As Miki slipped the sausage rolls into bags, she saw Liz trying to spread her bitty blonde fringe over the bruise, fingers fluttering nervously. A knitted beanie would cover it, Miki thought, but it would be too obvious to give Liz one for free. Instead, she slipped three Caramello Koalas into another bag and handed them over with the sausage rolls, hoping to give Liz a little bit of pleasure later in the day. She deserved it for putting up with Mooney.

17

17

Tuesday, grey clouds sank over town, seeping rain. Home alone, Miki sat in the shop watching raindrops weep down the windows. Hardly anyone was about, and those who had to be out were huddled under umbrellas, heads bowed against the wind-driven downpour. Despite the weather Miki was keen to get some fresh air, so she retrieved the key and unlocked the back door. Weeks had passed now without Kurt mentioning anything and she’d begun to relax.

Before going outside, she fetched Far from the Madding Crowd from its hiding place in her bedroom. It was too wet for a walk so she settled on the visitor centre. If Geraldine was there, they could talk books.

Geraldine was crouching by the wood fire, feeding logs into its belly. When she saw Miki, she clambered to her feet, grimacing, and brushed sawdust from her trousers. ‘Knees aren’t what they used to be.’

The pot-bellied stove rumbled as wind whipped the smoke from the flue. Geraldine turned her bottom to the fire and swung slowly back and forth, warming herself.

‘Cold in here,’ Miki said. ‘Not good for your bones.’ She remembered how stiff Mother used to be in winter. Miki had heated hot water bottles for her, and knitted extra-long pairs of thick socks, but nothing had worked with such bad arthritis. Operations had never been discussed, and yet Miki knew from talk in the shop that knee replacements might have been a solution. Isolated as they were on the farm, options from the outside world hadn’t been contemplated.

‘It’ll warm up once the fire gets going,’ Geraldine said.

‘Leave the stove door open a little,’ Miki suggested. ‘That’ll help it draw.’

‘I’m not much good with fires,’ Geraldine said. ‘I’ve got a gas heater at home. It runs off a big bottle out the back. Gas is more efficient than wood, but wood’s cheaper.’ She limped to her desk and sat down. ‘Terrible weather, isn’t it? Not good for tourists. They all hide in this rain, and who can blame them? I wouldn’t want to go sightseeing in this. I’d rather stay home with a book.’

Miki put Far from the Madding Crowd on the desk.

‘Oh.’ Geraldine’s smile lines crinkled. ‘Did you read it?’

‘Yes. I loved it.’

‘I thought you would. What did you like about it?’

‘I liked that it was set on a farm in the countryside.’