The knock at the door took Janine by surprise. She had only moved into the house the day before and was still working though the crates and boxes brought by the removal men. Adjusting her dungarees and wiping her forehead, she went to answer the door.
"Mrs Hanson?" The caller was a heavy-set woman in flannel dress, somewhere in her mid-fifties - or so Janine thought.
"Ms Hanson," Janine replied. "But you can call me -"
The woman ticked off something on the clipboard she was carrying. "I am Mrs Beeton. I am here as a representative of the Ladies' Welcoming Committee." She peered past Janine, staring at the chaos in the lounge.
"Please to meet you, Mrs Beeton." Janine struggled to control her voice; to sound friendly and welcoming. "Would you like to come inside?"
Mrs Beeton's pen moved over the clipboard. "Thank you. I would." She followed Janine into the lounge and looked around, a haughty expression on her face. "You are still unpacking, I see."
"Oh. Yes. I only moved in yesterday."
"Hmm." Again, Mrs Beeton scribbled something down. "And where is Mister Hanson?"
"There is no Mister Hanson. I'm not married. Not yet." Janine suppressed her feeling of resentment at the question. What right did anyone - let alone someone she had never met before - have to pry into her domestic arrangements.
"I see." There was another note made.
"Would you care for a coffee?"
"Thank you. French roast, if you have it. Dark for preference. Do you have sweeteners?"
Janine went into the kitchen and set about making a drink for her caller. By the time she came back, Mrs Beeton had settled into a chair, a pile of books at her feet. "I see you've made yourself comfortable," Janine remarked.
Mrs Beeton smiled as she took the proffered cup of coffee. "I find these little chats go so much better when everyone is at their ease. Please. Sit. Join me."
"Little chats?" Janine sat down.
"Oh yes." Mrs Beeton sipped at her coffee. "We of the committee like to welcome new arrivals to the neighbourhood. And talk to them to see whether they will be a good fit."
"What do you mean, 'a good fit'?"
Mrs Beeton retrieved her clipboard from where it was resting on her ample bosom. "This is a family neighbourhood, as you may have observed. We prefer the dynamic that they bring. They make the neighbourhood so much more friendly. But we are tolerant. Singletons and those who have more - shall we say - unconventional arrangements are also welcome here. To a degree."
"Ye-e-ss." Janine fidgeted in her chair. "What about those who aren't a good fit?"
Mrs Beeton waved her hand airily. "Oh, don't worry about that. Not yet."
It was becoming clear to Janine why the previous tenant had been in such a hurry to sell the house.
