Money was obviously the biggest problem. It was going to take some time to get together enough so she could leave. First order of business – set herself up as a freelance editor.

Twenty

Nicole tried to stop thoughts of Danny, memories of Mark flooding her mind, by drowning in Ivy’s words.

5th April, 1957

My Dearest Tom,

I have taken a job.

I am working for Father Anthony, doing his accounts, basic clerical work. Joan has made her feelings on the matter quite clear. Is that not a surprise? I ran into her at the shops the other day and, according to her royal righteousness, it is beneath a woman of my breeding to even consider a job and the whole fabric of society is at risk of unravelling if women get it into their heads they are better off working rather than staying at home raising families. Apparently once men returned from the war, women had no right to stay in the workforce.

You will be very proud to know I walked away without responding. Mostly because I was afraid I would reveal my own truth. That I needed something to drag me out of the melancholy that has plagued me recently.

Lucy has recognised my shift in mood and is perhaps thinking of all the little things that remind her of Henry. She has had a most extraordinary idea. A ridiculous idea. She is determined we take a holiday to Italy. I always assumed our mutual loneliness would claim my mind first, but it would appear I was wrong. She is talking nonsense, of course, but she seems quite determined to drag me to Italy. What on earth would I do in Italy?

Neither of us speaks Italian. I have never left Australia. Even when Mother and Father went back to England briefly when I was just a girl, they left me at home with Nanny Celia.

As it happens, Lucy’s family are even wealthier than Mother’s. Mother will not be pleased to hear this. And Lucy has money put away for emergencies.

She has decided to declare our lonely situation an emergency and this is her solution.

I cannot go to Italy!

She has the entire trip planned. She has family over there and we are to stay with them. And, you will not believe this, we shall be undertaking an art course. An art course! You well know I can articulate the history and technique of any given masterpiece, but to actually produce art, or anything resembling it? You would have thought that she would have learned from our Angel experience. Apparently not. A friend of her cousin runs the course and she has been corresponding with him in order to secure our places.

She has even taken it upon herself to arrange time off for me. My arrangement with Father Anthony is rather flexible.