‘Don’t go on, Mum,’ Sophia said, glaring at her. She put an arm round her sister’s shoulders. ‘We’ve done nothing wrong. All we did was chat to Auntie Hailey. She was here, we talked to her. It would be bad manners to ignore her, wouldn’t it?’

Sara couldn’t argue with the logic and recognised that she wasn’t going to get any further. ‘Sorry.’ She smiled and backtracked – aware of how delicate a mother’s relationship with teenage daughters could be – and tiptoed back across the eggshells to firmer ground. ‘I’m not getting at anyone. Not at all. I just feel a bit left out these days.’

Sophia locked eyes with her before she spoke. ‘Well maybe if you were here, like you used to be, we’d be able to talk to you more.’

Sara closed her eyes for a moment, unable to meet the challenge of her daughter’s stare. Because it was true. ‘I have to work since Dad lost his job. I really don’t have a choice. And there’d be plenty of time to talk in the evenings if you weren’t stuck in here or over at Chelsea’s or…’ She was going to say ‘playing football’, but that was their passion, and she didn’t want them to feel bad about it. She forced a smile. In the past she would have suggested a shopping trip to Leeds, something they’d always enjoyed, but now money was tight, that was no longer an option. She’d have to have a think, see if she could come up with something that didn’t cost a lot but would feel like a treat and help them to bond again.

Maybe football’s the answer, she thought, as she stood up. The way we can reconnect. She’d left that side of things to Matt – it was his passion as well – and it was tricky keeping Ezra happy through a whole match so it was easier for her to go and do something different with him. She’d always thought it was nice for the girls and Matt to have a shared interest, but she realised now that she should have made more of an effort to be involved.

‘Well, I’ll definitely come to footie practice on Thursday,’ she said, with an enthusiastic grin. ‘I’m looking forward to it.’

Sophia snorted. ‘Bet you only do it once, Mum.’

Amelia wouldn’t look at her, and she could feel the weight of her daughters’ disappointment sitting on her shoulders. I’ve let them down, she thought as she said goodnight and left their room, closing the door behind her. She waited for a moment, but they were both silent, no doubt waiting to hear her footsteps walk down the hall before they said anything.

Still a mystery, then. But something’s bothering them.