As she stood peeling yet another bucket of potatoes, her hands red from the cold water, she allowed her mind to wander. She tried out the name ‘Hannah Bassett’, whispering it to herself. Would it suit her? This new Mrs Bassett was a widow, and had been a cook in a big house. But the family she worked for had gone abroad and closed up the house, and she wasn’t needed there any more. It would be very difficult to contact them as they were travelling around Italy, although their daughter, Diana, would be happy to give a glowing postal reference for her ‘favourite cook’ to secure a new position, Gina was sure. She’d work out how to manage that when she had to.

This new Mrs Bassett was going to look in one of those posh newspapers in which ‘Situations’ were advertised as ‘Vacant’. A job outside Lancashire would be best. Mrs Bassett was a Lancashire lass through and through but had now reached a point in her life when she was keen to see other parts of the country. Ideally, the new position would be in a very quiet house, cooking only for an elderly widow or a widower. She could manage that kind of work easily. In fact she meant to do that job so well that before very long she would become indispensable. It didn’t really matter who the person was, provided they were old and trusting … and rich, of course.

Gina dropped the peeled potato into a second bucket to rinse, then dived her hand in for the next, thinking what kind of house she’d like to go to live in and where she’d like it to be. There was plenty of time for her to have it all worked out before she left here …

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