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an hour? Is that all?’
    ‘We’ll see how it goes. I might make it longer if we get the jobs done.’
    ‘She shouldn’t be giving us jobs to do. We’re not servants. You’re her aunt and I’m a companion.’
    ‘Oh, don’t start that again, Alice. She hasn’t given us jobs. I have. I like to help around the place; it’s my home, my family and I can’t sit about doing nothing . . . Anyway, sleep well. See you in the morning.’
    She set off in the direction of her bedroom. Putting on her light, she made straight for the chair in the corner and, sitting on the side of the bed, began to undress, folding each garment carefully and piling them on the nearby chair. Once she had removed her corset she let out a sigh of relief and reached for her nightdress. She cleaned her teeth, climbed into bed and reached beneath the pillow for her diary.
    She wrote: ‘ Sat 10th June. They’ve gone and it’s very quiet without them. Alice finds it creepy, silly girl. Nothing much to wash up after dinner and don’t know what I shall cook tomorrow for just two. Can’t think why they had to go off for a holiday. The week will go so slowly. I don’t think Maude was so keen on the idea but Lionel was determined so she didn’t want to disappoint him. Hope we don’t see that weird chap again in the garden but it’s unlikely as he won’t know that we’re just the two of us unless he is a burglar but he can’t be because Lionel seemed to know about him but . . . ’
    She paused. Surely if anyone tried to break in Primmy would bark like mad and the intruder would be scared off. Maybe they should bring Primmy and her basket up on to the landing . . . But then she wouldn’t hear the intruder until it was too late. In her diary she crossed out the word ‘ but ’ and started a new sentence.
    ‘ Anyway I hope Maude enjoys herself even if he’s going to pop up to the gallery once or twice. She’ll be quite safe at the hotel and might meet some nice people to talk to while he’s away. It certainly is strange here without them. I shan’t sleep a wink. ’
    Next day, breakfast in the dining room of the Romilees promised to be a relaxed affair and some of Maude’s nervousness faded. The room was sunny and the various conversations politely muted. There were mixed garden flowers in a large bowl on the sideboard and seagulls swooped to and fro outside the window. It was strange to be away from home and she missed Alice and Aunt Biddy, although she would not admit it to Lionel. She was grateful for his concern and felt it would be unkind even to hint that the holiday might prove less than perfect. Breakfast was at nine and Maude and Lionel found themselves seated at a small table in the large bay window with an elderly couple on one side and a young couple with a son on the other.
    They said their ‘good mornings’ and then Lionel handed Maude the breakfast menu and she chose scrambled egg on toast. When the waitress arrived Maude added a pot of tea for two.
    Lionel glanced up at the waitress. ‘I’ll have the kippers,’ he told her.
    ‘They’re very good,’ she assured him.
    ‘And some toast and marmalade.’ His charming smile made her beam as she wrote down the order and scurried away in the direction of the kitchen.
    Maude smiled at him. ‘And what is the plan for today, Lionel?’
    His handsome face lit up at the question. ‘I thought we’d walk along to the other end of the town and take a look at the East Cliff Railway. It’s quite an attraction, apparently. We’ll be back in time for lunch.’
    The elderly man leaned across to them. ‘And a very good lunch it is, too, sir.’ He smiled at Maude. ‘My wife and I have always said that Romilees do a quite splendid Sunday lunch here. No expense spared. Fresh vegetables, first-class meat and all cooked to perfection. It wouldn’t do to be a vegetarian in this hotel!’
    His wife nodded enthusiastically. ‘And it’s all served with a smile. Nothing too much