Jenny was relieved someone would be with her, for she was very concerned, and couldn’t think why a man should come from America just to see her. ‘I’d like you both there, please.’

Matthew took her coat, hung it up and smiled. ‘Let’s see what this is all about, shall we? We’ll sit the other side of the library, but we’ll be there if you need us.’

Glad of his strong presence and his mother’s quiet calm, she walked up the stairs to the library.

The man who greeted her was not as stern as she’d imagined he would be. He had very kind pale blue eyes, and when he smiled she felt a little better. He looked genuinely pleased to see her.

‘Ah, Miss Winford. I’m so pleased to meet you at last. Your father spoke of you all the time.’

‘You knew him?’ His accent sounded just like her father’s and a lump lodged in her throat. ‘Did you see him after the crash? Was he so unhappy?’

‘The only thing that made him unhappy was the fact that he couldn’t see you more often. Please sit down. He was a dear friend, and I was his lawyer for many years.’ Dwight Roberts had papers spread across a desk. ‘Before we start, your father’s second wife asked me to give you this letter from her. She has also enclosed photographs of her two sons – your half-brothers.’

She took the envelope, her hand trembling, and stuffed it into the pocket of her dress. What was he talking about? How could her father have felt anything other than despair? Nothing less than that would have made him take his own life. And why was the lawyer talking about another family? Half-brothers? ‘His second wife?’

Dwight frowned. ‘I thought you knew. He divorced your mother seven years ago.’

Jenny felt as if a tram had hit her as she stared at the lawyer in horror. ‘I was never told.’ She sat up straight; whatever the rest of the news was, it couldn’t be worse than this! ‘You said my father divorced my mother. On what grounds?’

‘Infidelity.’

Her laugh was harsh. ‘You must be joking.’

The lawyer shook his head. ‘These are the papers. See for yourself.’

What she saw on that legal document was almost too much for her, and she began to shake in reaction. It was true! Her mother had committed adultery with a man she had never heard of. ‘Why didn’t my mother marry this man after the divorce?’

‘I believe he was already married and managed to patch up his marriage after the scandal.’