July 29, 1981

Iwish to God they’d hurry up – the royal carriages have just left Buckingham Palace and half the fun is having a giggle at some of the outfits!”

Martha was beside herself with nerves. This was a big day for her; she’d been planning it for months. It wasn’t every day the Prince of Wales got married, now was it? And Lady Diana Spencer was just so young and pretty and lovely!

“She’s a breath of fresh air into the monarchy,” the TV presenters were saying. “Not to mention the first future Queen who actually worked for a living.”

Lady Diana had been a kindergarten school teacher, the presenters kept saying. And weren’t she and Prince Charles such a wonderful match? In spite of the age gap?

It was wonderful news, Martha thought. There was nothing she loved more than seeing young people happy, and Charles and the beautiful, youthful Lady Di certainly seemed to be.

Mind you, she thought, giving her spotless coffee table yet another dusting, today wasn’t just a big day for the royal family – it was a red-letter day for her too.

Martha had just moved into this house with Len, her husband, and they were still getting to know their new neighbours.

They all seemed nice enough when you met them at bus stops, or in the local greengrocers, but Martha knew how these things went; until you invited your nextdoor neighbours into your home, you were really only skirting around each other.

This area was posh, for one thing. Scarily posh. Larkview Crescent was a brand new estate in the fanciest part of town, and the four-bedroomed house Len and Martha had just bought had stretched their finances to their limit.

Martha had been all for the big move, even though Len was a bit reluctant.

“But you’re doing so well with work!” Martha had said to him. “You’re booked solid for weeks. Everyone around here seems to want their windows done.”

Len was an incredibly hard worker and ran his own little window cleaning business. He worked a six-day week, and

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