Alison had thought about this all the way home, sitting still and quiet in the train carriage as she was rocked along the track. Something to look forward to: well, Robyn had invited her to come on holiday to Portugal with her and the children, taking John’s place, which would be lovely. She hadn’t been much of a holidayer in the past – going away on her own made her feel lonelier than if she’d stayed at home, and she worried about the house being left empty. But she’d already mentioned it to her neighbours, Liz and Vince, and they’d fallen over themselves to assure her that they’d keep an eye on the place. Seeing as Liz had been newly promoted to sergeant in the police force, Alison was pretty sure that she could rely on her.

Another thing she was looking forward to – to her great surprise! – was meeting up with Jeanie and her knitting group again. For when she’d cut the other woman’s hair a fortnight earlier, they had fallen into easy, friendly conversation, and it had turned out that the two of them were like-minded about all sorts of things, not least how wonderful their grandchildren were. Alison had never had a problem chatting with her clients – you couldn’t be a hairdresser and not be good at talking to other people – but this particular cut and blow-dry was punctuated with laughter and all sorts of shared confidences, more than she’d been expecting. And at the end, Jeanie had said, ‘Alison, I don’t suppose you’re a knitter, are you? Because you would love the girls – and token fella! – in the knitting group that I go to every other Thursday. I promise they’re not a bunch of old farts; they’re really good company. If you ever fancy joining us, you’d be very welcome.’

Not all that long ago Alison would have said no, out of habit, just like she’d said no to every other similar invitation. Thursday evenings? No, she couldn’t possibly. She’d miss EastEnders and that reality show she liked! But to her surprise, she found herself saying yes, okay – and then enjoying one of the giggliest, most entertaining evenings she’d had in a long while, despite the fact that her knitting skills were pretty awful. ‘Some of us are only here for the cake and gossip, don’t worry,’ one of the women assured her with a cackle. ‘Not to mention the gin.’

So yes, she was definitely looking forward to seeing them again. The evening had actually been better than watching telly. As for Emily’s instructions about doing something to let go of the grief in a physical way . . . Well, Alison had had an idea about that, too.