Violet sighed. She should have known Ruby wouldn’t be able to move the box. It wasn’t the young woman’s fault; she’d just never had the practice. The spirit was willing but the flesh just wasn’t up to it.

‘We could see if anyone’s around in the street,’ Violet suggested. ‘Maybe Pop or Tommy.’

Ruby shook her head of blonde hair, so pale it was almost white. ‘No, they left already. I saw them earlier this morning.’ She looked on the verge of tears, distraught at failing to help.

‘We could open the box and move the contents tin by tin,’ Violet said. ‘It might take a long time, but we’ll get there in the end.’

Ruby looked dubious. There were a lot of tins in the box, but she couldn’t come up with an alternative. ‘All right.’ She struggled to open it, and Violet could do nothing but watch.

Ruby had managed to rip back half of the lid when the door jangled. She looked flustered at being interrupted, but then her expression changed when she saw who it was. Reggie James stepped around the end of the shelves and saw what was going on.

‘Hello, Mr James,’ said Violet brightly. ‘Chilly morning, isn’t it? Don’t tell me you’ve got vegetables to sell after last week’s frost.’

‘It’s good for the parsnips,’ he smiled. Then he turned to Ruby and her predicament. ‘Now, what is the trouble?’

Ruby shrugged. ‘It’s this box, it’s too heavy for me to lift,’ she said, ‘and Violet can’t do it any more.’

‘Allow me,’ said Reggie. ‘Where do you want it?’

‘But your leg …’ protested Ruby.

Mr James ignored her, bending and lifting the big box with ease. ‘Do you want it back in the stock room?’

‘Yes please,’ said Violet, swinging open the internal door, realising that Ruby’s fear was groundless. If the man could work an allotment he was probably safe to lift a box, she reasoned. She certainly wasn’t going to turn down the offer.

Mr James manoeuvred the box out of the way as if it contained nothing but feathers. As he took it through, Violet could see his muscles working through the fabric of his coat, stretched tightly across his back. She’d never really noticed before but, even though one of his legs was damaged, there was obviously nothing wrong with the rest of him. He was fit and strong, and had come along at just the right moment.

Ruby was beaming with pleasure. ‘Thank you, thank you,’ she said as he came back into the shop, wiping his hands on a handkerchief. ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’