She looked away. ‘You don’t really know me, Stina. But I would never do anything to harm you or Jack; you know that, don’t you?’

Something in her tone caused my stomach to clench as she spoke, and a coldness travelled down my spine. In spite of things that other people had implied, the idea had never entered my head – until that moment. I forced a smile.

‘Of course not. You’ve always been so good to us.’

Her lips curved upwards briefly, but dropped just as quickly.

‘I’ve a whole lifetime of experience behind me and I have plenty to feel aggrieved about, let me tell you. Not least from some of those around here. It’s a small village and there have been plenty of spiteful people in it over the years, believe it or not.’ She sucked in air through her teeth, then resumed defiantly. ‘But I’d never let them beat me, force me from the home that Frank and I loved. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. And if anyone tries to take it out on you because of me, they’ll rue the day.’ She drummed her fingertips against the teacup, her lips setting into a hard line.

My tongue seemed to have stuck to the roof of my mouth. I swallowed hard. ‘Are the people round here really so bad, Mrs Barley?’

‘Let’s just say they can be narrow-minded and suspicious. That’s what comes of living in a small community. Oh, on the face of it, it’s lovely. Pretty little place, everyone knows everyone; all very cosy and neighbourly.’ Her foot rose and fell rhythmically as she uttered the words.

‘But there’s a lot of gossip and tall tales flying round in these backwater villages. Gives them something to talk about. They thrive on it. Just you watch yourself. They’ll latch on to anything you do or say and twist it. Be on your guard. Don’t fall victim to their petty prejudices – the less they know about you, the better, in my experience.’

She turned back towards the garden, her expression suddenly hard, dark eyes glinting with a cold, flint-like quality. ‘Humans,’ she said quietly, ‘I have come to realise, are, for the most part, not a nice species.’

The look on her face made me shudder. I finished my tea in silence. I was beginning to wonder if living out in the country was all it was cracked up to be.

CHAPTER 7

Later, I mulled over what Mrs Barley had said. Her words and the odd way she had behaved troubled me, and although I wanted to talk to Jack about it, I didn’t want to worry him. It was more than a little concerning to think that we had moved into a potential nest of vipers. It had never occurred to me that rural communities could be so toxic.