But she was driven to do so a week later. She could see something had happened to upset Mother the minute she walked into the room. Mother’s mouth was turned down and she kept looking at Pauline in a truculent injured kind of way. And Pauline just sat there, determined not to leave Mother and Marjorie alone for a moment, although she must have been able to see Mother was dying to get Marjorie on her own. But at three the laundryman called, and luckily for Mother, there seemed to be some problem about a missing pillowcase which kept Pauline arguing on the step for nearly five minutes.

‘That man was here again last night, Marjorie,’ Mother said, ‘and he came into my room and spoke to me. He bullied me, Marjorie, he said awful things to me.’

‘What on earth d’you mean, Mother?’

‘Oh, dear, I hope she won’t come back for a minute. I heard him talking down here last night. About ten, it was. I’d drunk my water and Pauline had brought me another glass, but I couldn’t sleep, I was so hot. I rang the bell for Pauline to take the eiderdown off me. I had to ring and ring before she came and of course I couldn’t help – well, I was feeling a bit weepy by then, Marjorie.’ Mother sniffed and gave a sort of gulp. ‘The next thing I knew that man, that doctor, had marched right into my room and started bullying me.’

‘But what did he say?’

‘He was very rude. He was very impertinent, Marjorie. I wish you’d heard him, I wish you’d been there to stand up for me. Pauline wasn’t there, just him shouting at me.’

Marjorie was aghast. ‘What did he say?’

‘Just because he’s a doctor . . . Doctors don’t have the right to say what they like if you’re not their patient, do they?’

‘Mother, please tell me before Pauline gets back.’

‘He said I was a very lucky woman and I ought to understand that, and I was selfish and demanding and I’d driven my daughter into a breakdown, and if I didn’t stop her getting up in the night she’d have another one and . . . Oh, Marjorie, it was awful. He went on and on in a very deep bossy sort of voice. I started crying and then I thought he was going to get hold of me and shake me. He just stood there in the doorway against the light, shaking his finger at me and – and booming at me and . . .’

‘Oh, dear God,’ said Marjorie. Now she would have to speak to Pauline. She sighed wretchedly. Why did this have to happen? Not that she cared very much about what anyone said to Mother – do her good, it was all true, anyway – but that someone should point out to Pauline facts which Pauline herself had possibly never realized! Much more of that and . . . She went out into the hall and intercepted Pauline parting from the laundryman.