News at Eleven: 'Really?' I said with interest,

my silver fork paused in midair.

'Yes, in a place called Buckland,' he went on pleasantly. At this point, his expression clouded with perplexity and thoughtfulness as small, remembered fragments began to come together. His face clearing, he asked excitedly: 'What did you say your surname was again?'

I could see the way this was going and didn't like it. 'Ayres,' I mumbled as incoherently as possible.

'Ayres?' he almost shouted in disbelief. 'Did you say your name was Ayres?' I put down the silver fork and waited as if for a blow. 'Didn't your mother use to be a cleaner?' he asked. 'No,' I said. 'No, that wasn't my mother. It's a very common name. It must have been someone else.'

from Daily Mail: Much-loved poet Pam Ayres reveals how her verse helped her escape a life of rural poverty

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