Laurel had to wait five minutes outside the Cassidy household for Daisy to appear. A small woman with blonde and pink hair came to the open doorway and lifted a friendly hand to Laurel. Laurel returned the salute then hurried Daisy away.

‘What’s the rush?’ demanded Daisy.

‘Need the loo,’ said Laurel, which wasn’t actually a lie, and they strode through the icy village together, huddling into their coats. Every leaf or grain of wood wore a twinkling white jacket and Jack Frost tweaked Laurel’s ears until they stung. She tried to jolly Daisy along. ‘The streetlights look as if they’re wearing Joseph’s coat of many colours with so many Christmas lights wound around them.’

‘Cool,’ responded Daisy, tepidly.

Then they walked in silence apart from the ringing of their boots on the flagstone pavement. They turned into Great End, where the householder on the corner had stuck solar lights into the verge to dissuade pub goers from parking there. In sight of The Nookery now, Laurel slowed, hooking her hand into Daisy’s arm. ‘You all right? After being upset earlier, I mean. Are you still OK with me phoning the school on Monday to ask to speak to Mr Williams?’

Daisy nodded vigorously. ‘I haven’t answered the text.’

‘That’s the right thing to do.’ Laurel realised she’d failed to give Daisy advice on that. ‘It’s best not to even hint that I intend to put a stop to their games. It’ll be better to catch them off-guard. I’ll need you to forward to me all the messages they’ve sent you and I expect Mr Williams will want to see them on your phone himself at some point.’

Daisy nodded. She smiled, though probably at the thought of Octavia and Scarlett getting in trouble.

Laurel’s mind drifted back to her own experiences, including the counselling she’d taken advantage of herself eight or nine years ago. ‘I expect Mr Williams will give you some idea how to act when this is over. I know it’s tempting to think of revenge but it’s not good. It brings you down to their level and can make you the aggressor. You just need to move on to a happier place.’

‘’Kay,’ Daisy agreed and they carried on the last few yards to The Nookery where Daisy, after shouting hello to her mum, disappeared upstairs to her room.

Slightly more gracious and well-mannered than the teenager, Laurel sought out Rea in the sitting room though, having had two people spill their hearts to her tonight, she wouldn’t have minded going upstairs and letting a good book carry her away from reality. ‘Hi,’ she said, falling into a cutesy rocking chair for which Rea had made black and green cushions.