She sat like that for some time, and slowly anger replaced the pain. Far too many people had deceived her – her mother, aunt and Greaves – but Matt’s cruelty was the hardest to bear. The only people who had been completely honest with her were Fred and his family, and she had counted Matt amongst them.

Laying her head back on the chair, she closed her eyes. She was stunned. She couldn’t think straight; couldn’t tell fact from fiction. She would confront Matt as soon as she could, but in the meantime she had to think about herself.

‘There’s nothing here for me now, Ma,’ she murmured. ‘I’ll go to America and see what it’s like. I couldn’t bear the pain of knowing that he was married to someone else. I made a new life for myself once, and I’m sure I can do it again if I have to.’

Never being one to waste time when her mind was made up, Jenny hauled herself out of the chair, went to the kitchen and splashed water on her face; then she picked up her bag and left the house, not fully aware of what she was doing or where she was going. The feeling driving her was the same as the one she’d had when her father had died. The need to do something!

She arrived at the bank and strode in. ‘My name is Eugenie Winford,’ she declared as soon as she arrived, ‘and I would like to see Mr John Stannard, please.’

The teller had been gone only a minute when John appeared, smiling. ‘Hello, Jenny. Please come into my office.’

When they were both seated, he asked, ‘What can I do for you?’

‘I want enough money to buy a ticket to New York.’

‘Ah, going to visit your father’s family.’ John nodded. ‘They will be pleased to see you.’

‘Yes, and I might stay there if I like it.’

John looked up sharply in astonishment. ‘You mean you might not come back?’

‘That’s right. If I do decide to stay, I’ll ask you to transfer my money.’

‘I don’t understand.’ John sat back and studied her intently. ‘My brother Matt is going to be upset. What’s happened?’

‘I don’t think your brother will be at all upset, because I have just been told that he has found someone else and they are to be married soon.’ She got to her feet, not wishing to discuss the painful subject any more. ‘Will you instruct the young man at the desk to give me one hundred pounds? I think that should suffice for the moment.’

‘Just a minute, Jenny.’ John came from behind the desk and barred her way to the door. ‘This is absolute nonsense. Who is the person Matt is supposed to be marrying?’