Margaret waved her hand and said irritably, ‘Oh, don’t start on about business, please. I’m more concerned about my daughter at present. A cup of tea and some breakfast wouldn’t go amiss either. We have travelled a long way, you know!’

‘Of course.’ Barnaby quickly summoned the maid to bring a fresh pot of tea and more food as she settled herself at the table. Soon the room became silent as they ate their meal but the second she had finished, Margaret asked him, ‘Would you kindly accompany me to my daughter’s room? And then once I’ve seen her, I would like to see my grandchildren.’

Barnaby nodded but couldn’t help but notice that the urgency to see her daughter had only struck after his mother-in-law had eaten her eggs and drunk at least three cups of tea.

As soon as she entered Louisa’s bedroom, Margaret rushed forward, leaving Barnaby hovering behind her at the door. ‘Oh, my poor darling!’ she cried when she caught sight of her daughter in the bed. She hardly recognised her as the beautiful young woman she had once been. Louisa’s once lustrous thick hair now hung in limp cats’ tails about her gaunt face and she was so thin that Margaret gasped. ‘Are they feeding you?’ she cried, appalled.

Mrs Ruffin bristled. ‘I’ve tempted her with every tasty titbit I can think of,’ she said, highly affronted. ‘But she won’t eat, so what do you suggest we do? She doesn’t eat enough now to keep a sparrow alive, but we can’t force feed her.’

Louisa began to cry as she clung to her mother like a little girl. ‘Barnaby has been such a beast to me,’ she sobbed. ‘He put having children above my welfare even though he knew that I am not strong. I’ve told him now that he must never come to my bed again. The doctor has told me that it could kill me if I ever become with child again.’

‘Then you have done quite right,’ her mother assured her. If she were honest, she had never been keen on the physical side of marriage either, which was why Louisa had been an only child. Then turning to Barnaby, she said sharply, ‘I suggest you leave the room. You are clearly upsetting her!’

Barnaby clenched his fists and turning about, he barged out of the room, slamming the door behind him so hard that it danced on its hinges. He had never really seen eye to eye with his in-laws. They had never made a secret of the fact that they didn’t think he was good enough for their daughter but today he could quite willingly have strangled Margaret.

Meanwhile Margaret was telling Mrs Ruffin, ‘I think it’s high time my husband and I called in a good doctor to take a look at her. There must be something that can be done.’