‘Aww, you know how it can be – or maybe you don’t, coming from the city. There are some funny buggers out in the sticks. Superstitious and mistrustful. You’ll find out soon enough. I’m not saying they’re all like that, far from it. But there are enough of ’em to make things unpleasant if they’ve a mind to. Good to have more people moving in from elsewhere – new blood shakes things up a bit.’

He reflected a moment and chuckled. ‘She does have some funny ways, mind you.’

‘Oh? Why do you say that?’

‘Well, bit of the old hocus-pocus, you know. Likes her herbal remedies and her little rituals, crystals and reading tea leaves and suchlike. Offered to do mine once, but I don’t believe in all that stuff. I suppose it comes of living on her own all these years. No real harm in it though, eh?’

He winked and smiled warmly. ‘Anyway, I’d best crack on. The wife’s getting the dinner early today as the family are coming over. Nice to meet you, Stina!’

I went back into the house. Jack had surfaced and stood in the doorway rubbing his eyes sleepily.

‘Who was that you were talking to?’

‘That,’ I said, slightly bemused, ‘was odd-job Bob.’ I watched from the window for a moment and thought about what the man had said about Mrs Barley. It gave me a strangely uncomfortable feeling.

CHAPTER 2

The first day I waved Jack off as he left to begin his new job, I remember having a weird sense of foreboding. This was everything I had always wanted, but part of me wondered if there would be a price to pay. I hardly dared believe that I had married the man of my dreams and that we would be having a baby together – let alone in such a beautiful, idyllic setting. I didn’t deserve it; I had this niggling doubt about it all, as though I couldn’t be allowed to feel so happy. That something was sure to happen to pull the rug from under my feet. It seemed that for every positive in my life, there would need to be a massive wrecking ball of a negative to cancel it out. Jack’s new role was more demanding and while the salary was a vast improvement, I knew that with the extra responsibility he would have to work longer hours, and it might upset the dynamic of our relationship. I could only hope and pray that it wouldn’t be the case. I loved him so much and knew that I must do everything in my power to hold on to him.