommendation – it’s fantastic,’ Lizzie said enthusiastically. ‘This must be your mum …’ She trailed off, in the hope Anna would introduce them.

But instead, she simply said, ‘Yes, it is.’ Then politely added, ‘I’m so glad you found the accommodation to your satisfaction.’ The whole episode seemed fake and falsely bright, which in turn caused a bead of sweat to run down Lizzie’s spine. Had Anna found out who she was? The real reason she was in Mapledon? She certainly seemed standoffish now, compared to their first meeting.

‘Would you sit with me? I feel like Billy-no-mates here.’ Lizzie smarted, immediately regretting her turn of phrase. Bloody hell – how stupid. She rushed into further conversation, hoping to brush over her faux pas. ‘The cakes are amazing – I miss this kind of thing. No one has these types of coffee mornings in Abbingsworth.’

‘No?’ Anna was distracted, her gaze bobbing around the room rather than focusing on Lizzie. Lizzie directed her next comment at Anna’s mother, whose attention had also been elsewhere since they’d approached the table. ‘Do you bake … Mrs … er …’

The woman faced her; their eyes locked. They seemed to penetrate Lizzie’s, looking deep within her. Lizzie gave an involuntary shudder, a strange sensation sweeping through her.