5
It didn’t bother me that after a few weeks in the village I still hadn’t met my next door neighbour. People are entitled to lead reclusive lives, and an unsociable neighbour was preferable to having a busybody living on my doorstep. All the same, I was curious to find out who was living in the house next door. On my way home from taking Poppy for a walk one day, I spotted a woman walking through next door’s gate carrying several shopping bags. She must have gone to the Village Emporium the minute Maud opened up in the morning, because it was still early. Appearing to be struggling with heavy bags, she clearly heard me call out ‘Hello’, because she halted abruptly at the sound of my voice. But then she continued on her way without turning round. Impelled by curiosity as much as cordialit
