Serena laid her hand gently on his arm. ‘Why don’t we give Ruby a few minutes alone, dear? She has a lot to take in before she sees everyone.’

‘Yes, how thoughtless of me. Of course.’ He was remembering now what a shock it had been when Serena had told him who Ruby really was, so he could only imagine how the poor girl must be feeling. She had clearly been through a lot in the asylum and now with this on top . . .

‘I’ll have some tea brought in to you,’ Serena said quietly. ‘And when you’re ready I’ll get Betty to get a nice hot bath ready, and afterwards, you must eat something.’

Outside in the hall Serena began to sob and Oscar gathered her into his arms feeling her pain.

‘I don’t think she will ever forgive us, or me at least,’ she gasped.

‘Give her time,’ he replied, stroking her hair, and for a while they stood drawing comfort from each other, wondering what Ruby was thinking on the other side of the door.

*

Ruby sat in deep shock, staring at the window. It had certainly been a day for revelations. Suddenly she had a mother and a father, although she could never imagine calling them that. They were Mr Pembroke and Miss Wood to her and she felt a little frisson of resentment as she thought of the way her life had begun. Miss Wood had clearly decided to have her adopted even before she was born to spare her lover heartache. It didn’t matter that she had admitted to wanting to keep her once she had arrived, for now Ruby was finding it hard to get past knowing that she had initially been unwanted. The door opened just then and Dilys’s pale face peeped around it.

‘Are you all right? Can I come in? Miss Wood said she thought you might need some company.’

‘I bet she did.’ There was a note of bitterness in her voice.

Dilys crossed to her and placed her arm comfortingly around Ruby’s shoulders. And it was then that the tears came as the full impact of what she had been told hit her and between sobs, she began to tell Dilys what she had learnt.

Dilys’s reaction wasn’t at all what she had expected. ‘Poor woman,’ she muttered. ‘Talk about being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. She must have felt dreadful wondering what to do for the best. But she clearly loved you. Why else would she have kept track of you all these years?’

Ruby hadn’t thought of it like that and she sniffed.