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“Oh, it’s you,” Mila the policeman’s wife said.

“What are you doing down there behind the counter?” asked Ava curiously.

“Hiding,” Mila said confidently. Then she put her head on one side examining Ava. “You worried that I’ve got Ag down here again?”

“Ag?”

“You know, the baby that you so inexpertly held?”

“Oh, yes,” said Ava. “Um, I mean no. It’s your workplace, you can do what you like in it.”

“Is that Ad?” came a voice from the back of the store. A young woman appeared, her hair messy, a flannel shirt and ripped jeans on, but wearing a friendly smile.

“Not Ad,” said Mila, turning to her. “Honestly, Ant, do all Americans sound the same to you?”

The woman laughed and looked at Ava. “Which means you must be the other American in town, making you the new teacher.”

“That’s me,” Ava said.

“We’ve heard you’re terrible,” said Mila.

“Mila!” The other woman pulled a face at Ava. “Sorry. I’m Anthea, by the way, most people call me Ant. And don’t mind Mil, she doesn’t have a filter.”

“I’m only being honest. I don’t put much stock in rumor, but you should have seen the way she held Ag, like she was going to explode or something. The little ones aren’t really your thing, are they?” She turned to Ava for confirmation.

“I, uh, well, not really,” Ava allowed. “But I’m here for experience, so…”

“Not worried about the OFSTED inspection, are you?” Ant asked.

Ava looked from one to the other and then Ant started to laugh.

“Yeah, keeping secrets in small towns isn’t really the done thing,” she said. “Jake Lowell dropped in on his way home and told us about the inspection. But I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“And Hope Perkins is there to help, isn’t she?” put in Mila. “So it’ll be alright.”

Really. They knew everything. Ava wondered if there was a point in having curtains on her windows, or whether there were already cameras in her cottage.

“Hope’s a good woman,” said Ant.

“Mmm,” said Ava, not wanting to commit to that one.

“She is,” said Mila. “She’s had a tough time of it, what with the divorce and everything. But she’s got a heart of gold.”

“Not unattractive either,” Ant said.

“You know, I just came in for a book,” Ava said needing to put a stop to this conversation before it got any further out of control.

Ant narrowed her eyes and then grinned. “Hope’s a touchy subject, eh?”

“Hope Perkins is not a subject at all as far as I’m concerned,” said Ava. “Now, can I choose a book in peace or not?”

She stalked off into the shelves but was sure she heard a faint giggle behind her as she left.

Chapter Twelve

“Why aren’t you wearing your school cardigan?” Hope asked as Alice walked into the kitchen.

“Ms. Stanford says we don’t have to if it’s warm,” Alice informed her. “And she says in America children don’t wear school uniforms at all. They wear anything they like.”