Ali did that, then came down and said to Elise, ‘Don’t you give in to that niece of yours, missus. You do what you want with your life.’ He left with a cheery wave.

‘Fine young fellow, that. We could do with more migrants like him,’ Victor said. ‘Fancy a cup of tea?’

‘Yes. I’m parched. The stuff they gave us in the rehab place was always stewed. Do you still have your special tea?’

‘Yes, of course.’ He settled Elise in a chair and brought in two pretty china mugs of it. When he’d given her one of them, he sank into the other armchair and pointed one hand at her. ‘Now, let’s hear the whole story, every single detail this time.’

She went through exactly what her niece had done, ending with, ‘So I desperately need your help legally, Victor.’

‘You certainly do. Why on earth didn’t you give me the power of attorney, old girl?’

‘I knew your heart was playing up and I thought you had enough on your plate. And we were in a hurry after my fall.’

‘Ah.’

‘And Mary – well, I must give the devil her due, she came as soon as I had the accident. She helped a lot, fetching my things from home.’

Elise began fiddling with her teaspoon. ‘The worst of it is, she’s right about one thing: I can’t manage that big house on my own any longer. It’s going downhill rapidly. I’ve been having difficulty with those stairs for quite a while.’

‘You could fit a stairlift.’

‘I don’t have a lot of money to spare until I sell the house and buy something smaller.’

‘Painting not paying a lot?’

‘Starting to pay some, but it comes and goes. I’m not quite in the big league yet and I’ve had the council rates to pay and a huge electricity bill. Tom’s stupid superannuation died with him, you see. He got a bigger amount by agreeing to a lifetime limit. He always seemed in far better health than me so I didn’t protest but—Oh, my!’ She looked across the room at one of her own paintings hanging on the wall.

‘I bought that one because I love bluebells. I can’t walk in a real wood full of them any longer, because I’m not risking uneven ground, but I mentally walk through that painting every day.’

‘Oh, Victor, what a lovely thing to say. But you shouldn’t have bought it. I’d have given it to you happily!’

He waggled one finger at her. ‘You never were businesslike about your work.’

After a short silence, she raised her head to look him in the eye. ‘What on earth am I going to do, Victor?’

‘Well, you can change who has the power of attorney at any time, so we’ll get that sorted out for a start, then your niece can’t force you to do anything. After that we’ll sell your house and find you a new home. Easy.’

She chuckled. ‘Easy! It seems like a very high mountain to climb to me.’