‘There’s no need to shout,’ she said crossly, twiddling with her hearing aid and making it screech. ‘I can hear you perfectly clearly.’ She sat forward and regarded him sternly. ‘Why should I sell when I could rent the bungalow out today and have a good income from it?’

‘But I could pay you three hundred quid today and you’d still get income from it if you invest it wisely.’

She raised her brows and then grinned. ‘And how do I know that’s the market price for such a fine home?’

‘Telephone the agent and ask,’ he replied, sliding a business card across the table. ‘But I calculate that if a three-bedroomed house is worth about six hundred, you’d be quids in at three.’

Cordelia chuckled and read the card before pushing back from the table. ‘I’d hate to think you were paying too much – or that I was being diddled,’ she said with a twinkle in her eye. ‘Better to ask an expert before we go any further.’

‘Are you sure about this, Dad?’ asked Rita, once Cordelia had left the room. ‘It’s a lovely bungalow, but that’s a lot of money you’d be forking out.’

‘It’s always better to buy than rent if possible, and I’ve got the money from the government compensation,’ he said. ‘Renting just means putting money in the landLord’s pocket and you’re left with nothing to show for it at the end of the lease.’

He lit a cigarette and drummed his fingers on the table as Cordelia conducted what sounded like a long, complicated exchange on the telephone.

‘I gotta go,’ said Ivy, picking up her case and kissing Peggy. ‘Best of luck, Jack. And you too, Cissy. See you all Sunday night.’

Cordelia came back just as Ivy slammed the back door. She rolled her eyes and sat down to dab her nose and adjust her glasses. ‘If you up your offer another fifty pounds you’ve got a deal, Jack,’ she said, holding out her hand across the table.

‘Twenty-five?’ he asked.

‘Fifty. Or all bets are off,’ she replied, struggling not to giggle at his cheek.

‘Done,’ he said, shaking her hand.

‘And you probably have been,’ Peggy laughed. ‘I learned long ago never to negotiate with Cordy. She always got the better of me.’

Jack laughed, and Cordelia joined in. ‘You’d better go up there and see what you’ve agreed to buy,’ she said. We can sort out the legal paperwork later.’

Jack took possession of the key. Peggy fetched the half-empty sherry bottle and after toasting the purchase, Jack and Rita went off on the motorbikes to inspect the bungalow.

Peggy saw the mischievous gleam in Cordelia’s eyes. ‘What did the agent really advise you on the price, Cordy?’ she asked quietly.

Cordelia tapped the side of her nose and giggled. ‘Now that would be telling, Peggy dear. Can I have another sherry?’