And now she had no one to turn to, no one to help her out of her misery.

Her only ‘friend’ was apparently Nellie Madigan, the woman who had helped plunge her into despair and misery in the first place. It was so pathetic Anna would have laughed if it hadn’t been so terribly sad.

But Nellie wasn’t really responsible for the ghastly predicament she found herself in. That was all Edward’s doing. And her own, of course.

She looked around the kitchen. She had had such high hopes for her marriage. She had wanted Edward and herself to be like her parents, close and happy, living and loving and working side by side in utter contentment.

And when it had all started to go wrong, she had blamed herself. She had spent months feeling like a failure, wondering what was wrong with her that she couldn’t create the same happy, loving relationship with her husband.

But it took two to make a marriage. Now she realised she had been the only one trying to make it work, while all Edward had wanted was to destroy her.

And she had been too blinded by her dream to see the reality.

A customer was rapping on the shop door, but Anna ignored them. She stood at the counter, staring at the neat line of loaves she had just baked. What was the point of it all? she thought. Nellie was right, why should she bake bread and open up the shop just for Edward’s benefit? Especially when he wasn’t even there to see it.

The customer rapped again, more loudly this time. Anna thought about answering the door, but her limbs suddenly seemed to be filled with lead, making it hard to drag herself along. Her head ached, a rim of pain around her crown from ear to ear.

Slowly, she dragged herself upstairs to the bedroom to fetch her nerve tonic. She helped herself to two spoonfuls, then lay on the bed.

Edward’s wardrobe loomed over her in the corner of the room, wide and solid, with curved doors of polished walnut.

There’s something in there that might cheer you up.

It took a moment for Anna to rouse herself enough to stand up and walk across the room. She threw open the wardrobe doors and peered inside. Immediately Edward’s scent wafted across the room and for a moment she was filled with panic that he was there with her.

She steeled herself and rummaged among his clothes, wondering what she was looking for.

Something that might cheer you up …

She could scarcely imagine what it might be. Surely there could be nothing in Edward’s wardrobe that might make her feel better …

And then she saw the box.

CHAPTER FIFTY

By the time Edward came home, Anna was ready for him. She had made an effort to tidy herself up; she had washed her hair, put on her best dress, and cheered up her wan face with some make-up.