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retrieve the situation. Fraser couldn’t grasp that anyone should want to spoil something so perfect – it was a side of life he had not come across before, and he never could understand it. The desire some people seemed to have to destroy what was good and beautiful was always beyond his comprehension.
    Now Marjorie thought about her son and worried about him. Not only was he having to cope with the sudden loss of his wife, but she had things she had to tell him before it was too late. He was going to find it all so painful that she did not know if she could face it, but she had put it off far too long. She had turned over in her mind the prospect of going to her grave with her secret – but who would be left to give him any comfort? Margaret would support him – she was a fiercely loyal person, and very good-hearted – but she lacked any obvious warmth or gentleness. Fortunately Derek, her husband, seemed quite happy with her whatever her shortcomings. At any rate, their marriage had survived over the years.
    But Fraser was different. He seemed blind at times. It never even occurred to him to question why Edie had stopped coming on the visits. It was lovely to have him to herself, and as far as she was concerned it was a blessing. When he rang to say he was coming she had always asked: ‘Will Edie come with you?’ But she knew what the answer would be, even if she did not know which excuse Edie would have provided on that particular occasion.
    ‘No,’ he’d say. ‘She’s got some shopping she must do,’ or, ‘She’s got a bit of a sore throat,’ or even ‘She’s gone to stay with her sister this weekend.’ Then she would have a lovely few hours with Fraser. He would do some jobs for her, changing light bulbs, weeding her tiny garden, or carrying any heavy items she wanted moved. Then they would have tea, and chat over all sorts of things, before he left, with his usual warm hug and cheerful wave. She longed to see him the next day – and yet, on this occasion, she dreaded it.
    How much would he remember of those early days when they were a complete family? She had no idea, and in filling in the blanks she would be forced to stir up the sad memories, and bring him more pain.
    The weariness was setting in. She lay back in her chair aware that sleep was coming. Sometimes sleep was a blessing, but sometimes a curse because it had a way of opening up the recesses of her mind and parading a kaleidoscope of memories before her.
Chapter 5
    The gloom of a November fog greeted Marjorie as she left the hospital about half past five that evening. She had been working at Charing Cross Hospital since seven o’clock in the morning, and had had only the briefest break for lunch. She should have left two hours earlier, but they were short-staffed, and she had been asked to stay on. In those days nursing was a tightly disciplined profession, with all the nurses terrified of Matron. The wards were run with regimental precision, and cleanliness and efficiency were the order of the day. Being asked to stay on after your normal shift had finished may have sounded like a request, but it was a brave nurse who refused.
    The dark, cold evening felt distinctly unwelcoming as she started to ride her bicycle back to the tiny room she rented. There would, she remembered, be very little to eat. She had meant to do some shopping on the way home, but now it was too late – the shops would be shutting. Then she thought of that lovely little corner shop on Slopes Street with the grandiose name of Allan’s Alimentary Arcade. That was usually open a bit longer than the others. She could at least pick up something there.
    There were still lights inside, and she pushed open the shop door, which ‘tinged’, alerting the man inside to the fact that he had a late customer. He came over with a smile. He was a young man, with dark, wavy hair, a slightly prominent nose, and the kindest eyes Marjorie thought she had ever seen. She began to