Patsie hugged Lily too, just as always. ‘Glad you’re here. We were talking about you …’ She glanced at Roma.

Knees suddenly weak, Lily sat down on the armchair. ‘What?’

Patsie looked as if she were about to address a client, clasping her hands in her lap on her smart smoke-grey dress. Roma looked as if she was about to go out for coffee with boho friends, her stripy blue jeans tight and her flowery pink shirt loose. Roma cleared her throat. ‘Have you heard Zinnia’s news?’

Lily smiled properly for the first time since walking into the house. ‘Yes! Isn’t it fantastic? Are you guys pleased?’

‘We’re thrilled,’ Patsie said, a smile breaking over her face. She paused, looking at Roma again.

Roma fidgeted. ‘Now we know we’re going to be grandmothers it’s given us a new sense of what’s important.’ She carefully didn’t look at Patsie. ‘Lily, would you be OK if we weren’t around for Christmas? Someone at Patsie’s work has a cottage we can use. We thought it might be a good time to see if there’s anything to be rescued. Zinnia’s going to George’s parents’ for Christmas though, so we’re a bit worried it will leave you high and dry.’ Her eyes were apprehensive.

‘You go if you want to,’ Lily said immediately, finding herself beaming that her parents might not be splitting up after all. Thinking of them apart, of Roma being sad and left behind, made her feel as if she’d eaten a bowl of cold jelly in one gulp. ‘I’ll help at the pub with Christmas lunch anyway. It’ll be nice to spend Christmas in the village.’

Both Roma and Patsie looked relieved and almost immediately Patsie rose. ‘I’ve got a client meeting at four so I’ll leave you to chat. Maybe we can all go out for a pre-Christmas dinner? I’ll ask Zinnia and George.’ She blew kisses, which Lily supposed obviated the necessity of kissing her kind-of estranged/kind-of thinking of getting back together lover – or not – in front of Lily, before hurrying out.