Looking for a flat to lease, Moira flounced into the estate agent’s storefront office one afternoon, and it was love at first sight...well, at least it was for Robert. Enamored with the ivory-skinned young woman with vibrant red hair, lips painted the color of strawberries, and a buxom figure which stretched the seams of her clothing, he fawned over her. She tittered at his attention for weeks until one day she came to his office to tell him she was pregnant.

An aspiring actress, the last thing Moira wanted was a husband, and the second last thing she wanted was a child. Unfortunately, refusing to accept the possibility she was pregnant, she had waited too long to do anything about it, so she married Robert, moved into his paltry flat in Muirhouse, and a few months later Joanna Elizabeth Sheppard was born. Robert thought he was in heaven. Moira thought she was in hell.

Ecstatic over the birth of his daughter, Robert gave his wife anything she wanted. When she whined about their tiny apartment, he found a larger one, and when she insisted she wanted to be closer to the West End of London, commonly referred to as Theatreland, he did just that. Packing up their meager belongings, they headed east, but knowing he couldn’t afford the West End of London, Robert chose North London for their home. After quickly finding a job, Robert bought Moira a house, but again when she complained it was too small, Robert found a larger one and rapidly began to go into debt. The bills began to pile up, and Moira began to care less and less about her daughter and her husband, until one day Robert came home to find Joanna in her crib with her nappy soaked, her face streaked with tears…and her mother gone.

Although devastated by his wife’s abandonment of their child, Robert would not let his daughter suffer the loss. Pouring his heart and soul into raising Joanna, he became her father, mother, friend, and confidant. Never allowing her to go without, he worked as hard as he could to provide for them, and when some friends suggested Robert join them in a house-flipping venture, he readily agreed. A few months of sweat in return for thousands of pounds of profit when the renovated homes were sold seemed like the ideal answer for Robert’s financial situation. Unfortunately, his mates had no idea how to repair a home, and endless arguments ensued when cash was needed for materials. Several months after the venture started, the homes were sold for less than they had been bought.