‘I promise you, it’s all true. She would give me my portions of food. I wasn’t allowed to serve myself. If there was nothing left after dinner, I didn’t get anything.’

‘Did that happen often?’

‘Often enough. I learned very quickly to put a slice of bread in my pocket during the day, just in case, and to eat when she was out, make extra soup, that sort of thing. In the end I just made the meals a bit bigger so there was always something left over. Not so much more that she would notice, but enough to be sure I could have something.’

‘Why didn’t you leave? I mean, I’m very glad you didn’t, but why not?’

‘Because of the children.’

Ursula put her head in her hands.

Isobel was now quite unable to stop.

‘It was alright when Mr Black was in the house. Everything was quiet and respectful. But when he was at work, she shouted at me. Now, I understand that maids get shouted at sometimes, but when the children came in from school, she shouted at them too.’

‘Often?’

‘Most days. If their rooms were untidy, or a book was left out of place or there was a mark on a coat, or even if they weren’t feeling well. It was like a tap being turned on and off. You didn’t know who you were getting or what would make her shout. It wasn’t something you could guess in advance. Master Finlay was at high school by then. He made sure he was in every sports team, in the debating society, in the chess club and in the choir. Anything that meant he was out of the house until after Mr Black came in from work at six. I saw him in the evenings when he came back from all these activities and I could have sworn he had been standing on a street corner to avoid coming into the house; he was so wet and cold sometimes he could hardly undo the buttons on his coat.’

‘And Ann?’