On Her Own Two Feet

by Pamela Evans

Genres: Sagas

Synopsis

Bringing the Keep Fit movement vividly to life in 1940s' London, Pam Evans' family saga will inspire and enthral anyone who has ever dared to dream of a better life.

In the middle of a party to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935, Mollie Fisher's good-for-nothing husband walks out on his wife and baby girl. Luckily, Mollie has a loving family to turn to for help. Mollie's mother, Marge, is delighted to look after baby Esme while Mollie goes out to work. Meanwhile, her nan, Nora, encourages Mollie to join a local keep fit class, which opens her eyes to a whole new world.

Determined to better herself, Mollie qualifies as a fitness instructor and starts to run her own classes for the local community, where she befriends a group of women she would never have known existed. But with the outbreak of the Second World War and the ever-present danger of losing her loved ones in the London bombings, it takes courage for Mollie to stand on her own two feet...

Release date: February 27, 2014

Publisher: Headline

Print pages: 416

Sample

Celebrations were well under way all over London to mark the Silver Jubilee of King George and Queen Mary and the street party in Pearl Road, Chiswick was in full swing on the afternoon of May the fifth 1935.

In the mood for a ‘good old knees-up’, the residents were out in force, jolly and sociable, while neighbourhood stalwarts organised the event with an air of affable authority. Patriotic flags and bunting waved in the breeze; the children had feasted on jelly, blancmange and other traditional party treats and were now being entertained by young resident Mollie Fisher and her twin brother Geoff who were arranging some races for them.

‘All right, kids,’ said Mollie, whose maiden name was Potts; she had lined the children up to start in the road outside her family’s residence in the row of Victorian terraced houses of which the street was made up. ‘When I say “Go”, run as fast as you can to Geoff who is waiting by the next lamp post to judge the race.’ She looked towards her brother, a slim young man wearing grey flannels and a sleeveless knitted pullover on top of his shirt. ‘Ready Geoff?’

‘You bet.’

‘Right then, you lot,’ she said to the children. ‘On your marks … get set … go!’

Off they went; the fast, the slow and the barely moving. Mollie gave a helping hand to a couple of stragglers and got them to the finish – eventually.

‘Well done to the winners; Geoff will give you your prizes,’ she told them. ‘And there will also be a little something for everyone who took part because you entered into the spirit of this very special day and, as you all know, taking part is just as important as winning.’

‘No it ain’t,’ said a round, freckle-faced boy with ginger hair, flaming cheeks and fiery blue eyes. ‘Winnin’ is the ’ole point.’

‘Well yes, but there is more to it than that.’

‘Such as?’ he queried with a swagger.

‘Without competitors there would be no race so everyone who takes part matters,’ she said patiently. ‘It’s all about something called sporting spirit.’

‘Never ’eard of it but I don’t mind gettin’ somethin’ for losin’,’ said the aggressive child, causing the other youngsters to erupt into laughter, at which point Mollie ended the discussion and moved on with the proceedings.

‘Shall we have the three-legged or the sack race next, Geoff?’ she asked as the children drifted away.

‘Oh, we haven’t finished yet then?’ he groaned with good-humoured regret. ‘That’s a pity.’

‘After just one race? Don’t make me laugh; you know me better than that.’ She grinned.

‘Don’t I just.’ He was smiling though. His sister was one of the most energetic people he knew and he sometimes had difficulty keeping up with her.

‘And if you’re not careful I’ll get the adults to have a go as well,’ she added.

‘Thanks for the warning.’ The twins were nineteen and, although not technically identical, they did have a special emotional bond and certain similarities in appearance. One thing they shared was a sense of fun and enthusiasm for life. ‘I shall make myself scarce if you start that malarkey.’

‘I’ll find you wherever you are hiding, don’t worry,’ she kidded him. ‘Now let’s get these children organised.’ She glanced across the street to where her mother was standing outside their front gate by a shiny, upright black pram. ‘Before that baby of mine wakes up and wants feeding.’

‘Yes, madame,’ he said with a mock salute and they both laughed.

‘You’d never guess that Mollie had just had a baby would you?’ observed the twins’ mother Madge, watching her son and daughter enjoying themselves together, Mollie a petite brunette while Geoff was taller and had a thatch of light brown hair.

