Alice-Miranda lay on her bed trying to read. Trouble was, as much as she was enjoying revisiting A Tale of Two Cities before her planned excursion with Miss  Reedy next weekend, she just couldn’t concentrate. She rolled onto her side and looked at Millie’s neatly made bed. It had been bittersweet saying goodbye to her best friend and the other girls this morning.

Alice-Miranda slotted her bookmark between the pages and sat up. It was just after ten  o’clock on Sunday morning and she wondered if Miss Hephzibah and Miss Henrietta might like a visit. Perhaps she could bake a batch of scones to take up to them. Mrs  Smith had still been in the kitchen at The Stables that morning  – apparently, she was staying on for another week as Ginny and Mrs Jennings were getting on famously, and Mrs Jennings wanted to get the hang of a few more dishes.

Alice-Miranda wandered out into the hallway. The house was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. She walked into the empty sitting room and was surprised that there wasn’t anyone about at all. She then remembered Mrs Clinch had taken a bus load of students to Downsfordvale for a Mind Benders tournament. According to the rules, Alice-Miranda was still too young to take part and, while she could have gone as a spectator, she’d completely forgotten to put her name on the list in time.

The girl continued into the dining room, where she could hear Mrs Smith’s voice drifting from the kitchen. Alice-Miranda was just about to knock on the swinging doors when she heard Mrs Smith say something that made her wince.

‘I can’t believe it, Dolly. Fancy that dreadful Caprice going ahead of our girl. It just doesn’t bear thinking about,’ Mrs Smith tutted.

Alice-Miranda shook her head. She wished everyone wasn’t so upset on her behalf. It only made things worse in a way. She knocked loudly then poked her head around the doorway.

‘Oh, speak of the devil. Here she is now,’ Doreen Smith said into the phone. She smiled at Alice-Miranda and held out the receiver. ‘It’s Dolly, dear. She’d love to say hello.’

Alice-Miranda nodded and took up the handset. Mrs Smith busied herself about the kitchen while the girl had a quick conversation about what was happening at home. Alice-Miranda’s parents were both away at the moment, with her mother in New York and her father doing the rounds of the organic farms Kennington’s owned. Dolly and Mrs  Shillings worth were home alone and causing chaos as they’d decided to give the side sitting room a bit of a makeover. Alice-Miranda asked after Millie’s grandfather and was pleased to hear that he and Mrs Oliver had been out several times in the past few weeks and he was coming over to the house for dinner that evening. Alice-Miranda had been secretly hoping that Ambrose might ask Dolly to marry him. Dolly finally took a breath and, realising that she had something about to bubble over on the stove, told Alice-Miranda she’d call Doreen later.

‘Well, this is a lovely surprise, but what are you doing here?’ Mrs Smith asked after Alice-Miranda had hung up the phone. ‘I thought everyone had gone out today. Mrs Clarkson said I was off the hook for lunch.’

‘You are. I forgot to put my name on the list in time,’ Alice-Miranda said.

Doreen Smith’s brow furrowed. ‘You? Forgot something?’

Alice-Miranda nodded.

‘That’s most unlike the girl I know and love,’ the woman said. ‘It doesn’t have anything to do with your friends heading off to Edinburgh without you, does it?’

Alice-Miranda shrugged. She was mortified when a fat tear wobbled in the corner of her left eye. She brushed at it quickly, but not before Mrs Smith spotted it.

‘Oh, darling girl, come here.’ The woman enveloped the child in her bony arms.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Alice-Miranda hugged the woman right back and for a minute or so she sobbed her little heart out.

‘You know, I feel so much better having had a good cry,’ Alice-Miranda said, gently kneading the dough.

‘There’s nothing like it,’ Mrs Smith agreed with a hearty nod. ‘We all get overwhelmed from time to time and I find that tears are a great release valve. Some people swear by exercise, but a good old bawling seems to do the trick for me.’

Alice-Miranda grinned. ‘I’ve always been quite good at keeping my emotions in check and I really don’t know why I’m so upset about this. I suppose I  have been telling myself that disappointment is all part of life and I’ve experienced it before, but mostly it’s been on behalf of others – for my friends and people I meet, not me personally. Those tears have been bottling up since Miss Reedy’s announcement.’

Doreen Smith sprinkled a handful of flour over a section of the stainless-steel benchtop. Alice-Miranda tipped the scone mixture onto it and picked up the rolling pin, which was also dusted in flour.

‘Well, how about I join you on your walk to see Hephzibah and Henrietta?’ Mrs Smith said.

Alice-Miranda nodded. ‘That would be lovely. Miss Grimm is going to bring Aggie to see them this morning. That baby would cheer anyone up.’

Alice-Miranda finished rolling the dough and picked up the scone cutter. She pressed it down onto the mixture and then placed each of the perfect circles in neat rows of six on the metal tray.

‘I can only agree with you there. She has the sweetest disposition. Reminds me a bit of someone else I know,’ Doreen said, giving the child a nudge.

Alice-Miranda grinned and did the same. ‘I really am the luckiest girl in the world,’ she said without a hint of irony, because she truly did mean it.