‘I’ve only seen her once since we got married,’ Anna pointed out quietly.

‘Yes, well, I don’t like her sniffing around. This isn’t her home anymore. It’s ours.’

‘Edward!’

‘It’s true. Your father left this place to us, not to her.’

He left it to me. Anna bit back the comment. ‘But I’m sure he knew we would always welcome her …’

‘She’s had her money,’ Edward cut her off. ‘That’s all she can expect.’

‘She’s still my sister. I want to see her.’

The words hung in the air between them. Anna saw Edward’s face tighten, and started to regret what she had said.

‘Then of course you must.’ The words came out from between taut lips. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realise I was keeping you from her.’

‘You’re not,’ Anna rushed to reassure him.

‘I just know how much she upsets you,’ Edward went on. ‘I’m only thinking of you, Anna.’

‘Liesel doesn’t upset me.’

‘You know what she’s like. She always stirs up trouble when she comes to visit. She’s bound to say something cruel or hurtful. I don’t know why you’d put yourself out for someone who doesn’t care about you.’

‘She does care!’

‘Remember how she abandoned you on Christmas Day and left you all alone?’

Anna was silent.

‘But of course you must see her if you want to,’ Edward said. Then he smiled. ‘Forgive me,’ he said, reaching for her hands. ‘I suppose I’m just too protective of you. I can’t bear to see my little Anna hurt.’

She squeezed his hands. ‘That’s what sisters are like,’ she said. ‘We fight and squabble, but we don’t mean it.’

‘Perhaps I don’t understand.’ Edward’s gaze fell to his plate. ‘Having no family of my own, I don’t know what it’s like to feel close to someone. The only person I have is you.’ He looked up at her, and for a moment she saw her Edward in his pleading blue eyes. ‘You can’t blame me for wanting you all to myself, can you?’

Anna looked down at the letter in front of her. ‘I’ll write to Liesel,’ she said. ‘Perhaps it might be better to put off seeing her until the summer.’

‘Whatever you think best,’ he said.

She picked up Sylvia’s wedding invitation again and studied it. ‘But I think I will go to the wedding,’ she said. ‘It will be nice to see everyone again.’

‘When is it?’

‘The twenty-ninth of June.’

‘A Saturday?’ He shook his head. ‘I’m not sure we’d be able to spare you.’

‘Surely we could manage? After all, we have some help in the shop now …’

After sacking Mrs Church, a couple of weeks ago Edward had changed his mind and decided that perhaps they could do with some help after all.

‘It isn’t fair to expect you to manage all by yourself,’ he had said to Anna. ‘Besides, you’re far more use to me in the kitchen.’

Anna had agreed it made sense. But before she had had a chance to advertise the position, Edward had turned up with Nellie Madigan in tow. She was an Irish girl with flaming red hair, a barmaid at the Fallen Angel, he had said. She had lost her husband in the war and she needed the extra money.