‘You certainly wouldn’t,’ agreed Madge’s mother Nora, a perky pensioner with bright blue eyes, a clear complexion and white curly hair. ‘She’s as slim as a reed and full of beans; and little Esme only a few weeks old. Some women take ages to get back on their feet with their figure intact after lying-in.’

‘She’s always been a very energetic and agile girl as you know,’ remarked Madge, who had brown eyes and dark hair with a few touches of grey.

‘Ooh, not half; she was very good at gym and games when she was at school as I remember; captain of the netball team, no less?’ Nora said proudly. ‘Perhaps that has something to do with her getting her figure back so soon; her being so supple.’

‘Could be,’ agreed Madge. ‘I think she missed all that sort of thing when she left school.’

‘She’s bound to have done; there’s not much opportunity for sport and physical jerks when you start work,’ remarked Nora. ‘She’s certainly a credit to you though, Madge, the way she’s knuckled down to motherhood … er, considering the circumstances.’

Madge’s brow tightened into a frown at the reminder. ‘Yeah, she is doing well, though it was very upsetting for us all when the pregnancy first came to light. Every mother of daughters’ worst nightmare and not what I would have chosen for her at all. Still, it seems to have turned out all right.’

At that moment Mollie appeared beside them.

‘Talk of the devil,’ said Madge.

Mollie looked at them quizzically, half smiling, her rich brown eyes shining. ‘Should my ears have been burning?’ she asked. ‘Are you saying what a terrible mother I am for leaving you to look after my little daughter while I’m off enjoying myself.’

‘As if we would. Quite the opposite, in fact,’ her mother assured her. ‘Your gran was just saying what a cracking little mum you’ve turned out to be.’

‘Thanks, Gran.’ Mollie bit her lip. ‘Can I push my luck even more and ask you to watch Esme for a little while longer? I have to organise the three-legged race.’

‘You go ahead, love. You should know that we don’t mind; we enjoy looking after her,’ said Madge. ‘Anyway, you are contributing to the celebrations. Someone has to keep the kiddies entertained.’

It would never have occurred to Mollie to ask her husband Syd to look after their baby, even for a few minutes, because she’d been brought up to believe that babies were exclusively a woman’s responsibility along with all things domestic. He was here at the party, though, standing nearby with her father Len and some neighbours. She noticed that they had done what all the men she knew usually seemed to do at any social gathering: they had formed an all-male clique, their conversation interspersed with guffaws of raucous laughter. She caught Syd’s eye and waved, smiling. He responded with a grin and she positively glowed with adoration. He was her hero, her soul mate and the love of her life.

‘Come on, Mollie,’ called her brother. ‘The kiddies are getting fed up with waiting.’

‘Just coming.’ She turned to her mother. ‘Call me if she wakes up, Mum,’ she said and hurried away, a skinny, nimble girl wearing a summer frock and sandals, her dark hair falling loose to her shoulders.

The party showed no sign of abating. It did become a little more adult towards evening, though, with music from a wind-up gramophone, alcoholic drinks and savoury snacks, such as sausage rolls and cheese straws. Some of the smaller children became fretful and were taken indoors to bed but Esme was still at an age to be conveniently portable so Mollie took her in to feed and change her then put her down in her pram outside so that she herself could join in the celebrations with her baby close by.

‘Are you enjoying yourself, Syd?’ Mollie asked her husband as they jogged around together in the road to the grainy sound of Fats Waller singing ‘It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie’. Her mother and gran were sitting on the wall by Esme’s pram with some female neighbours peering in admiringly.

‘Yeah, it’s not a bad do,’ approved Syd, a builder’s labourer who had chestnut-brown wavy hair and gorgeous hazel eyes. Undeniably handsome, he had firm features and a good physique, all of which he was very well aware of.

‘Better than just not bad I would say; the residents have done a really good job in organising it,’ she said. ‘I’m having a lovely time anyway.’

‘You grew up in this street and you know everybody, that’s why,’ he said airily.

‘So you’re not enjoying it then.’

‘Yeah, course I am,’ he said, sounding bored. ‘But maybe not quite as much as you are, having lived here all your life.’

‘I don’t know everybody. Only the close neighbours,’ she said. ‘That’s why it’s so good to have a do like this every once in a while because it brings the whole street together and reminds us that we are a community.’

‘Mm.’

