‘I thought I’d got rid of you; I was looking forward to having this room to myself.’ Ruby tried to lighten the mood.

Merrin stared at the ceiling, trying not to picture the four-poster bed at Pencleven Court and the real fire she had been promised. She blinked, wondering when the longing for Digby might stop and how she could reconcile this feeling with the knowledge that they were over.

‘It’s like I’m dreaming, Rubes.’ Rolling on to her side, Merrin pulled the cover over her shoulder. ‘I can’t believe how in such a short space of time everything changed.’

‘I’ll never forget your face coming out of the vestry with Mum and Dad supporting you.’

Merrin watched her sister’s face crumple.

‘I’m sorry I went to look for him. I didn’t want to upset you, but I was angry.’

‘Don’t worry about it, Ruby. I’m lucky I’ve got people who care about me.’

‘And you have, lots of us. And we’ll help you get over this. I promise you, Merrin.’

These warming words were lovely, but not enough to thaw the icy kernel of hurt that had taken root in her stomach.

‘Mrs Everit said everyone is talking about me. The vicar said as much too.’ She felt her muscles tense, shivering despite the warmth. ‘How do I go back to being the old Merrin Kellow without everyone pointing and looking, everyone knowing what’s happened to me, feeling sorry for me?’ Her voice was muted.

‘Time, I guess. Time and waiting for the next person to spectacularly screw up in Port Charles and steal your thunder.’

‘You think I screwed up?’ Her fragile state meant she took the words that had been spoken as a balm and translated them into an accusation; her heart beat a little faster and her sorrow magnified.

‘Only by making the wrong choice, and to be fair, he played it well; even I thought he was half decent.’

She was glad of Ruby’s kindness.

‘What did he have to say for himself? I’m assuming you found him?’

Merrin nodded. ‘It was awful. He was very cool, already a stranger, and it was odd not to touch him or hold his hand.’ Again those darned tears kept coming. With a pain now pounding in her temples, she wished they would stop.

Ruby lay on her own bed and mirrored her sister’s pose. The two stared at each other across the narrow gap, as they had been doing all their lives.

‘He doesn’t deserve you, and no one deserves what happened to you. It was a shit trick.’

‘Yep. It’s funny, Rubes, you know I was never that smart at school, I knew I’d always have to work hard.’

‘That’s always been the Kellow way,’ her sister interjected.