The picture in question was a reprint of the famous painting by John William Waterhouse, The Lady of Shalott. It depicted a pale woman sitting in a wooden boat who was wearing a flowing white dress, her copper-coloured hair falling down to her waist. Judith had always disliked the painting. Not that it wasn’t beautiful – she loved the hippy-ish aesthetic with red and gold tapestries hanging over the side of the little rowboat – but she was ‘done’ with legends of passive women who pined away from unrequited love for a man. In her experience, the only women who pined at all did so because they were trapped with a man, not because they were liberated from one.

‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’ Suzie agreed.

There was the clatter of post being delivered through the letterbox downstairs.

‘That’ll be Fred!’ Suzie said, stubbing out her cigarette at speed. ‘We need to stop him before he gets away.’

Suzie dashed to the door and Judith followed.

Chapter 16

Fred Smith was an impish man with short white hair and a trim beard who’d had many jobs in his life, but he’d never enjoyed any of them as much as he did being a postie. As a Marlow boy, born and bred, he knew where everyone lived before he’d even taken up the job, so delivering letters around the town never felt like a chore. Not when you could stop and have a good natter on the doorstep with everyone as you went. It turned out that the one thing Fred liked above all else was gossiping. Not that he’d ever be indiscreet. That would be unprofessional.

When Suzie and Judith bombed out of Suzie’s house after him, he was nonetheless surprised. It wasn’t usual for women to chase him down the street.

‘Suzie, are you okay?’ he asked, startled.

‘Can we have a quick word, Fred?’

‘Always got time for quick word,’ Fred said with a broad grin. ‘And it’s great to meet you finally, Mrs Potts.’

As Judith lived on the outskirts of Marlow, she had a completely different postman and had never met Fred before.

‘You know who I am?’

‘I’m a postie,’ he said with a friendly wink. ‘I know who everyone is. So, how can I help you, ladies?’

‘It’s about Elliot Howard,’ Suzie said.

‘It is?’

‘Do you know him?’ Judith asked.

‘Of course. I used to be his boss. Back in the day, mind. A long time ago now.’

‘So what’s the gossip?’ Suzie asked.

‘About Elliot?’ Fred said with a conspiratorial smile. ‘Where do you want me to start?’

‘Is he trustworthy?’ Judith said eagerly.

‘What a weird question. He could be difficult, I’ll grant you that. A bit patronising in his manner sometimes. But he was totally trustworthy.’