Sophie and Hope arrived with a huge glazed ham, along with a vegan Wellington and a variety of pickles, chutneys and cheeses and Ned and I supplied multiple baked potatoes and warm baguettes, which we had cooked in the lodge oven. We’d also brewed a festive non-alcoholic punch and there were Christmas cookies, courtesy of Hope, for afters. My mouth was watering a good hour before we were ready to eat.

It was a very jolly party that gathered around the makeshift table in the barn. Michael had driven in with Noah at the start of the day and between them they’d been able to guide Abbie safely into her hut. Her wheelchair wasn’t great in the snow and she was grateful for the no fuss help they offered. Joe had come along with this brother, Charlie, and Liam had convinced Chelsea to drive out too. The roads had been worse than she expected and Michael offered to drive her car back, if she didn’t feel up to it.

‘Thanks, Michael,’ said Liam, immediately accepting on his mum’s behalf, ‘otherwise we would have been heading straight off again.’

Once I knew Chelsea wasn’t going to be driving home, I poured her a tot of brandy. She swallowed it down in one swift gulp.

‘Thanks,’ she said, a little colour returning to her cheeks. ‘I needed that. The roads beyond the village haven’t been gritted at all. I’ve never been a nervous driver, but I didn’t enjoy that trip one little bit.’

I willingly poured her another measure, to speed her recovery along.

Maya was last to arrive and she came with a very handsome plus one.

‘This is Harry,’ she said. ‘We met at the young farmers’ years ago, and bumped into each other again in the pub after the solstice celebration.’

She looked adoringly at the golden-haired guy next to her and he looked equally smitten with her, but then who wouldn’t? I still found it hard to believe that Maya had been single for so long.

‘Hey Harry,’ everyone chorused.

‘Hi,’ he grinned back.

He wasn’t at all fazed by the sea of faces, and I guessed he recognised a lot of them. Having acknowledged the group, he strode over to Ned and handed him a bag clinking with bottles.

‘He’s back visiting family for Christmas,’ Maya whispered to me, as Harry and Ned chatted. ‘But I’m doing my utmost to persuade him to stay.’

‘In that case,’ I grinned up at her, ‘I can’t imagine he’ll be going anywhere anytime soon.’