OK yes, no denying it now. It’s time. Ned insists I stop writing now. He wants to meet his son or daughter. I don’t think I have ever seen him so nervous. So, I’m signing off now. When I write again, I’m going to be a mother – imagine! And my darling husband is going to be the dad he has wanted to be for so long now.

Penny raised her eyebrows at these words. ‘The dad he has wanted to be for so long now?’ That was interesting.

The next entry was dated two days later. And Elle had indeed been born.

May 16, 1976

I would like to introduce you to Eleanor Anna Harte. My beautiful baby was born last night, on May 15, 1976 at 8:39 in the evening. I am over the moon and Ned I don’t think has ever been more in love. And he got his wish too, Eleanor. I stuck to my guns on not having her middle name ‘Rigby’ though I’m not sure even Ned would go that far. Needless to say, I really think that he was born to be a father. He was a complete star throughout the labour and when little Eleanor was finally born, he cried as much as I did. I am so excited to have my little family. It’s all I have ever wished for and knowing that I have this wonderful husband who is so committed to sharing this journey of parenthood with me makes my heart so incredibly happy.

Pausing, Penny ran her hands over the words that her mother had written. The emotion and the love practically sprang off the page. Suddenly struck by the magnitude of what she had just read, she felt herself choking back a sob. Ned had wanted to be a father. He was just as thrilled about Elle’s arrival as Anna was. She knew, of course, that Ned and Elle had always shared a bond, a relationship very different to her own father/daughter experience. She’d often put this down to the two of them sharing certain traits, or that it was simply that some offspring shared a closer bond with a certain parent. She and Anna had been incredibly close, which was one of the reasons Penny was reluctant to leave the Bay like Elle had, but she’d just never managed to connect with Ned in the same way, nor communicate with the ease he and Elle seemed to. She’d noticed him come out of his shell so much more since Elle’s return; instead of retreating away to quieter parts of the house like he did when it was just him and Penny, these days he was involved in everything and could almost be described as chatty.

So was it just her then, Penny wondered, her heart tightening, that her dad was ambivalent about?

The following morning, Elle arrived downstairs with her suitcase.

‘What are you doing?’ asked Penny aghast.