‘They’re friendly with the Blackmans, aren’t they?’ I’d seen the two couples chatting animatedly towards the end of the party.

‘Thick as thieves, that Jane Waddington and Melissa Blackman.’ Mrs D might be a mine of intriguing snippets of information, but she rarely elaborated.

‘It’s all clear, Jimmy, you can come out now. Lunch is on the table,’ I shouted up the stairs.

‘That went very well, don’t you think?’ Pa said. ‘You were wonderful, my darling. The perfect hostess.’

‘And your sermon was better than usual.’

‘You think so?’ His face brightened. Sermons were a persistent source of anxiety for him, and writing them seemed to take forever.

‘Put it this way, I listened most of the time.’

He laughed. ‘I couldn’t do this without you, my sweetheart. But it’s not going to be easy.’

‘What do you mean? They all thought you were charming – certainly the ladies. They were hanging on your every word.’

He shook his head. ‘The bishop warned me that you get a honeymoon period for the first few weeks or months, when everyone is kind and all seems smooth and easy. But I sense undercurrents in this village. I get the feeling it’s not all going to be plain sailing.’

I wanted to ask him what he meant. What undercurrents? And how did he know, after such a short time? But my stomach was rumbling and Jimmy was banging his spoon impatiently on the table, so this was not the time.

Starting at a new school is never easy. Pa and I had been to visit shortly after our arrival. The girls’ grammar sat in wide acres of playing fields in the leafiest part of the town, and the headmistress, although severe-looking and rather brusque, turned out to be quite pleasant after all.

‘The dog collar always helps,’ Pa whispered as we waited for her. She certainly seemed to relish addressing him as ‘Reverend’ as she showed us around the school. We were invited for coffee in her study, during which she asked about what I’d been doing in mathematics, English and science at my previous school, as well as a few easy general-knowledge questions. She seemed pleased with my responses.

‘Well, Molly, I am delighted to welcome you to the school,’ she said, reaching into a drawer. ‘Here’s a list of our uniform requirements and where you can buy them. And here is our school calendar. We look forward to seeing you at the start of the spring term.’

Naturally I was nervous on my first day, but it turned out so much easier than I’d feared. The bus stop was on the main road at the top of our street and, as Jimmy and I walked up there that first day, I heard a voice from behind. ‘Molly Goddard? Are you going for the bus?’