‘Flapjacks,’ said Win.

‘Louisa? What’s your word?’

‘Owls,’ said Louisa.

‘Rhododendrons?’ suggested Morwenna.

‘Tanks,’ said the Colonel.

‘Fairies,’ offered Bunty predictably. Joyce suggested tourists, Marnie produced voodoo and Christopher said oysters.

‘Fine,’ said Catherine. ‘Those are all nouns so I’ll throw in an adjective. Let’s go for spine-chilling.’

‘Spine-chilling flapjacks! That should be a first,’ said Christopher and everyone laughed. Catherine thought that her class were beginning to relax with each other and hoped it would give them the confidence to be adventurous in their writing.

At eleven o’clock they were just about to pause for a mid-morning break and troop off to the espresso coffee machine in the bar when Stanley burst through the door, followed at a slower pace by Giles. It was clear that Stanley was in a black rage. He scowled at everyone.

‘Get your bag packed,’ he said to Win. ‘We’re leaving. I want everyone to know that I reckon this place is a bloody con. You and me’ll catch next train to York and I’ve told Giles Grant here that I’m demanding my deposit back in full and I won’t be paying owt else neither.’

‘I’m afraid we don’t do refunds,’ said Giles. ‘If you have taken out the holiday insurance that was suggested on the booking form, then you will be able to take it up with the insurance company, though I’m afraid they’re unlikely to pay except in cases of illness or emergency.’ He added smoothly, ‘But we’ll be delighted to arrange a taxi to take you to the station if that’s what you want.’

‘You won’t get a penny out of me,’ shouted Stanley. He glared furiously at Catherine. ‘Call yourself a teacher,’ he said rudely. ‘You don’t know good writing when you see it. Come along Win. We’ll not waste more time.’

There was an embarrassed silence. Everyone’s eyes turned to Win. She sat down again in her chair and looked straight at her husband. ‘You go, Stanley,’ she said quietly. ‘You go on home if that’s what you want, but I’m learning more from Catherine than I’ve learned from anyone in years and I shall stay and finish the course.’

Catherine, touched by Win’s bravery, but not wanting to be the cause of a domestic break-up, said, ‘I’m sorry you feel like that, Stanley. Why don’t you both discuss this in private? We were just about to break for coffee now anyway. We’ll leave you to talk it over together.’

‘Nowt to discuss.’ Stanley looked like a stocky black bull, such a bad-tempered gleam in his bloodshot eyes that Christopher quite expected to see him start pawing the ground prior to a charge. ‘You heard me, Win.’ He stood in the doorway, blocking everyone else’s line of retreat. But his wife stayed where she was.

‘No, Stanley. I agree there’s nothing to discuss. You go home, but I won’t be coming back with you. Not this time.’

He looked at her for a moment in disbelief, then turned and blundered out of the room without another word.