‘Almost certainly,’ he agreed. It had been an unusual way to meet the love of your life, after all. Bunny had been on her way to work one morning a year or so ago when she’d seen a Vauxhall clip a cyclist on Micklegate right in front of her, sending him flying. She’d been feeling pretty good that day, what with all the weight she’d lost, not to mention the atrocious husband she’d lost too, and she’d promptly stopped the traffic, called an ambulance and put the unconscious Dave in the recovery position. Once he’d been whisked off to A&E, she had carried on towards work for a few minutes before an impulse made her turn and catch a bus to the hospital instead, in order to track down the (admittedly rather handsome) cyclist.

Later on, when Dave came round, woozy on painkillers and concussed, he’d gazed up at Bunny’s kind face, haloed with her blonde hair, then blinked and mumbled, ‘Are you an angel?’ (His brothers never tired of guffawing about that particular detail of the story; in hindsight, perhaps it had been a mistake to tell them.) Bunny had smiled down at his lovely battered face and replied, ‘It’s your lucky day.’ And so it had proved, for them both.

Bunny slowed now as she approached the village of Willowdene and then, moments later, parked with practised aplomb, whipping skilfully into a tight spot outside the Parish Church Hall. People were always surprised at what an excellent driver she was, particularly men, as if they expected someone who liked false eyelashes, short skirts and frosted pink gel-nails to be useless at any practical skills. ‘Full of surprises, me,’ she would say if anyone made a comment. She enjoyed being able to confound people’s expectations, to keep them guessing. ‘Don’t judge this book by its cover.’

Glancing into her rear-view mirror, she exchanged a look with the cardboard replica of herself propped in the back seat. ‘Here we are, kid,’ she said. ‘Let’s get ready to wow the weight-watchers all over again.’ Ever since she’d won SlimmerYou’s ‘Slimmer of the Year’, she’d been doing these inspirational talks to dieting groups around the North, standing beside her double-chinned cardboard self and enjoying the way people looked with genuine respect from the old version of her to the current svelte incarnation. You did it, their eyes said, and you could see the longing on their faces, not to mention the admiration and – quite often – the envy.