“I’m—saying whatever comes into my head this morning, George, because I love you, and I want you to be happy. And I’d like to see Alice have what I never had—security, and a settled feeling. You see, George, you’re not strictly a Shenstone. You’re my own son, I always think, from the McAndrews side. You’d make Alice a good husband and father to her children, which is more than I can say for Hilary, and that’s the truth. It wouldn’t be the wretched, one-sided sort of thing I had to put up with all my life—while your father was alive—” Her voice broke suddenly, and she rested her head on her left hand, shielding her face.

Hilary made an instinctive move towards her, but George was there first, putting clumsy arms round her shoulders. He couldn’t remember when he had last seen her cry.

“Here, hold on,” he said. “For heaven’s sake, old lady—!”

She clung to him, weeping.

“I—I don’t know quite what’s come over me this morning. I know I shouldn’t be saying these dreadful things out loud. But it’s not fair, George, it’s not fair to Alice that I love like my own daughter, not to warn her! I don’t want her to live as I had to live, always in deadly fear that her man won’t come back—and the rest of the time hoping, praying that he won’t go away again! And always knowing that it’s no use, that he’s bound to be off again soon—so soon—”

“But, mum, good Lord, you had the War,” George reminded her futilely.

“It wasn’t just during the War, George. Even before that started, he was always doing something for the Home Office that nobody else dared to do. Once he went to Russia about spies. Once he was down in Limehouse for six days and nights without sending me one word. Once they sent him to Egypt, and I didn’t hear for two months—like Hilary now, out there on the Border. It’s no marriage, it’s no life for a woman—to love people like Hilary! Don’t let her, George,” she entreated him hysterically. “Don’t let Hilary have Alice!”

“I see,” said Hilary.

“Mater, for heaven’s sake—!” George was genuinely horrified. “You really must pull yourself together!”

“Hullo, am I late or anything?” said Alice from the doorway. She saw Mrs. Shenstone’s tears then, and halted with a child’s embarrassed impulse to back out of the room, followed by a quick anxiety. “Oh, sorry—Hinton said—. What is it? Have you had bad news?”