‘But he bloody well has! An’ the young bugger has emptied the bank account an’ all,’ Cissie snapped unsympathetically as she began to dish up the meal, not that anyone had much appetite. Ben’s disappearance seemed to have taken the wind right out of all of their sails, but she had noticed that there seemed to be more to Kathy’s upset than the fact that Ben could well have left them destitute

‘Ah well, at least Mr Dixon should still have a sizeable amount of money tied up for us and the stables are doing well so we’ll still have an income,’ Sunday said, trying to be optimistic. She couldn’t allow herself to believe that Ben would just disappear with all their money, she couldn’t!

As soon as the meal was over Kathy disappeared to her room where she sobbed into her pillow inconsolably. She couldn’t countenance her life without Ben; she adored him and he was her whole world. But he’ll come back, she comforted herself. He loves me, he must do!

Sunday was up early the next morning. There was no point in lying in bed for she’d hardly slept a wink all night. Cissie was already downstairs in the kitchen as was Kathy who shocked her mother when she informed her that she wouldn’t be going in to work that day. Sunday had never known her have a single day off before, but she didn’t say anything. She had too much else to worry about.

At just after nine o’clock the postman came whistling down the drive and Sunday went into the hall to fetch the mail. Ever since Tom had died Ben had always fetched the mail leaving anything that was addressed to her on the hall table, so it felt strange to be sorting through it herself.

There was a letter from a councillor inviting her to a meeting about the next lot of social housing they were planning to build and a letter from Verity inviting her to afternoon tea the following week. The third envelope looked very official, but she had no idea what it might contain. She took it into the day room and ripped it open.

Suddenly the floor seemed to rush up to greet her as her eyes flicked down the page and she had to read it over again to make herself believe what was written there.

Arrears on Mortgage … £187 … to be paid immediately … bailiffs will be appointed if said arrears are not redeemed in full …

She shook her head, her face a mask of dismay. There had to be a mistake. There was no mortgage on Treetops, nor had there been for many years!

Chapter Ten

‘What do you make of this?’ Sunday asked, dashing into the kitchen and thrusting the letter into Cissie’s hand.