‘I wouldn’t have wanted you to then. I couldn’t face thinking about the past or anything to do with it. I tried to commit suicide twice and the second time, I nearly made it.’ She pulled up her sleeve and Jenny gasped at the ugly red scars across her wrist.

‘Anyway, that’s all in the past.’ Madelaine pulled her sleeve down. ‘When I came out of hospital, I decided I’d take a medical course myself and train to be a nurse. I moved to Sydney and worked in a hospital there, then I went across to the States.’

‘How exciting. I’ve never been further than Yarmouth, let alone out of the country. You sound different too. Can’t hear the Norfolk in you any more, my lurve.’ Jenny grinned.

‘No.’ Madelaine drained her glass. ‘What happened certainly led to me broadening my horizons, that’s for sure. Anyway, enough about me. What have you been doing with yourself for all these years?’

‘Nothing much, compared to you. I’ve been plodding along at St Stephen’s, got promoted when the new head arrived fourteen years ago. I love my job, I really do. And that school’s been very good to me. Shall we move into the kitchen? I should put the peas on if we’re to eat before midnight.’

Madelaine followed Jenny into the pin-neat kitchen. She watched as Jenny bustled round preparing supper and half listened as she chattered.

‘So I’m only a couple of years away from retirement now, then I have to decide what to do. I thought I might like to travel, as I never have, and at least being at the school such a long time means I get a good pension.’

‘Maybe we should take off together, be an OAP version of Thelma and Louise, leave a trail of destruction behind us,’ laughed Madelaine.

‘Well, we were a bit of a pair at school, weren’t we?’ Jenny giggled. ‘Always in trouble, the terrible twosome.’ She put two plates on the table and they both sat down to eat.

‘Our mums used to despair, didn’t they? I mean, we didn’t exactly have action in the wilds of Norfolk, not like the young folk have these days, but we found it, didn’t we?’

‘We certainly did! Do you remember Tommy Springfield? We both fancied him and he didn’t stand a chance, poor lad! Do you remember we both made a pact to see who would be the first one to kiss him?’ Jenny’s eyes sparkled at the memory.

‘I do. And . . . you won!’

‘I did! But then you kissed him the night after and he thought he was Mr Big!’

‘Bless him, he was a sweet boy.’ Madelaine helped herself to more wine and refilled Jenny’s glass, too.

‘We did give our mums and dads the runaround, didn’t we? But it was all good, innocent fun. What were we? Fifteen, sixteen?’

‘Must have been. I met Jed when we went to that barn dance in Gately when I was almost seventeen.’ Madelaine smiled.