Olivia buried her face in the sheets. How could she have got it so wrong? She had put Ted on a pedestal, and her father in the gutter. Yet in truth it had been her father who had arranged for them to rent the cottage they were presently in, so that Olivia could be away from prying eyes in the latter months of her pregnancy; he’d also arranged for a home help to look after her mother whilst they were away, and taken care of all the expenses. He’d made up an elaborate story to excuse his absence from the factory and had bent over backwards to make sure everything ran as smoothly and with as little upset as possible.

Drying her eyes on the bedsheet, Olivia wished with all her might that she had listened to her father.

A few months after returning from Scotland, it became clear that William’s good nature had disappeared and he was no longer the caring father, but the man Olivia had always known him to be, short-tempered, self-absorbed and judgemental.

‘How on earth I can ever hope to marry you off now, goodness only knows,’ he said as they sat down for breakfast around the dining table. ‘I took you away to save tongues from wagging, but anyone with half a brain can see you’re damaged goods.’

‘William!’ protested Catherine. ‘That’s a dreadful thing to say.’

‘Just because it’s dreadful doesn’t mean to say it’s not true,’ said William bluntly. He jerked his head in Olivia’s direction. ‘Look at her.’

Olivia looked down at her figure which was still swollen from the pregnancy. Tears brimmed in her eyes. Her father was right. Her once trim waist had gone, her flat stomach was flabby and covered in stretch marks, and her pert breasts had lost their shape.

Catherine placed her hand over her daughter’s. ‘Don’t listen to him, Liv.’

Olivia shook her head. ‘He’s right though, Mum, look at me.’

‘It’s early days yet,’ her mother said reassuringly. ‘Your body needs time to adjust, you’ll soon get your figure back.’

‘Only next time you meet a boy full of compliments, make sure you keep your legs shut!’ William said, his tone heavy with sarcasm.

‘That’s enough!’ snapped her mother, before breaking into a coughing fit.