Lily watched him drive away and shivered. There was so much she wanted to share with Tom, but it could never be.

On Saturday morning Lily caught the bus with Freddie to buy him a toffee apple and a bag of liquorice laces in Prudence Golightly’s General Stores. The road into Ragley was quiet, but in spite of the bitter cold there was hope for the days ahead. Hazel catkins shivered in the hedgerows and winter aconites brightened the dark patches of the woodland. The icy blasts did not deter the hardy folk of Ragley village and a queue stretched out to the forecourt of the shop and past the bus stop.

Freddie was thrilled with his sweets, and as an extra treat Lily called in to the Tea Rooms to buy him a cake and a cup of tea. As they were leaving, she held the door open for a lady she hadn’t seen before.

Agatha Makepiece was frail and elderly, with porcelain skin and hair of winter-grey, and she wore a shabby fur coat and a neat hat with a feather in it. She walked in, upright and elegant like a prima ballerina, and sat alone at a corner table. She lived nearby in a thatched cottage that was now in urgent need of repair and it was a rare occurrence for her to step out and meet the world.

Doris Clutterbuck looked up from the counter, a hint of concern on her face. ‘Go and serve Miss Makepiece, please, Nora, and be careful what you say.’ Doris lowered her voice. ‘Her mind wanders a bit these days.’

‘What can I get for you, Madam?’ asked Nora, notebook in hand. Doris had insisted she must always be polite.

‘A pot of tea, please,’ said Agatha.

‘Anything to eat? We have some nice cakes and some sausage wolls fwesh fwom the oven.’

‘That sounds lovely, my dear.’ There was a pause as the elderly lady looked around her. ‘I don’t carry money because I can’t remember what to do with it.’

Nora was puzzled. She had never come across a customer without any money. ‘’Scuse me a moment.’

Doris sighed when Nora reported back to her. ‘Don’t worry, she’s a lovely lady who has fallen on hard times. Give her a pot of tea and a crumpet. That’s what she had last time … and, by the way, Nora, Miss Makepiece used to be an actress.’

Nora served the tea and crumpet, excited at the opportunity to meet such a lady. ‘Mrs Clutterbuck says you used to be an actwess.’

Suddenly the vacant look in Agatha’s blue eyes faded and she became alert. ‘Yes, I was at RADA.’

‘Wada?’

‘Yes, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. I was there in 1923 with John Gielgud and in 1931 when the Duchess of York opened the new building. I remember those days so well.’

‘I want t’be an actwess.’