Miss Bolland

In the novel Postern of Fate, Miss Bolland is an elderly woman who lives near the vicarage and has been a resident of Hollowquay for a long time. One of the ladies at a coffee morning hosted by Mrs Barber told Tuppence that Miss Bolland had been talking about her the other day.

Apparently Miss Bolland had been saying how she’d come and stayed "here" when she was a child. She used to look forward to it because there were such wonderful gooseberries and greengage trees in the garden. What "here" refers to is vague. It could mean Mrs Barber's house, but then why would she been "talking about" Tuppence. "Here" could also mean The Laurels which Tommy and Tuppence had bought. This would make more sense why Miss Bolland would be described as talking about Tuppence.

Tuppence follows many leads by going to interview people she learns about at various teas, but this lead is not pursued and Tuppence doesn't go to talk to Miss Bolland.