Molly drank from the mug. ‘Have you seen Ursula recently?’ she asked. Alex seemed surprised as if the old woman had the gift of second sight.

‘About a fortnight ago.’

‘Did she come here?’

‘Yes, she turned up out of the blue, like you. She said she had plenty of eggs and thought I might like some but that was an excuse. She wanted to talk about Joanna too.’

‘Why? What had happened?’

‘Nothing much. Ursula and Jo were quite close at one time and I think Ursula still worried about her. She never really got on with her daughter. Perhaps in some way Jo took her place. She’d been to see Jo and had found her upset, crying. She was worried, so she came to see if I knew what had upset her or if I could help.’

‘And could you?’

‘I thought I had an idea what might lie behind it.’

‘So you confided in Ursula?’

‘Yes. I confided in her. In a moment of weakness. It didn’t seem so much like a betrayal of trust. Ursula was like a stepmother to Jo. It was as if they’d adopted each other. Anyway she had guessed most of it.’

‘But you won’t tell me!’

Why do I mind so much? Molly thought. Am I jealous of Ursula’s intimacy with Joanna? Or am I worried that I’m losing my powers of persuasion?

‘In the circumstances,’ Alex said, ‘don’t you think it’s just as well? Ursula’s knowledge doesn’t seem to have done her a lot of good.’

Molly looked at her in astonished silence, realising immediately the implication of what had been said. Alex stood abruptly and began to unpack the bag that Rowan had left with the baby, setting brightly coloured objects, a pelican bib, feeding dish, cup with a spout, on the table in a row.

It was clear that she would answer no more questions about Joanna and Ursula.

‘You’re busy,’ Molly said. ‘I’ll leave you now.’ She thought there was nothing more constructive to be learned.

‘Just a minute,’ Alex said. ‘I’ll walk with you to the car.’ Molly thought she would be a good mother – calm, relaxed, unfussy. And a good friend. She turned away from the table towards Molly, suddenly troubled.

‘You mustn’t think Jo killed Ursula,’ she said. ‘I’m not saying that at all.’

She led Molly through the kitchen door into the garden. They were at the side of the house, sheltered from the wind, and the sun felt warm. Molly made a trivial remark about spring having come at last.

‘Yes,’ Alex said. ‘I was at the Solway at the weekend and it was still quite wintry there.’