Was that okay? Hell, yeah! she had thought with a rush of pleasure. Family tradition – and she was now part of it! For Robyn, it was like being given the keys to the kingdom, her acceptance and belonging officially confirmed. For the first time in her life, she felt as if she was part of something bigger than just her and her mum; she’d been welcomed into this clan of fun, friendly people, initiated with a plate of scones and jam. And then the following Christmas, when John had given her an engagement ring and asked her to marry him, almost the first thought that had whistled through her head – other than YES! – was that she was going to be a Mortimer too. For better or worse. Better, of course!

Was it wrong that she’d felt the same stunned delight at becoming a Mortimer as she’d felt at the prospect of being John’s wife? Would she have agreed so quickly to his proposal if he’d been an only child like her, from a small, quiet family?

Robyn thought about this now as she picked up Harry’s Gardeners’ World magazine from the sofa, plus Harry’s glasses case from the bottom of the stairs and then Harry’s breakfast things, which had been left, along with those of her husband, on the kitchen table all morning while Robyn had been at work. She hadn’t just married John, she’d effectively married the entire family – which she had been thrilled about! – and part of that involved rallying round when someone was in trouble. Right now that someone was Harry, who couldn’t bear to be home without Jeanie, following her no-show at the airport. Reading between the lines, Bunny had been less than ecstatic at the prospect of having her father-in-law to stay for a second week, and so John had stepped in with the offer of their spare room before Robyn had been able to say, ‘Of course I don’t mind.’

She didn’t mind, not really. She was extremely fond of Harry, who’d been the next best thing to having her own dad, with his kindness and steadiness, and his ability to come to the rescue at the drop of a hat. In the circumstances, Robyn felt it was the least she could do, to make up the spare bed and set an extra place at the table, in the hope of propping up the listing Mortimer ship. Not to mention pick up after him constantly and deal with his laundry, and try not to complain when he and John vanished for hours on end at their favourite fishing spots.