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‘There’s my girl,’ she says, bending over. Dinky turns her head away as if ignoring her. ‘Come on, Dinks,’ Scarlett says, patting her thighs. Dinky doesn’t stir.

There’s an uncomfortable moment of silence and then Scarlett rights herself, clearly not impressed that her dog hasn’t run to greet her.

‘Would you like tea?’ I ask, trying to distract from the awkwardness.

‘Thank you.’ She starts pulling off her large waxed coat and gloves and sits down where Luke was, next to Lara. ‘Actually, I’ll have a cappuccino if you’ve got one.’

Before I’ve had the chance to explain I haven’t got a cappuccino machine, she carries on. ‘Thought maybe I could help out around here. Help get things ready, start getting to know the place?’ She smiles, but something about the smile doesn’t reach her eyes, and she glances again at Lara, who has gone quiet. ‘Even help pack up. The sooner you sell the trees, the quicker we can complete and move in.’

No one else speaks until I say, ‘That’s great. Although we’re unlikely to run out of trees.’ I’m determined not to be pushed out. We’ve made an agreement, and I’m sticking to it. We’ll move out on Christmas Eve.

‘I’ve got removal men on standby. Cost a fortune to convince them to work Christmas Eve. Had to pay well over the odds. And then there’s the Christmas house decorators. They’ll need to get in as soon as your stuff is out. The quicker you can leave the house, the better for them.’ She claps her hands. ‘So, where do I start? Like I say, happy to help out with whatever is going on here. Get things moving along.’

Once again, for a moment, no one says anything, and then Luke speaks.

‘Great. The more hands, the better. I can’t wait for you to see what we’ve done. Horse has done amazing work in the forest. And there’s a memory tree there. And a tree next to it, where you make a wish,’ he says, his eyes sparkling.

Scarlett gives a little laugh and a tight smile with her full, plump – or maybe that should be pumped – lips.

‘Don’t get too attached to those trees, babe,’ she says with a note of warning. ‘Thought we could get some content filmed, though. For my account. Sort of before-and-after ones. Mogs is out there now. “How we turned a small-time farm into a high-end schooling yard for the horses. Our plans for the stables” – y’know?’ She takes out her phone as I set down the teapot with its knitted cosy.

‘No cappuccino, I’m afraid. Tea is all we have. It’s a small-time farm thing,’ I can’t resist adding. I put down her mug and a milk jug with a little more force than necessary.

‘Oh, and babes –’ she ignores the mug and talks to Luke, while flicking through her phone – ‘Netflix have been on, wanting to talk about a possible series; sort of Help! We Bought a Village, but a run-down farmhouse and how we transform it. And there’s some collabs we need to discuss. I really want to get some good outdoor gear from this one. Maybe get into one of the stores, like Stacey Solomon. Clothes and homeware.’

Luke clears his throat, seemingly embarrassed, and I feel for him. At the same time, I need to remember that technically he is Team Scarlett. He’s going to be living here with her. This place is going to be hers very soon, whether I like her and her plans or not.

‘Yeah, we can chat about all that later,’ he says. ‘We were just heading over to the barn. Horse is going into the forest to cut some trees ready to sell, to go in there next to the potted ones. For people who want to just buy a tree and go. Other than that, people can follow the trails in the forest and pick their own. They’re all labelled with little wooden signs Gwen’s painted, with these little robins on,’ Luke carries on enthusiastically. ‘He’s become a bit of a mascot.’

‘Lukey!’ Scarlett laughs. ‘You’ve come over all weird! Sooner we get you back to normal living, the better! The local curry house has been missing you!’

‘Oh, well, we’ve been eating . . .’

‘Why don’t you show Scarlett the barn and the rest of the pups?’ I interrupt. I don’t want Scarlett sitting here a moment longer spouting off her rather cynical and scathing views about life on the farm. And I certainly don’t want her dissing our homemade curries.

‘Lara’s done a great job of decorating it. Lara, you coming?’ asks Luke.

Lara shakes her head. ‘You two go. I’m going to do some reading with Will. And then I’d better put my work hat on and check on things at the office,’ she says.

‘Do you live here?’ Scarlett asks Lara, her white teeth dazzling in the late November sunlight streaming through the windows.

The rest of us laugh.

‘No; but you’re right, it does feel a bit like it at the moment.’ And Lara looks embarrassed, which is the very last thing I want her to feel. ‘I’ve had a lot of leave to use up. Maybe I should go and . . .’

‘Lara has been helping us with the Christmas tree farm opening. I couldn’t have done it without her – or Luke, for that matter. It’s a good job the puppies came when they did, as far as I’m concerned. Lara knows she’s welcome to spend as much time here as she wants while the farm is still mine. Until midday on December twenty-fourth, when we complete,’ I say firmly. Then, as this sinks in, I add a little more brightly, ‘The more hands the better.’

As Scarlett gathers up her coat and many accessories, Lara moves over to the sink with her mug. I follow and stand beside her, looking out of the window towards the forest. Scarlett’s comment has made me think.

‘I feel awful,’ I say in a quiet voice, so the others won’t overhear.

‘Why?’ she says, just as quietly but purposefully.

‘I do realize,’ I clear my throat, ‘I’ve been asking an awful lot of you. You’ve been helping with the farm and the barn; helping Will out with his reading; and you have a full-time job to do as well.’

‘I love being here, Gwen. Really. It’s been like . . . well, having a family again. The best way I could have used up my annual leave. A proper holiday. Since me and Tom split, it’s been just me. It’s pretty quiet at home. We’re going to put the house on the market in the new year. I’ve loved the company here, but I don’t want to be in the way. I know you have plenty of hands to help out. And you’re doing such a great job with Will. I have work I could do at the office,’ she says.

Cold air swirls into the kitchen as Luke and Scarlett go out. Luke has Dinky at his heels. We watch for a moment as they walk across the yard towards the barn. Clearly, Scarlett has made Lara feel as if she’s overstayed her welcome, but nothing could be further from the truth. I hope I can convince her.