‘Anyway, you are part of the neighbourhood now.’ She and Syd were living with her family until they could afford to set up home in a place of their own. Their marriage had been swift and unexpected on account of Mollie being so smitten with Syd that she had found herself pregnant. It had been a major calamity at the time and her parents had been absolutely furious. But as Mollie – although deeply ashamed and full of remorse for upsetting them – hadn’t been prepared to give up either her baby or Syd, a wedding had been arranged with all possible speed to avoid any scandal. ‘So this is a good opportunity for you to feel part of things, isn’t it?’

‘Yeah, I suppose so,’ he agreed.

‘Don’t overdo the enthusiasm,’ she chided him.

He looked at her and smiled. ‘Mollie. If we were all as keen about everything as you are, London would probably explode from an overload of enthusiasm.’

‘I’m not over-keen about everything,’ she said. ‘You make me sound gormless.’

‘That’s the last thing you are,’ he assured her. ‘I just meant that you are very upbeat about life in general.’

‘Why wouldn’t I be when I have everything a girl could possibly want: a handsome husband and a beautiful baby daughter?’ Her tone became more serious and a little emotional as she leaned back slightly and looked right into his eyes. ‘Honestly Syd, I am so happy with our life together I could cry with the joy of it. You and me and Esme. I can’t imagine ever wanting anything more.’

Seeming rather uncomfortable, he cleared his throat and drew back from her.

‘There’s no need to be so embarrassed about it,’ she said affectionately. ‘We are married, remember, so it’s how I should feel and I’m not afraid to say so.’

‘Yeah, yeah, I know,’ he said just as the music came to an end and the dancing petered out.

Being a very warm and tactile girl, she put her arms around him impulsively and held him close.

He responded with a brief hug then said, ‘I’m just going inside to answer a call of nature. Won’t be long.’

‘They’ll put another record on in a minute so hurry back and we can dance some more,’ she said warmly. ‘I’ll pop over to have a chat with Esme’s fan club while you’re away.’

‘See you in a minute,’ he said and strode towards the house while she headed for her mother and her cronies.

Having ascertained that Esme was sleeping through the rather noisy celebrations and that there was more than enough help on hand should she awaken, Mollie went to have a dance with her brother.

‘No girlfriend tonight, Geoff,’ she observed as they moved to the tune of ‘Blue Moon’.

‘There’s nobody special at the moment.’

‘Ooh, you need to put that right sharpish,’ she said jokingly.

‘There’s no hurry,’ said Geoff, who had velvet-brown eyes like Mollie’s, despite their different hair colouring, and the same warm smile. An amiable man with a keen sense of humour, he was very well liked in the area.

‘I’m sure someone special will turn up before long.’ Her brother was popular with the opposite sex which wasn’t surprising as he was boyishly handsome in an understated sort of way, unlike Syd who made the most of his dazzling good looks and was an avid user of the wardrobe mirror.

‘We’ll have to wait and see, won’t we?’ He smiled at her. ‘Look at you though; an old married woman and still glowing like a newlywed.’

‘I can’t help it because it’s the way I feel,’ she told him. ‘I was just telling Syd that I couldn’t possibly be happier than I am now, with him and Esme.’

‘He’s a lucky man to have you.’

‘As I am to have him,’ she said, slightly on the defensive because Syd had been out of favour with the family for a while after what had happened, and she sensed that he still wasn’t too popular with Geoff.

‘As long as you’re happy,’ he said in a neutral tone.

‘I know it seemed like a complete disaster when I got pregnant and Mum and Dad were so angry about it, especially with Syd. I was none too pleased either at the time. But they were really supportive once they got used to the idea and I’m very grateful. As it happens, Syd and I were made for each other so it all turned out for the best anyway.’

He nodded.

‘So how are your ambitions lately?’ she asked because her brother wanted to make something of himself as a chef eventually and had a job in the kitchens of a large hotel in the West End of London. He’d started as a kitchen porter, washing up, peeling potatoes, cleaning and taking care of all chores and mundane food preparation. Nowadays he’d moved up a notch and helped the other chefs, followed recipes and created some of his own, prepared salads and was learning about working to a budget.

