photographs, they were standing outside Hyland Hall. Another had been taken when they were fishing on a lake. They were older in the third photograph which included a row of empty stables in the background. The stables were derelict, doors hanging from hinges, ivy crawling over the walls. Jack had his arm around Victor’s shoulder and there was no doubting his affection for the younger man.
On impulse, she dusted the photographs and displayed them on the piano. Ellie had polished it to a high gloss and Sophy had booked a piano tuner to tune the keys. It would soon be restored to its former glory. Charlie had helped her to move armchairs, a sofa and a cabinet with book shelves into the music room and she had turned it into her own sanctuary.
Victor came one evening as she was preparing dinner. His dark blue suit was bespoke tailored, she could tell by the fit, and his white shirt was still crisp and pristine after his day at work. She was conscious of his gaze. It caused her to work faster, chopping onions and peppers, slicing tomatoes, adding slivers of garlic to the Bolognese sauce.
‘I’ve a swimming pool at the back of my house,’ he said. ‘The girls are welcome to use it any time they wish.’
‘Isobel loves swimming. As does Julie. That’s a wonderful idea.’
‘I’m delighted to help. The pool is empty most of the time and there’s also a tennis court that hasn’t been used for years.’
‘That’s even better. Thank you so much.’
‘Have you had any time off since you arrived here?’ he asked.
‘I don’t need time off,’ she replied. ‘My work load is easy to manage. Charlie looks after Jack when I go shopping or drive the girls into town.’
‘Sounds fascinating.’ He smiled, as if amused by her reply. ‘It’s a wonder you’ve time to draw breath when you lead such a frantic social life.’
‘It’s the life I’ve chosen and it suits me fine,’ she replied shortly. Did he pity her? She should be used to it by now. Her friends hosting farewell gatherings, their sympathy blunted by their amazement that she hadn’t seen the signs, hadn’t read the runes Lady Luck left in her wake.
‘God never lays a burden on a back that is not strong enough to carry it,’ Mamie Gordon had said when she handed over the keys of her Honda Civic. It had seemed impossible to imagine squashing everything they possessed into its cramped interior but Sophy had done so and, now, she had grown used to its smallness. Just as she was becoming used to a life that grew ever smaller with each passing day. Jack had insisted that she drive his BMW, which had been unused since his accident, but the little Hobbit car, as Isobel called it, had become symbolic of how her life had changed.
‘I’m not trying to upset you…’ Victor paused, as if uncertain how to continue. ‘I’d like to invite you and the girls, and my uncle, of course, to my house for Sunday lunch. It’s time he started going out again. I know he’s afraid his appearance will frighten the girls but he can’t continue hiding in his room forever.’
Sophy agreed. Jack’s reclusive behaviour was having an impact on the girls. Despite her efforts to explain to them that he was self-conscious about his appearance, and that there was no reason to be scared of him, they were unable to let go of their fears. They flinched and looked upwards at the ceiling every time he made a sound. Isobel claimed it was like living with a phantom and Cordelia’s recent utterings concerned full moons, Caesar and werewolves.
‘Let me think about it.’ She hoped he would ascribe her flushed face to the steamy kitchen. She was being overly sensitive, seeing pity where none was meant. How tempting he made it sound. ‘But I’ve no idea if Jack will accept your invitation.’
‘It would be better if the invitation came from you,’ he said. ‘He still hasn’t forgiven me for thinking he should go into a nursing home. If I’d known you were a miracle worker, I’d never have agreed with his medical team that that was the right decision to make for him.’
‘I’m far from being a miracle worker. It’s Jack’s own determination that’s helping him make such progress. Now I need to bring him his medication. He needs to take it before his evening meal.’
She found Jack sitting in his living room at an old-fashioned bureau, writing