Ivy spluttered, sending tea spraying all across Holly’s snow-white tablecloth.

‘You’ve been thinkin’ o’ what?’ Ivy’s eyes were almost popping out of her head as she hastily dabbed ineffectively at the stains with a handkerchief. ‘But, pet, yer fifty-three years old now!’ she pointed out. ‘I think nursin’ would ’ave come a long way since you last did it.’

What she said was true, though no one would have guessed it looking at Holly. She was still a very attractive woman and wore her age well. There were streaks of grey in her hair and fine lines were beginning to appear on her face but her skin was still clear and she carried herself upright.

Holly sniffed. ‘I dare say it has but there must be something I can do! I don’t want to just sit about doing nothing. I’m not entirely useless and Richard works such long hours I shall go mad if I don’t do something.’ She still lived in the house that had belonged to her grandfather but, as she had pointed out to Richard, now the children were gone it was going to be far too big for them. The old cook who had served the family so loyally for many years had passed away some time ago and so for the last few years Holly had run the house herself. Keen to please her Richard had suggested they could possibly sell it and move to a slightly smaller place but somehow she couldn’t bear to leave it.

‘I’m sure you’ll think of something, then,’ Ivy said encouragingly, before gathering up her things and leaving. She and Marcus now lived in a smart house not far away from Holly’s so although Ivy still helped out with their millinery business, the two women were able to still see each other regularly.

When she had gone Holly wandered upstairs and into Charlotte’s room. It seemed so empty now that all her things were gone and after a cursory glance around to ensure that it was tidy, Holly went downstairs to prepare the vegetables for the evening meal to give herself something to do. She had lived such a full life, first as a nurse and then as a mother and now suddenly she was wondering if the best part of it was over.

That evening as she was waiting for Richard to come home the phone rang and her heart sank as she ran to answer it. It would probably be Richard saying that they had had an emergency brought in to the hospital and that he was going to be working late again, but when she lifted the receiver she was pleasantly surprised to hear her son’s voice.

‘Hello, Gil, darling.’ She hadn’t expected to hear from him so soon after the wedding. He and Betty had only left to go back to London two days before.

‘Hello, Mum.’

In her eye she could picture him, tall and handsome and the double of his father.

‘So is everything all right?’ she asked.