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We didn’t see Toby in the village for a few weeks, but late one afternoon he came into the tea shop looking uncharacteristically nervous.
‘Can I get you anything?’ I asked.
‘I’d like a couple of fresh scones and a pot of tea for two,’ he replied, smiling weakly.
‘Do you want to wait until your guest arrives?’
He shook his head. ‘No, it’s just me.’
‘I just thought, when you ordered tea for two…’
‘I was hoping you would join me.’ He smiled awkwardly. ‘At least for a few minutes. I thought you might appreciate the break and it’s not busy here.’
Reminding myself that behind his civil façade he had behaved badly on at least one occasion that I knew about, I looked away. Hannah was in the kitchen and although we had other customers, no one else was waiting to be served.
‘I’ll fetc
