I was shellshocked by the reaction to my announcement. I hadn’t been expecting David to be particularly thrilled, but I thought Ned would have been delighted. I could appreciate that it was a huge undertaking for him, but one I had reckoned he would be immediately willing to embrace.

I always knew it would take time to raise the money, but it had never entered my head that he might not want to. Still, he’d asked for time and I had that in spades. I would sort out the lodge while he mulled it all over, perhaps help out a bit around the plantation to keep David off my case too, and hopefully the end result would be worth the sacrifice of a few weeks.

Having finally shared my plans, I then drove to Wynmouth for a restorative walk along the beach. Within seconds of jumping down on to the sand, I was feeling pleased I’d had the foresight to add one of Mum’s homemade knitted hat and scarf combos to Dad’s wax coat, because it was freezing. The tide was on its way out which meant I could peer into the crystal-clear depths of the rockpools, but I didn’t linger. The bracing wind whipped the sand up and about and my cheeks stung as I readjusted the scarf so only my eyes were uncovered.

It felt a far cry from the sunny summer days I could remember paddling in the sea and collecting shells, but as it was November, I supposed that was hardly a surprise. Feeling buffeted by more than the breeze, I left the beach and made a beeline for the shops.

‘Can I have half a dozen eggs, please and six rashers of smoked bacon?’ I asked in the butcher’s. ‘And four breakfast sausages.’

The sea air had given me an appetite and I rather fancied cooking a good old-fashioned fry up for dinner.

‘Actually, make that five sausages,’ I amended, thinking that as I was including Ned in the feast, a small meaty treat for Bandit wouldn’t go amiss.

Next, I stocked up on mushrooms from the grocer’s and a beautiful looking loaf from the baker’s. Wriggling my toes to encourage the blood flow, I was just beginning to warm up when my temperature was sent soaring.

‘Well, well, well,’ said a voice behind me as I was about to leave. ‘If it isn’t little Miss Christmas. I’d recognise those homespun knits anywhere.’

My heart first sank in my chest and then began to pound. I took a deep breath and squared my shoulders, but it was no good. Neither action made me feel any braver. Or taller.

‘It is you, isn’t it, Elf?’

Reluctantly, I turned to face my nemesis.

‘I knew I was right,’ she said, clapping her hands together and looking me up and down in much the same way she used to at school.