I made us a drink while Sam tapped away on his laptop, but without a birthplace he didn’t get very far.

‘No idea where your mum was born?’

‘Could we try Liverpool, or Merseyside?’ I suggested. ‘That fits her accent.’

That helped to narrow things down but it wasn’t straightforward to obtain a birth certificate without knowing the exact registry office, and most options were going to take time and cost money, so we really needed to know which Leanne Brown was the right one. For all we knew she was born in Australia.

‘I’m going to keep tugging on some threads,’ Sam said eventually. ‘But I think you should carry on searching here as well.’

Joan was more than happy to keep ploughing her way through the junk piles until it was time to leave for the hospital. I did wonder, as I helped her inspect tatty envelopes and poke about in old bags, if there was a much easier way to find all this out. But if we asked Leanne directly, that gave her the opportunity to tell us to stop looking. She might even ask us to promise to abandon the search, and that was a promise I didn’t think Joan could bear to keep.

Leanne’s haggard face was tight with worry. She tried her best to hide it from her daughter with bright chatter, but I could see that the news wasn’t good. When Joan asked when she could come home, her whole body tensed up.

‘Not yet, sweetheart. There’s still one or two things they need to keep an eye on so that I’m definitely ready. I know it’s hard, but they want to make sure I can look after myself, so I can then take care of you, as soon as possible.’ She took Joan’s hand. ‘You’re all right with Ollie and Nesbit for a few more days, though, aren’t you?’

Joan bared her teeth in what I think was supposed to be a reassuring smile. ‘Yes! I love it! Not more than living with you, of course,’ she added hastily. ‘But it’s fine. I think you should definitely stay in hospital for a few more days.’ She paused, pressing one hand to her chest and switching to a sombre frown. ‘I would worry if you came home. I know the nurses will keep you safe here.’

‘Well, I won’t be in here forever,’ Leanne said, looking a little disconcerted.

‘I know that. I really want you back home, just not before you’re ready. Your eyes are still horrible and yellow.’

‘And we need to get the cottage ready,’ I added, before Joan insulted her mother any further. ‘You need a working shower at the very least, and if you don’t mind I’ll speak to the landlord about the mould, see what he can do. All those spores can’t be good for your health.’