‘All right,’ I caved. ‘I’ll go, but if anything happens, you ring me, okay? I’ll keep my phone turned on and I’ll be in even earlier tomorrow.’

When I arrived home, I checked my emails. There was one from someone called Sam about the cottage.

Thank you for your enquiry regarding the possibility of staying in Crow’s Nest Cottage.

The cottage has already been booked for the two weeks you specified. Apologies for any disappointment this may cause.

Given everything else I had to worry about, I felt far more disappointed than I probably should have and even though I knew it was pointless I sent a reply anyway.

Hi Sam. Thank you for letting me know. Is it available any time during June or July?

*

I had hoped to find myself back on top form the following morning, but what I discovered when I opened my eyes was that the world had shifted on its axis and my head was spinning.

‘Don’t you think you should call the doctor?’ asked Lucy, when I eventually managed to find a position that stopped the dizziness long enough for me to dial her home number.

‘No,’ I said firmly. ‘It’s just a bit of vertigo. I’ve had it before.’

‘I can drive you to the surgery,’ she carried on regardless. ‘It’s no bother.’

‘Honestly, Lucy, there’s no need.’

‘But you had a migraine yesterday,’ she pointed out, as if I needed reminding. ‘I really think you should get checked out.’

‘I promise you, it’s not a problem,’ I said soothingly. ‘It’s an inconvenience more than anything,’ I added, thinking of the rotten timing, ‘and purely stress-related. It’ll pass the second we’re back to business as normal.’

‘Well, if you’re sure—’

‘I am,’ I interrupted, ‘but there is one thing you could do for me, Luce.’

‘Name it.’

‘Come and pick me up and drive me in.’

‘What?’

‘Drive me into work,’ I pleaded. ‘I can’t get behind the wheel. I wouldn’t be safe, but if you could get me to my desk and I sit relatively still I’ll be fine to carry on. I need to carry on.’

There followed a sentence containing more than a few words that I would never have had down as being in mild-mannered Lucy’s vocabulary.

‘So that’s a definite no then?’ I sighed, when she eventually ran out of steam.

Neither Chris or Sonya were up for it either so I spent a miserable morning trying not to move or worry too much about what was happening in my absence. I couldn’t help thinking that Chris was going to be in his element. As second in command he would no doubt be savouring the chance to make an impression.

Early afternoon I heard a key turn in the lock.

‘It’s only me,’ Joan called out. ‘Stay where you are.’