‘Where is Doris?’ he frowned, his eyes scanning the few trees still awaiting collection.

‘With the Stott family, apparently,’ said Kim, with a hard stare in my direction.

Ned’s gaze swung to me. ‘Oh,’ he said. ‘I see.’

I opened my mouth to explain, but David called me from the barn.

‘Phone call, Liza!’ he shouted.

‘You’d better take it,’ said Ned, through gritted teeth.

I didn’t need telling twice and sprinted off.

‘It’s a chap asking for the young woman who’s working here today,’ said David, handing me the phone. ‘As Maya’s been out, that can only be you, can’t it?’

‘Theo?’ I tentatively spoke into the handset, even though I knew it wasn’t.

‘No,’ said a posh voice. ‘Mr Stott actually.’

‘Oh Mr Stott,’ I blustered. ‘I’m so sorry. My mistake with your tree has literally just come to light. I do apologise. It wasn’t the fault of the man who came to pick it up at all,’ I hastily added, hoping I hadn’t cost him his betrothal. ‘It was entirely mine. I muddled your tree…’

‘With the Scott family tree,’ he cut in. ‘Yes, I can see that from the label. Had I been there I would have seen straightaway that this wasn’t ours. Still, no harm done. Can you switch them tomorrow? You’ll need to deliver and collect.’

‘Of course,’ I said, relieved that he was willing to be so understanding. At least that might help my cause when I went back to talk to Ned and placate the Scotts. Mr Stott’s prospective son-in-law must have either been a bit of a wuss or the guy’s bark was worse than his bite. ‘I’ll rectify the situation first thing tomorrow.’

‘Excellent,’ he said and hung up.

‘What’s going on?’ David asked, looking concerned when I ended the call.

‘Nothing to worry about,’ I told him. ‘A slight hiccup but it will soon be rectified.’

I rushed back out knowing I sounded more confident than I felt, but then again, I could calm a class argument with just one look, which was quite something for someone of my diminutive stature. Then I spotted Ned’s face, which resembled a thundercloud, and wondered if my faith in my mediating skills was misplaced.

‘Right,’ I said, before anyone else had a chance to chip in. ‘That was Mr Stott on the phone. He’s acknowledged the mix-up and I’ve told him I’ll switch the trees tomorrow and personally deliver them. Both of them.’

Ned looked taken aback.

‘I’ll drop this tree at the Stott residence, then load up Doris,’ I said, smiling at the girl who was still blubbing but only because her mother seemed hellbent on encouraging her, ‘and then deliver her straight to you.’

‘But we wanted to decorate her today,’ the girl snivelled.