Dr Steadman agreed to re-assess Mum on the Friday. I accompanied her and, as far as I could tell, he did nothing he hadn’t already done. It was hard to believe that Sam had held that role previously and would have been Mum’s consultant if he hadn’t moved away. Comparing the two of them was like comparing strawberries to sprouts. Where Sam was warm, approachable and empathetic, Dr Steadman was cold, distant and uncaring. When I tried to explain some of the things Mum had said or forgotten, he actually told me to shush, accompanied by a finger over the mouth and a flash of the eyes. Unbelievable! Some of Mum’s anger rubbed off on me and I fired off a feisty email to the Trust’s complaints team when I got back to Bear’s Pad.

It became pretty obvious that I was going to need to move back home. I talked it over with Rachel and Karen over a bottle of wine on Saturday night after Mum went to bed, and the three of us agreed that it would be better not to tell Mum my plans and to just get on with it, avoiding the stress and guilt Mum might experience while I worked my notice.

‘So you’re definitely going to do it? You’re going to move back home?’ Karen had asked.

‘Looks like it. Just when you thought you’d got rid of me.’

She hugged me. ‘I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t delighted that you’re finally coming home. I just wish it was under different circumstances.’

‘Same here.’

‘You’re doing the right thing,’ Rachel said. ‘Plus, you love it here and you’ve always loved the shop so it’s not like you’re returning to a place you hate and a job you can’t bear. Excuse the pun.’

We all giggled at that. ‘It’ll be fine,’ I said, as much to convince me as anything else.

As I snuggled under my duvet that night after Karen and Rachel left, I started to compose my resignation letter in my head ready to give Owen when I returned to London. I loved my job and the museum so much that the thought of not working there actually hurt. I loved my housemates and my life in London and the thought of saying goodbye to them hurt too. But I loved my mum and my brother even more, and the thought of not being there when they needed me hurt the most.

‘I had a feeling this would happen.’ Owen sighed then slowly re-folded the letter and returned it to the envelope as we sat at his desk first thing with mugs of tea.