“How are you holding up, Mum? Can I get you anything?”

“I just want to go home,” Tina said, looking as if she were fighting tears. “I don’t need all this bother.”

“I know it’s difficult,” Olivia said as gently as she could, “but it’s a bad burn and it needs proper looking at, Mum. We’ll be seen soon, I’m sure.” Tina just shook her head, and Olivia bit her lip.

Her mother’s behaviour seemed so out of character—and yet it had been in character for the last few months. Olivia just hadn’t wanted to see it, had always brushed aside the faint unease she’d felt when visiting her mother in Witney. And she still wanted to brush it aside, insist that once her mother’s arm was bandaged, everything would be okay, because any alternative was too difficult to consider.

“Tina James?” a nurse called, and Olivia rose with relief.

“That’s us, Mum.” She helped Tina up, taking her good arm, and they walked towards the doors that led to the A&E ward while Simon stayed in the waiting room.

A few seconds later they were settled in a small, curtained cubicle with a brisk-seeming nurse sitting across from Tina.

“You burned yourself, did you? How did it happen?”

“Oh, it was nothing, it’s so silly,” Tina said, trying her best to sound dismissive. “I was ironing and I touched the hot plate...”

Shock jolted through Olivia at this admission. “Mum,” she said as gently as she could, trying to keep the alarm from her voice, “you burned it on the mulled wine—didn’t you?” She exchanged a questioning glance with the nurse and gave a little shake of her head. What was going on?

“Oh yes...” Tina bit her lip and then nodded. “Yes, that’s what I meant.”

“Let me take a look at it, then.” Tina held out her arm and the nurse examined the angry red burn that had already blistered. “This does look painful,” she murmured with a sympathetic smile for Tina. “I just need to clean the affected area and then we’ll put a sterile dressing on it, all right?”

“I don’t want to cause any trouble...” Tina began and the nurse’s smile deepened.

“You aren’t, love, promise. That’s what we’re here for.” She turned Tina’s arm over and then paused. Olivia craned her head to see what she was looking at. “It looks like you’ve burned yourself before,” she remarked casually. “On your wrist?”

“Oh, that, yes. That was the iron.”

Olivia looked at the still-red mark, her stomach and mind both churning. When had her mother burned herself? And why hadn’t she told Olivia? Of course, her mum didn’t mention every little thing that happened, but the burn still looked painful and two burns in the course of a few days...

“Right, well, let’s get you cleaned up,” the nurse said briskly. Olivia watched, her mind still spinning, as the nurse cleaned and bandaged the burn. “Best if you see your GP in twenty-four hours to have it looked at and the dressing changed, all right, love?” She paused, her gaze moving to Olivia. “I’ll just have the consultant come in for a moment so you can have a chat.”