Jamie wiped his eyes with his sleeve and started walking again. ‘What’s Granny got for lunch?’

‘Soup, she said it’d be your favourite. Come on, nearly there.’

* * *

Fiona was helping clear up after lunch as Jamie was getting ready to go and play with Jack.

‘There’s the three thirty Edinburgh train,’ said Jamie, pointing at a train going over the bridge.

‘Don’t know how you can remember all the train times, Jamie. Anyway, off you go then, but back for tea at six. Remember you’ve got to have an early night before school tomorrow.’

He slammed the door and Fiona watched him run down the path onto the road, pausing to take another look at the train, and head for Jack’s house.

She went to flick on the kettle. ‘Coffee, Mum?’

‘Thanks.’

Fiona brought two mugs to the table and sat down. ‘Mum, have you ever heard of a person’s name being inscribed on a gravestone without dates? Just the person’s name without saying when they were born or when they died?’

Dorothy took a sip. ‘Seems strange, have you seen one like that?’

‘Yeah, just seems like a weird thing to do.’

Dorothy leant back against the chair and frowned. ‘Hang on, I do remember something like that. My Auntie Mabel’s husband David was from Wales somewhere, the south I think. And I remember one of my cousins telling me that when they went to their grandfather’s funeral in Wales, their dad’s name was already on the gravestone.’

‘What d’you mean?’

‘So, it would’ve said something like, “In loving memory of Whoever”, then the dates he was born and died and then underneath that were both his children’s names, but no dates as they were still living, obviously. They were both there, at the funeral.’

‘But why would you do that?’

‘Don’t know, seems mighty peculiar to me. Could be a way to save money I suppose? Engraving’s not cheap. But you’d still have to engrave the dates later anyway, so, really, no idea. It’s just maybe something they did in that part of Wales.’

‘So, a name with no dates could mean the person’s still alive.’

‘Presume so. Anyway, enough morbid talk. How’s my grandson really feeling about school tomorrow? He’s trying to be brave, but I can tell he’s not that enamoured.’

‘He’ll be fine, best if none of us make a fuss.’ She glanced at her watch then downed her coffee. ‘Right, I’ve got to head for the museum now. Be back at six.’ She kissed her mum on the cheek then delved under the oranges in the fruit bowl for her car keys.

* * *

‘Listen, Fi, I had this new idea about Pete,’ Martha said, sitting down beside Fiona in the archives room at the museum.

Fiona pushed aside her pile of books.