In Treetops at that moment Sunday and Cissie were sitting in the kitchen enjoying a glass of lemonade with the back door wide open as they tried to cool off. The younger children were all in the downstairs room that had been adapted as a classroom with their tutor, Mrs Lockett, and the older ones were at school so they were snatching a few peaceful minutes.

‘Phew, I reckon I’m goin’ to melt at this rate if it don’t cool down soon,’ Cissie commented as she fanned her face with her hand.

As usual lately, Sunday seemed a million miles away but she jerked her thoughts back to the present with a start as she asked, ‘Sorry – what were you saying?’

‘Oh, nothin’ much.’ Cissie eyed her critically. Sunday had lost weight recently and there were dark circles beneath her eyes. Cissie was aware that it was partly because her dear friend was still missing Kitty and partly because there now seemed to be a deep rift between Sunday and her husband. Treetops had always been such a happy place to live until recently but now Cissie felt as if a big black cloud was hanging over them all. The only bit of sunshine on the horizon was Lavinia’s forthcoming marriage to Mr Dewhurst, although Sunday didn’t even seem to be getting excited about that as yet. And now Cissie was worried that she might be about to add to her concerns when she told her what she had a mind to do – but it had been plaguing her for far too long as it was for her to put it off again, so taking a deep breath she said, ‘I’ve been thinking that it’s time I tracked down the baby that was taken away from me when I was locked away in Hatter’s Hall.’

Sunday’s eyes almost popped out of her head. Cissie certainly had her full attention now.

‘What? But that was years ago. He’d be a full-grown man now. And what if he doesn’t want to be found? Or he might not even know that he had another mother. He might not want to know you.’ Then Sunday regretted her harsh words.

‘I’m aware of that,’ Cissie said miserably. Even now, after being married to George and having a family whom she adored, the child that had been wrenched away from her still haunted her sleep and she thought about him constantly. The staff at the asylum had told her that he had died at birth, but Cissie knew better. She had heard him cry and watched his tiny arms flailing in the air as they rushed him out of the room. It was common knowledge that the former manager there had sold illegitimate babies to childless couples and Cissie had always felt in her heart that this was what had happened to her son.

Sunday stared in shock at her old friend’s bent head. She had thought that Cissie had managed to put the past behind her, but now it appeared that she was wrong.