‘Still very much alive and kicking,’ he replied. ‘Hard work and initiative are the key to success if you don’t have money behind you and I’m giving the job plenty of both. Watch and learn is the head chef’s advice and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since my first day there. I’m working my way up and one day I’ll have my own kitchen, Moll, maybe even a restaurant at some point.’ He looked thoughtful and his attitude became serious. ‘Of course I know that I’m lucky to have work of any sort. Plenty of men are on the dole, especially in other parts of the country.’

She nodded in agreement. ‘How come you’re not at work now? Hotels and restaurants in the West End will be busy tonight with the Jubilee celebrations.’

‘I worked all over Easter so they let me have tonight off,’ he told her.

‘I’m blowed if I know where you get your ambitious streak from,’ she said. ‘It’s certainly doesn’t run in the family. Dad is happy driving a tube and Mum enjoys making a bit of pocket money from sewing at home, dressmaking and alterations. Both perfectly content with their lot.’

‘We don’t know that, do we?’ he pointed out. ‘They might have had all sorts of aspirations when they were younger but they had to have money coming in so they discarded them.’

‘That’s true.’

‘It’s all comes down to opportunity,’ he said. ‘Dad was unemployed and he had a family to support so getting a job as a tube driver probably felt like heaven to him at that time. He might have harboured all sorts of ambitions for all we know.’

Mollie laughed. ‘Maybe Mum wanted to be a fashion designer,’ she suggested lightly.

He smiled at the unlikely suggestion. ‘We all have our dreams. At least mine are realistic. I want to do well at something I enjoy, which just happens to be cooking. I’d like to become known for creating interesting new dishes as well as delicious versions of the old favourites. Now is the time to go for it while I’m young and free. Once you get married and have kids, a decent wage packet every week is the only thing that matters. My pay is low at the hotel as I’m learning my craft but as I’m single I can manage, and I could earn good money later on as a head chef.’

‘You certainly have a talent for it, judging by the meals you’ve produced for us at home,’ she complimented him. He often took over from their mother in the kitchen on his day off. ‘I don’t have any special gifts that I know of.’

‘I wouldn’t say that. You had a real talent for games and gym at school,’ he reminded her.

‘Yeah, but all that finished when I left and is no use to me now,’ she said. ‘Still, all I want is to be a wife and mother so I’m quite happy as I am.’

‘That’s what girls are destined to be.’

‘It’s the way things are, I suppose, for people like us anyway,’ she agreed. ‘The men earn the money and the women look after the home and children. It seems to work.’

‘It’s just as well it is what you want because it’s what you’d get anyway.’

‘By the time you have kids you’ll be a millionaire; is that the plan?’ she asked.

‘It isn’t about money, you know me better than that,’ he said. ‘Though, of course, having a few quid in my pocket would be nice. I hope I can provide well for any nippers that might come along in the future, though I’m not planning on that being at any time soon.’

‘Neither was I,’ she said with a wry grin. ‘It was the last thing I wanted at that time. These things happen and I’m very glad it did now because Esme means the world to me.’

‘Steady on. I don’t even have a girlfriend.’

‘Don’t mind me. I want my daughter to have a cousin of a similar age; someone for her to play with.’

‘You can count me out on that one,’ he smiled.

She nodded. ‘Oh well, she’s enough to keep the family happy for the moment.’

When the music ended she looked around. ‘Syd is taking his time indoors. I can’t see him anywhere.’

‘He’s probably having a crafty sit-down and I don’t blame him either.’

She smiled. ‘You men always stick together.’

‘The pubs will be open by now,’ Geoff reminded her. ‘Perhaps he’s slipped down to the local.’

‘No, he wouldn’t do that; not without asking me if I mind anyway.’

‘He wouldn’t be the first man to slope off for a quick one during a party. Dad’s usually the first to go.’

‘That’s different. Mum and Dad have been married for donkey’s years,’ she reminded him. ‘Syd and I are young and in love and he wouldn’t have gone without telling me. So I’ll pop indoors and hurry him up so that we can enjoy the rest of the party together.’

‘Talk about love’s young dream,’ teased Geoff. ‘The poor bloke doesn’t stand a chance.’

Although Mollie knew that Syd was just being ‘one of the boys’ by leaving the party and heading off to the pub, she was feeling a little hurt when she came back outside, having failed to find her husband indoors.

‘Why the long face?’ her mother enquired.

‘Syd isn’t in the house so I suppose he must have gone to the pub,’ she replied.

‘Is that all?’ said her mother lightly. ‘You’d better get used to it, girl, because it’s what men do. He’s beaten your dad to it and not many people do that.’

