‘Thank you,’ she said, ‘thank you both. That means so much to me and to be honest, I expected nothing less from either of you. I’m a very lucky woman.’

Beamish and I exchanged a look which spoke volumes.

‘However,’ Dolly continued, a frown forming, ‘there is something else. Just one more thing.’

‘Name it,’ said Beamish and I nodded in agreement.

I would do anything to free Dolly of that frown and clearly, Beamish felt exactly the same way. Whatever Dolly wanted, if it was in our power to give it, then we would.

‘It involves just you two actually,’ she said, reaching for her phone again.

Beamish and I exchanged another quick look.

‘Oh?’ I swallowed.

‘Yes,’ she said, scrolling through her messages, ‘this message you sent me Hattie, about finding Beamish and sorting everything out and reforming your friendship.’

‘What about it?’ I asked, feeling confused.

I had genuinely thought she would have been feeling as pleased about the situation as we were. It was a huge relief knowing that I wasn’t going to have to edge my way around the cottage every time Beamish called in and I was certain that we were going to need each other to lean on as the coming days stretched into weeks and Dolly’s illness became more obvious and difficult to deal with.

‘Well,’ she said, looking from one of us to the other, ‘it’s all well and good, but it’s not enough, is it?’

‘Isn’t it?’ asked Beamish, scratching his head.

‘No,’ she said firmly, ‘it isn’t.’

‘In what way?’ I said, ‘I thought you wanted us to make amends.’

Dolly tutted. Clearly, we were missing the point.

‘I think you’d better spell it out, Dolly,’ said Beamish.

‘All right,’ she said, raising her chin. ‘If you two really are as dense as I think you are, then I will.’

I held my breath.

‘It’s obvious to me,’ she launched, ‘more than obvious in fact, that the pair of you are going to get together, are meant to be together, as a couple I mean. As partners as well as friends. There’s more than the spark of friendship between you and even though I might have been a little slow to realise it, I can see now that you had fallen headlong for Hattie, Beamish, the second you laid eyes on her.’

‘Oh,’ he blustered, ‘well, I . . .’

‘And you, Hattie,’ she charged on, ‘you also developed feelings for Beamish pretty smartish, didn’t you? Even though you knew they were wrong and tried to pretend they didn’t exist because you were tied to that ratbag, Jonathan.’

I couldn’t help a laugh escaping my lips when I heard him described so unfavourably.

‘She did go to kiss me first,’ said Beamish with a grin.

That wiped the smile back off my face.

‘I did not,’ I protested.