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herself. ‘I have.’
    â€˜But nevertheless there is something you may not have thought of.’
    â€˜What’s that?’
    â€˜Elise, as I must call her, might have wished to stay with her siblings.’
    â€˜I’ve told you, that is impossible.’
    â€˜You could have found them places in an orphanage where they could stay together.’
    â€˜There’s no such place. The boys would have been separated from the girls. No, no, this is the best way, I assure you.’
    â€˜And what if Elise misses her family? What if she wants to see them?’
    â€˜Oh, no. I can’t have that. For her own sake I want her to forget all about her humble beginnings.’
    â€˜Do you think that’s possible? She is nine years old.’
    For a moment Selma’s confidence wavered. Then she said determinedly, ‘I’ll make sure she does. She’s had a perfectly horrid time of it since her mother died. Her aunt told me that she had stopped speaking to anyone. Not a word until she spoke to me. I will make her life so wonderful that she will never want to go back.’
    â€˜And how will you do that?’
    â€˜Oh . . . you know . . . for a start she will be living in this lovely house, she shall have beautiful clothes, go to a good school – my old school, perhaps – riding lessons, piano lessons, dancing, elocution; all the things that a girl from a good family takes for granted.’
    â€˜And what if she doesn’t want to ride or dance or go to elocution classes?’
    Selma thought for a moment then said, ‘Well, I wouldn’t insist on the riding but I’m sure she will find dancing agreeable and, as for elocution, that I must insist on. Her manner of speech is not as bad as I thought it would be, but now she must learn to talk like one of us.’
    Hugh knew it was pointless to argue with Selma. And in any case, although he had not yet admitted it, the idea of adopting this beautiful child was beginning to appeal to him. He stepped away from her and looked slowly round the room.
    â€˜Do you think you may have been a little extravagant buying all these toys?’
    Selma looked with satisfaction at the doll’s house, the baby doll with real blond hair and eyes that opened and closed lying in the hand-carved cradle, the toy tea cups set out on a little table and the Dutch doll and the Stieff bear sitting on the matching chairs. She had chosen them in Fenwick’s toy department only the day before and insisted that they must be delivered immediately.
    â€˜Of course I haven’t been extravagant. When I was a child I had many more playthings than this. This is just a start. Oh, Hugh, what fun it will be for Elise and me to go shopping together.’
    Hugh’s feeling of unease returned. His wife was like a child herself. Was she ready to be a mother?
    Selma placed her hands on his shoulders and raising herself on her toes she kissed him. ‘But now we must leave our little girl and go down for dinner,’ she said. ‘Come quietly, we mustn’t disturb her. We’ll leave the bedside light on in case she awakens and is frightened.’
    When the door closed behind the man and the woman Elsie opened her eyes and sat up in bed. She had been awake all the time but had lain with her eyes closed trying to make sense of what they had been saying to each other. She realized that the beautiful lady who had brought her here wanted her to stay and that the man had not been entirely happy about it. That made her anxious.
    She looked around the room, so comforting in the gentle glow from the fire. She couldn’t remember ever being as warm and cosy as this. The bedroom she shared with Helen in her old house had a fireplace, but for as long as she could remember there had never been a fire in it. Their mother would warm their nightdresses over a fireguard by the kitchen range and after a wash at the kitchen sink they would pull them on