‘That’s nothing to be proud of.’

‘Cheer up, love,’ urged Madge. ‘He isn’t doing any harm. I expect your father will be going down there soon. They don’t stay long. Usually just have a quick one.’

‘But why do they go at all when there is plenty to drink here?’ asked Mollie.

‘They enjoy the atmosphere of a pub,’ suggested her grandmother. ‘They like to get away from women and indulge in men’s talk without having to watch their language. Your grandfather was just the same. Escaping from their wives is almost a sport with them.’

‘But Syd is only twenty,’ Mollie pointed out. ‘That’s what old married men do.’

‘So, Syd has started early,’ Madge put in with a wry grin. ‘It’s really nothing to worry about so stop fretting and enjoy the party.’

‘You’re right,’ said Mollie, deciding that she was being far too sensitive and making a determined effort to cheer up. She didn’t want to become a possessive wife.

The music didn’t resume because the needle on the gramophone had broken so Gran, who was an accomplished pianist, was asked to step in and get cracking on the piano which had been brought outside earlier from one of the neighbouring houses.

Mollie sat on the front wall with Esme in the pram, listening to the music and singing along in a soft tone to ‘Red Sails in the Sunset’. Her mother was over by the piano with Gran, shining a torch on the music for her. The weather was mild and the atmosphere warm, though darkness had now slipped over the festivities. Soon she would take Esme inside for the night but for now she was enjoying the atmosphere of the party in the neighbourhood of her birth, the soft amber glow of the street lights creating a feeling of homeliness which imbued her with a sense of belonging.

Her father had now disappeared, presumably in favour of the pub, and she knew she must be adult about Syd going there too. Part of her was pleased that he was with the men because it meant that he had been accepted by them, which had taken a while since he was a bit flashy for down-to-earth types like her father and brother.

But an immature part of her was niggled. They hadn’t been married for more than a few months and naturally she relished every minute they had together, expecting him to do the same though she was beginning to suspect it might be different for men. Never mind, he’ll be back soon, she reminded herself. Esme stirred so she wheeled the pram into the hall and lifted her out.

Although the houses in Pearl Road – which was a turning off Chiswick High Road – were tightly packed terraces, they were roomier than they looked from the outside with a good-sized bedroom in the attic and a bathroom recently built on at the back beyond the kitchen. All were rented out by the same landlord at reasonable rents for working-class people; there were two reception rooms downstairs, one of which was the best sitting room at the front. Mollie and Syd had her old bedroom, Geoff was in the attic and Gran had the room next to Mollie’s parents.

Mollie had just put Esme down in her cot when she heard some movement downstairs; the noise outside seemed to have abated too. It looked as if the party was winding down and the others had come in. She could hear male voices so guessed that the men were back. Expecting Syd to bound up the stairs at any minute she was pleased when she heard someone coming.

‘Is everything all right up here, dear?’ asked her mother in a whisper with respect to the sleeping baby.

‘Yeah fine. I’ve just put her down after her feed,’ she said, disappointed not to see Syd.

‘Are you coming downstairs then? You can leave the bedroom door open so you’ll hear her if she cries. I’m just going to make some cocoa.’

‘I’ll be down in a few minutes, Mum,’ she said. ‘Meanwhile can you ask Syd to come up please?’

‘He isn’t down there.’

‘Not down there,’ she said, puzzled. ‘But I thought I heard men’s voices.’

‘That’s your dad and Geoff.’

‘Where’s Syd then?’

‘I’ve no idea,’ her mother replied, unconcerned. ‘Probably outside in the street. There are still quite a few people out there talking. Come downstairs and have some cocoa.’

Leaving the door open slightly, Mollie followed her mother down the stairs.

‘Did Syd come back with you, Dad?’ asked Mollie, having been outside and seen no sign of her other half.

‘No, Moll, he didn’t,’ replied Len, a man of stocky build with brown hair greying at the edges.

‘He stayed in the pub then, I suppose.’

‘He wasn’t in there,’ said her father.

‘What, not at all?’

‘I didn’t see him.’

‘Where is he then?’

‘He must have gone to one of the others,’ suggested Len casually. ‘We’re not short of pubs round here.’

Now Mollie really was upset and worried. ‘He’s been gone for ages,’ she said miserably.

