With a sinking sensation her eye fell on an email from the other company she was supposed to be working with. Opening it, she discovered a belated attempt to beat her down on the price already negotiated. After staring at phrases such as uncomfortable task and no choice but and as no agreement has actually been signed she politely reversed out of the relationship and wished them well.

Her order book was now officially empty.

Her stab at running her own business had failed.

Not a single one of her recent pitches had borne fruit, and she was realising too late that she hadn’t put enough effort into pitching for work in the months preceding the trip to Switzerland.

Failure was her pay-off.

At least she could go all out to find safe employment, maybe apply for that job with the awesome Asian chain of hotels and enjoy the travel. She drummed her fingers. Or, after Christmas, she could ring Garrick and arrange to go to Switzerland to meet Los. It still seemed unreal but Garrick had sounded as if it were a virtually nailed-on offer until she’d hesitated because of Tubb’s chilliness towards her.

Her mind strayed to her eldest half-brother. What if Tubb came back? Just because he was giving up the pub didn’t mean he and Janice wouldn’t live in Middledip. Janice had a house on this very estate. It was rented out right now because last year she’d moved into the pub with Tubb but they could make it their home. His return could be uncomfortable for Lily.

Part of her reason to stay here had been him. Now it was him making her wonder whether she should leave. Yet, unthinkable as Middledip was without Tubb, if he stayed in Switzerland near his brother and Janice’s son … that could be the uncomfortable place to be.

The obvious thing would be to start again somewhere that was neither Middledip nor Schützenberg. Isaac was leaving the village but it kept crossing her mind that if there was still something between them when Hayley didn’t need him any more they might be able to arrange their lives in such a way that they could carry on a relationship. In the right circumstances, she could live anywhere.

Ever more confused and undecided, she’d just found and reread the job description for the hotel chain and opened up the application form when Carola called in wearing a hunted expression. ‘Bloody Duncan!’ she complained. ‘I’m sure he’s getting the girls to work on me to invite him for Christmas Day. Bastard,’ she groaned. ‘He didn’t give a hoot about me being on my own last year when he was all loved up with Sherri and had the girls for Christmas but now they’re making me feel like a monster.’