‘Come inside, Peter’s gone to—’ she stopped abruptly, causing Elle to raise an eyebrow curiously at her, before she continued ‘—pick something up, he’ll be back soon,’ she finished. ‘And the girls will be coming over later.’

Elle followed her into the kitchen and sat at the table while Alice put the kettle on and went about making tea.

‘I think it’s a lovely idea, to bring Iona home,’ Alice said, bringing over two cups and placing one down in front of Elle carefully.

Elle smiled briefly and thanked her for the tea. It was funny how this was exactly what she needed right now. It seemed heartache also fell under general sickness, and what tea was good for.

‘I think she’d be happy back here with her family,’ Elle said. ‘She never really got over leaving.’

‘No,’ Alice said patting her hand gently. ‘I don’t think she did either. I know Mum always wished Iona had come home again. Now she has, in a way.’

Elle swallowed hard and took a sip of her tea to stall any further tears. She hadn’t cried this much … well, ever, she was sure.

The sound of the front door opening drew the two women’s attention and Alice got up quickly, a huge smile on her face. Wow, Elle thought, it was nice to see that even after all this time married, Alice could get so excited to see her husband—even if he had only just ducked out to pick something up.

‘Come on, dear, Peter’s home.’

Elle put down her tea cup carefully. She liked Peter just fine, but rushing out to meet him seemed a bit enthusiastic. Still, it would be plain rude not to get up and greet him.

As she walked out into the hall behind Alice, Elle stopped in her tracks, staring at the doorway in shock.

‘Surprise!’ Alice said, almost giggling.

‘Mum. Dad?’ Elle managed to squeak out, frozen to the spot.

‘Hello, darling,’ her mother said, and Elle found herself wrapped in her parents’ arms. If she’d thought she had managed to cry herself out over the past few days, she’d been sorely mistaken as a fresh rush of tears fell unchecked. She had missed them so much, far more than she had expected to, and her mother’s familiar floral perfume floating around her instantly brought with it a flood of memories.

‘Mum,’ Elle said, pulling away briefly, unable to believe that Caroline was really standing there. ‘What are you doing here? When did you leave?’

‘Almost straight after your phone call. Your father and I decided we needed to be here. We should have come with you in the beginning instead of letting you shoulder all the responsibility alone.’

‘We should have listened to what Gran wanted,’ her father said with a sad smile, ‘instead of what made us feel better.’