‘He’ll have got talking somewhere, I expect,’ decided her father ‘You know how it is when there are celebrations going on. People lose track of the time. Are you sure he isn’t outside?’

‘Positive,’ she replied, her voice high and anxious. ‘Something awful must have happened to him. He wouldn’t have just gone off somewhere.’

‘Go and find him, Len, and put the girl’s mind at rest,’ suggested Madge.

Len emitted an eloquent sigh. ‘The man will come home when he’s ready,’ he stated impatiently. ‘He doesn’t need a search party out looking for him.’ He caught his wife’s commanding look. ‘But I’ll go and look for him anyway, just to please Mollie.’

‘And come straight back,’ said his wife. ‘No staying till closing time.’

‘As if I would,’ he said with a wicked grin.

Mollie had only taken a sip of her cocoa when the demanding sound of Esme in full voice wafted down the stairs.

‘I’ll finish my drink later,’ she said to her mother and hurried up the stairs.

She had just finished feeding her daughter and was sitting on the edge of the bed giving her a cuddle when she noticed something on her pillow, a folded piece of paper, the same colour as the white bed linen which was why she hadn’t noticed it before. Intrigued, she put Esme on to her shoulder, unfolded the note and read the scribbled writing.

Sorry to let you down, Mollie, but I have to leave and by the time you read this I’ll be well on my way. Marriage just isn’t for me. I’ve tried hard but I just can’t do it anymore. I’m too young to be tied down with a wife and child. It’s nothing personal to you, I promise; just bad timing for me. I’m moving away from the area so there’s no point in your trying to find me. I’ve left a few shillings which should keep you going for a while and I’ll send more money when I can. Take care of yourself. Syd

This couldn’t be real. Syd wouldn’t leave her. They were in love; newlyweds, a happily married couple. Then she saw two half-crowns on the pillow and the awful reality of the situation began to register; creeping through her body, a deep and all-consuming emotional ache.

‘Your cocoa is getting cold so I’ve brought it up,’ said her mother, coming into the room and seeing her daughter sitting motionless on the bed holding her baby. ‘Whatever is the matter, Moll? You’re as white as a sheet.’

Mollie handed her the note.

‘We’ll soon see about this,’ boomed her father, having returned from his search and been presented with the note, the family assembled in the living room. ‘Doesn’t want to be married indeed. Bloody cheek! How dare he walk out on my daughter? Too young to be tied down. He should have thought of that when he got her in trouble. Well he won’t know what’s hit him when I get my hands on him. Come on, Geoff, let’s go after him.’

‘Calm down, Len,’ said his wife, clamping a restraining hand on his arm. ‘Violence never solved anything.’

‘He’s gone anyway,’ said Mollie in a dull tone; she was perched stiffly on the edge of an armchair near the hearth. ‘Left the area, so he says, so you won’t find him.’

Had Mollie been older and more experienced she might have handled this differently, rather than have the family take over and upset her even more by criticising Syd. But she was hurting so badly she didn’t have the strength to take control.

‘He couldn’t have moved away already; he would have to have somewhere to go.’ Her father thought this over. ‘Not unless he planned it, of course …’

Mollie thought she would choke as the possibility of this registered; the thought that her beloved Syd had been planning to leave her while she had been head over heels in love and showering him with it.

‘How could he bear to leave his little daughter?’ she said, almost to herself.

‘The man is no good, that’s how,’ stated her father, far too angry to choose his words. ‘That’s the answer to that. I always knew he was a wrong ’un.’

‘All right, Dad,’ said Geoff, seeing his sister wince at the criticism and feeling her pain. ‘There’s no point in ripping him apart. That won’t solve anything.’

‘He’s gone to get away from me,’ said Mollie, her voice distorted by emotion. ‘Not because he’s a bad person. So it’s all my own fault.’

‘Don’t get daft ideas like that, dear,’ said her grandmother, sitting on the arm of the chair and putting her hand on Mollie’s shoulder. ‘Of course it isn’t your fault.’

‘He doesn’t want to be with me, Gran,’ said Mollie, stricken with a lacerating feeling of rejection. ‘And I thought we were so happy. All the while he didn’t want to be there.’ She clutched her head. ‘How could I have been so stupid?’

‘There is nothing stupid about you,’ said her brother, going over to her. ‘You are a very bright. . .