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Fortunately my injuries were not severe and there would be no long-term damage. As one of the nurses pointed out, it was lucky I hadn’t hit my head when I fell. That could have caused brain damage and possibly been fatal. Thinking about my great aunt, I shuddered, and did my best to feel grateful for my relatively minor injuries, despite the pain I was suffering. My rib in particular mended quickly, although I had to be careful not to laugh, which was difficult when Toby visited me. He kept me posted about what was going on in the village, and his anecdotes were hilarious. When I scolded him for being so amusing, he told me it was impossible to go to the local shop without hearing some new rumour.
‘Maud is such a gossip,’ he said, as he related an anecdote about Tess who worked at The
