Both said they wanted the accommodation for three months only and Faith decided that that was a good plan. The alternative was to advertise the rooms as holiday accommodation, and that would mean more work, dealing with changed occupation every Saturday. Three months would give her a chance to try the idea of sharing her very first home with strangers. She could change her mind if she wasn’t completely happy about it. Ian’s mother, Vivienne, continued to offer support and called often with a few additions to the furnishings. She brought flowers, as well as some small items similar to those Winnie had considered necessary, such as ornaments and cushions, the things that made a house into a home. Ian was away from home, travelling around the towns and villages of Somerset on his monthly visits. It was as she was putting the finishing touches to the third bedroom, which would be her own, that Mrs Monk called. Olive Monk was in her late forties and her two sons came with her.
