Still, there was no answer and the thought came unbidden into Ella’s mind. She can’t say she loves me, because she doesn’t. She doesn’t love me, I know she doesn’t love me and she never will, not like Mum loved me. No one could. The tears prickled at the back of her eyelids, but would not fall.

Ella saw Beth glance across towards Jonathan just once as if in mute apology for what she was about to do, for what she felt compelled to do. Then she leant over Esther, resting her hands on the arms of the chair, trying to force Esther to look up at her, to meet her gaze. Her voice was sharp. ‘Where are you burying her, Esther? Next to her own father? Or out at Suddaby beside yar dad – and yar mam?’

Esther’s head snapped up and her eyes focused, staring straight into Beth’s dark brown, troubled gaze. Her voice was full of harsh bitterness. ‘Aye, I’ll tek her out to Suddaby all right. But I’ll put her beside my mother. Two of a kind, they’d be, wouldn’t they? Both brought bastards into the world! I spent all me young life, never allowed to forget what I was. And now, I’ve to face it all again.’ With an almost violent gesture she flung out her hand towards Ella.

The girl heard her grandfather gasp. ‘Esther, how can you say such a thing?’ He was staring at his wife, a strange expression on his face; a mixture of anger, disgust and, yes, pity too. ‘How can you?’ His voice dropped to a hoarse whisper.

Esther stood up with a swift, angry movement. ‘Oh, I can. I can,’ she almost screamed at him and then suddenly, the floodgates of her tears broke open and she gave a howl of such misery that no one present was left in doubt any longer as to the depth of her suffering at the death of her daughter. Anger, resentment, bitterness, all the tumult of emotions were there, yet deep down Esther was heartbroken. She raised her arms to Beth who took her into her warm embrace. ‘How – could she – do it to me? To me?’ she wept against the other woman’s shoulder.

Beth made no reply now, but rocked her like a child, only murmuring, ‘There, there, lass. Let it come. Let it all come out.’

As release came to her grandmother, Ella too broke down and turned blindly to her grandfather, who picked her up in his strong, comforting arms and carried her outside towards the warm dryness of the loft above the barn.

‘We’ll leave them alone for a while, Ella love. You and me, we’ll go up here and we can have a little talk.’