I heard myself giving little ragged breaths, all scared and pathetic. ‘Will you tell your friends that?’ I asked, looking at John. His head was lolling a bit, eyes all glassy. ‘Will you make them understand we’re not a bother. We’re not a problem.’

‘My friends?’ she asked, looking back at me.

‘The other people? Pelletier, was that his name? The little goblin man as well. The other fellow – is he your husband? I don’t understand.’

She readjusted her position, squatting between John and me and taking one of my hands and one of John’s, making us into a silly little trio of paper dolls. I didn’t know how to react. I’ve known people nigh-on half a century who wouldn’t take my hand without permission and here was this dark-eyed stranger with the foreign accent clutching at my fist like we were sisters.

‘They aren’t my friends,’ she said, gravely, her eyes wide as teacups and looking right into mine. ‘This is a … how do you say it – a marriage of convenience, si? Is that the expression?’

‘Not in Brampton,’ I said, not having a clue what she was talking about. I threw my hands in the air, fear giving in to frustration. ‘Look, do they think we’re somebody else? They don’t think I’m Cordelia, do they? Do they think that I’m having everybody on? Look, I’m not anybody really. I only live a few miles away. I used to live near here … the village by the old church. It’s all farms and fields and Roman wall and I know Cordelia well enough to promise that if they just go away now, there’ll be no bother. Even if you’re burglars, she’ll say nowt. She only keeps the house on out of sentimentality. Her boy died here, you see. Little Stefan. Happy bouncing little lad he was. Must be fifteen years since he passed on, but she can’t stand to let this place go and her Cranham, he’s got money to burn so doesn’t make a fuss. So whatever’s been done, it can be undone, that’s what I’m saying …’

I saw her lip tremble. Her eyes filled for a moment with tears, like rose petals in the rain, but she managed to get herself together before she fell to weeping.