The bungalow was as neat and clean as a new pin after the boxes and packing cases had been collected by the carriers, and Ruby had used up all her nervous energy going through it like a dose of salts the evening before. She’d been determined that Cordelia would get her property back in the same state that it had been in when she’d taken on the tenancy.

But now, as she wandered through the almost empty rooms for the last time, she realised sadly that despite the many happy memories she’d made here, she’d left nothing of herself behind.

‘Come on, honey,’ murmured Mike, moving behind her to put his arms around her and draw her back against his chest. ‘Now the car’s back at the rental office we’ll have to get a move on, or the train will leave without us.’

Ruby nodded, although a small part of her wished the train would leave without them so they could stay here where everything was wonderfully familiar. Dismissing the thought as ridiculous, she turned in his arms to kiss him, and then held his hand as they went to the front door. Taking one last, lingering look at the little home she’d come to love, she closed the door and pocketed the key.

Mike picked up the cases and shouldered the kitbag, then nodded to the nosy parker twitching her net curtains in the bungalow across the road and grinned down at Ruby. ‘At least we won’t have neighbours like that where we’re going,’ he remarked. ‘The nearest place to us is over three miles away.’

Ruby clutched the strap of her handbag and tried not to think of such distances between neighbours as they walked past the almost deserted factory estate and down the hill towards the station. She came to the conclusion that Mike had to be exaggerating, for his mother had said in her letters that they lived in a large, friendly community with shops – or stores, as she called them – and all the usual amenities modern life called for.

The sun was hot, the hill steep, and although she’d been up and down it hundreds of times over the years without really noticing it, today it felt longer and steeper than ever. She had to almost run to keep up with Mike as he strode along and was relieved she’d packed her high-heeled shoes in the overnight case and was wearing flat pumps, for she’d have broken an ankle in those heels at this pace.

She was soon feeling a bit warm and sticky, but congratulated herself on remembering how sooty and smoky she’d got on her train journey down here all that time ago, so had deliberately chosen dark coloured slacks and a lightweight jacket to go over an old grey blouse. Her lovely pale-blue going-away outfit was packed, and would not be worn until she was on board the ship.