The smile faded. ‘It’s gone on far too long for that. I’ve been a target for them for years; from one generation to the next, the parents condone their children’s behaviour and try to say it’s just high jinks. I’ll never build any bridges in this village.’

She flicked crumbs from the table top absent-mindedly with one hand, staring towards the window that looked out onto the road. ‘It’s too late for them to change their attitude to me, and I feel so bitter about the way I’ve been treated over the years. And trivialising an important festival makes me angry. They know better than to knock on my door. No, I’m not going to try to accommodate them, any of them. One day they’ll all be sorry.’

Her mouth had set into a hard line and I knew better than to pursue any attempts to reason with her. We finished our drinks and cake in awkward silence.

Elodie began to stir and I thought this could be my excuse to leave.

‘I’d better get her back. She’ll be needing a feed shortly and I’ve got to empty my washing machine, too.’

The old woman eased herself from her seat and went over to the pram, gazing down at my daughter for a moment.

‘She’s such a good baby.’ She turned back to me. ‘Any time you need someone to take care of her for a while, you know where I am.’

I thanked her for the refreshments and rose to leave.

‘Wait.’ She went to the mantelpiece and chose a bright green crystal that had been sitting at the end of the shelf, then placed it beneath the pram’s mattress. ‘Malachite. For protection. I’m a great believer in the power of stones.’

She watched as we went back down the garden and then closed her door, disappearing from sight and leaving me with a most uneasy feeling niggling in my stomach. As I was about to lift the pram over the threshold, I looked down at Elodie, who was now fully awake and squinting up at me. I glanced across the fence and reached down to stroke her face. ‘Well, my darling,’ I whispered, ‘it looks as if we might actually be living next door to some sort of witch.’

*

I was relieved to go round to see Lucy later and have a more normal conversation. She seemed a little subdued, but was resolute in her decision to leave Eddie and was trying to put a brave face on things. Alfie was excited to see Jobie and eager to play with him in the garden, so we sat in Lucy’s mum’s conservatory eating jacket potatoes with baked beans, watching them through the glass, both Elodie and Georgie sleeping in their respective prams at our sides.