‘I could have.’ Matt’s eyes were resting on the twins. They’d sat on their shared bed again, one end of Tigger on each of their knees. ‘But by last night both Doc Emily and I had an inkling that whatever could be saved might be important.’

‘You have no idea how important,’ she said warmly. ‘Oh, Matt…’ Her eyes were glowing.

Whew! Her eyes were doing something to his insides which was truly spectacular. He needed to be grounded here.

He was.

The admiration session was interrupted before his chest buttons could finally pop from the strain. Just as Matt was starting to feel very peculiar indeed, another knock sounded through the room.

Visitors were coming thick and fast this morning, Erin thought, but what the heck. They had Tigger. With Tigger, they could save the world! They could cope with anything.

But it was Charlotte, and suddenly Erin wasn’t so sure if anything included Charlotte.

She was amazingly early, Erin thought, and then she glanced down at her wrist-watch and stared in disbelief. It was after nine o’clock. Help!

And she looked like this!

‘Charlotte,’ Matt said warily, and the tone of his voice summed up all of their feelings.

Charlotte gave him her most sympathetic smile-heroine racing to save hero!-and then she moved straight to practicalities.

‘Mrs Gregory told me you were feeding the children their breakfast in the bedroom,’ she said briskly. ‘Why on earth don’t you do it in the kitchen? At least you can wash the floor there.’

And then she looked again-and saw Tigger. She physically flinched.

‘What…what on earth is that?’

‘It’s Tigger,’ Erin said, and beamed her joy with the world. Even Charlotte couldn’t burst her bubble this morning. ‘He’s a bit fire-stained. As we all are. Hi, Charlotte. Isn’t it the most wonderful morning?’

Erin’s greeting startled Charlotte out of her composure. ‘I suppose it is.’ She looked Erin up and down-aristocrat to a low life form somewhere under the level of porriwiggle. ‘What on earth are you wearing?’