‘Ah! Mr Hewitt, you’ve arrived!’ She glanced at Isobel. ‘Hello, Mrs Hewitt. I trust you are well?’

Isobel gave her the briefest of smiles before turning to Ted. ‘Can I go up now?’

Ted gave the older woman an apologetic glance. ‘Hello, Mrs Armitage, we’re both well, thank you, but my wife’s rather tired from the journey and would like a few hours’ rest, so if our room’s ready?’

Mrs Armitage nodded in an understanding fashion. ‘I’ll take you up.’ As they reached the upper floor, she opened the door to a pleasant room and handed Ted the key. ‘Holler if you need anything.’

‘How about an elevator,’ said Isobel sourly.

Ted cringed inwardly as he saw Mrs Armitage’s friendly smile freeze then falter. Bidding them a pleasant afternoon, she hastily descended the stairs. Watching her disappear from view, Ted half wished he could have gone with her.

Closing the door, Ted placed Isobel’s suitcase on top of the chest of drawers, then turned to face her, but she had already kicked off her shoes and was lying on the double bed with her back to him. Sighing, he lay down on the bed next to her and reached over to touch her shoulder, but she shrugged him off irritably. ‘Do leave me alone, Ted. Can’t you find something to entertain yourself that doesn’t involve me?’

Pulling his hand away, Ted stood up from the bed. ‘Shall I come back in a few hours?’

She nodded silently.

He descended the stairs and made his way to the front door of the property where he nearly collided with Mrs Armitage, who raised her eyebrows in surprise. ‘You leaving already?’

‘My wife needs her sleep so I said I’d call back later.’

She smiled kindly. ‘I expect she’ll feel more like herself after a nap – it’s a long way from Plymouth to Liverpool.’

He nodded. He wished he could have assured her that she was right, but Isobel was always snappy and irritable, or at least she was around Ted. He wondered what had happened to the girl he had courted all those years ago. She never used to be so miserable; he’d never have asked her to marry him if she had been. He had hoped that absence might have made her heart grow fonder, but so far this didn’t seem to be the case.

Ted returned to the boarding house later that day, hoping to find his wife in a sunnier disposition, but instead of finding her vitalised and refreshed, she was annoyed that he had left her on her own for so long.

‘Where have you been? I’ve been sitting here bored out of my brains!’ she snapped as he walked into the bedroom.

Ted found himself apologising, something which was common when he was with Isobel. ‘Sorry, Issy …’

‘Isobel!’ she said stiffly. ‘I’m not two years old!’

He drew a deep breath. ‘Sorry, Isobel, I didn’t realise you’d be awake.’