‘I know, and it was all my fault that you didn’t return after that terrible day. But Atkinson’s was everything to me then, and I didn’t know or realize the deep unconditional love between a mother and her child. I should have listened to you when you said the boys were ill, and sent you back home, regardless of the amount of work we had.’ Isabelle put her arms around her sister-in-law.

‘You weren’t to know what was going to happen. Even I didn’t realize they were so ill. Let’s not talk about it again – it’s in the past. Now, show me the pattern books. What colour do you suggest for Mrs Tattersall? She’s got auburn hair. Perhaps a green, quite plain, but well cut, to show her still-decent figure?’ Harriet breathed in; she had to move on, for things had changed. Her mother-in-law was no longer in charge, and she and Isabelle had to bury past differences. Today was a fresh start for both of them.

18

18

Jane sat in her chair, looking out at the rain coming down outside her bedroom window. If the evening had been fine, she would have gone for a short stroll, to get away from the atmosphere that had filled the house since her father’s more-than-public accident. But as it was, she had nowhere to hide from the poisonous talk of her parents. They tried to act as if everything was alright, never exchanging words while she was around them, but she knew differently. Her father was now sleeping in the spare room and her mother was acting strangely, as if nothing was wrong, and yet everything was wrong. Raised voices could frequently be heard, especially after her father had reached for his glass of port of an evening. She longed to yell at them, ‘I’m no longer a child’, but daren’t. To make matters worse, the staff at Atkinson’s tittered and laughed behind her back and she’d come close to losing her temper, when overhearing their comments on several occasions.