Isaac, who had been crouching to reach for mixers from beneath the bar, was already surging up saying sharply, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, cool it!’ He couldn’t see the counter flap descending with strength of Zinnia’s rage behind it.

‘Stop!’ yelled Lily, seeing, as if in slow motion, Isaac’s head rising to meet the slamming wooden flap. Blindly, she thrust out her hand … then screamed as the flap smashed onto her delicate fingers. It felt as if her hand had burst into flames, the fire shooting up her entire arm.

Dimly, she heard Zinnia shout, ‘No! Oh no, Lily!’ and a chorus of horrified gasps.

All the background noise in the bar was suspended apart from Isaac hissing through clenched teeth, ‘Get out of the way and let me see to her.’ Lily’s hand was suddenly free but the agony stormed on, pounding and scalding through her. She tried to clutch her hand to her chest but someone had her by the wrist.

‘Don’t, sweetheart,’ said Isaac’s voice. ‘Vita, get me two clean tea towels and fill one with ice. I’ll get her to hospital in Peterborough. She’ll need X-rays.’

Then Zinnia’s voice, low and shaky. ‘I’ll take her.’

Isaac snorted, an ugly, jagged sound. ‘You’ve done enough.’

Lily fought for breath to bear the fiery, pulsing thing her hand had become. She was aware of being cradled, drawn into the back area, a chair being found for her, Isaac crouching to gently cocoon her hand in a towel filled with ice that did seem to cool the burn a bit but at the same time increased the throbbing. Vaguely she was aware of the kitchen staff standing in the doorway in their chef whites. Someone brought her coat and he helped her slide her right arm into it and tuck it around her left shoulder. Isaac issued instructions to Vita to stop serving though it was before ten because there would be no licensee on the premises and he wouldn’t be able to return if needed. ‘As soon as people have drunk up, please can you take Doggo outside and then give him a Bonio to take to bed?’

‘I could take him home with me,’ Carola volunteered. ‘Give him a quick walk round the village first.’

‘That would be great.’ Isaac sounded properly grateful. Amidst a flurry of murmured good wishes, he helped Lily up and, an arm around her, guided her out of the back door to his car in a corner of the car park.

He shut the door behind her. Lily, shaking, but the pain not as all-consuming as it had been, heard him talking to someone. The driver’s door opened as he said to whoever it was, ‘If you’re going, take your own car.’ Then he was in, checking she was coping then driving away with swift, decisive movements.