With a frown Kathy opened the door and barged into the room. ‘So, what’s wrong with you?’ she demanded. In truth she was just as upset as the others at having to leave her home, but she didn’t see how feeling sorry for herself was going to help anything.

Livvy was curled into a ball on her bed crying into her pillow and for a moment Kathy felt sorry for her but she hardened her heart and snapped, ‘Mum has spent all afternoon cooking this dinner for us. The least you could do is come down and eat it! Lying there and feeling sorry for yourself isn’t going to get us anywhere. We just have to get on with things and think ourselves lucky. At least we still have a roof over our heads!’

For a moment Livvy didn’t respond but eventually she reluctantly swung her legs over the side of the bed and swiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. ‘I know you’re right,’ she sniffed. ‘But I’m going to miss Treetops so much. It’s been our home all our lives.’

Kathy nodded in agreement. ‘Yes it has, but just think how much worse this must be for Mum. She and Dad lived there all their married lives.’

Livvy scowled. She knew Kathy was right. ‘I think the hardest thing for her must be having to come to terms with Ben’s betrayal.’ She shook her head. ‘How could he do this to us? Just go off like that with almost every penny we had.’

Kathy gulped. Even now she couldn’t believe that he wouldn’t come back. He had to!

Once downstairs the girls tried to eat the meal, but the food seemed to stick in their throats.

‘We must be a laughing stock in town,’ Livvy suddenly commented bitterly as she pushed the food about her plate. ‘Fancy being known as the owners of a big posh house like Treetops and then being reduced to living in this!’

‘You should think yourself lucky we’re not reduced to living on the streets,’ Sunday reminded her and Livvy’s eyes widened with shock. It was so unlike her mother to snap at any of them.

‘I … I’m sorry.’ She lowered her eyes in shame, then pushing back her chair she rose from the table. ‘I’ll do the washing-up,’ she told them, hoping to atone for her thoughtlessness.

Sunday meantime bowed her head and once the girls had left the room, she finally let the torrent of tears that had been building inside her gush down her cheeks. This was the start of a new life for all of them and, somehow, they were just going to have to come to terms with it – unless a miracle happened, and she doubted very much that that would come about.