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the big sister any more,’ said Connie, smiling through her tears.

Pru looked blank for a moment, then gasped, ‘Crikey, I’d almost forgotten about Belinda.’

‘Mrs Wilson?’

At the sound of the doctor’s voice, the two women jumped up. ‘My daughter – is she going to be all right?’ asked Connie.

‘Well, she’s had a nasty shock and she’s obviously very distressed about her father. Physically, we need to monitor her lungs for any side-effects of salt-water aspiration – sometimes victims of near-drowning can suffer a delayed reaction, so we’ll keep her under observation for a couple of days just to be on the safe side. Other than that, she has a scrape on her face and a broken ankle, but she should make a full recovery.’

‘Will it be OK if I stay here too, Doctor?’

‘Yes, of course.’ He looked over his shoulder as Belinda emerged from A&E. ‘Fortunately your friend didn’t inhale any water, so she’s free to go.’

‘Actually,’ said Pru, ‘she’s not our friend. She’s our sister.’

*

It was 5.32 a.m. when the lifeboat crew recovered Greg’s lifeless body from the sea. The police liaison officer who’d been sent to Atlantic House to keep vigil with the family broke the news. Henry insisted it would be he that would drive to the hospital to tell Constance and Abi the dreadful news on the following morning.

*

The next few days passed in a blur. While Connie stayed at the hospital with Abi, Henry did his best to deal with the funeral arrangements and the police inquiry. Francis and Dorothy held the fort at Atlantic House, cooking family meals and seeing everyone was looked after.

They were just sitting down to dinner one evening, with Francis busying himself handing out bowls and plates, when Dorothy paused, serving spoon in hand, and announced: ‘You know, Francis, I never quite understood your appeal – till now.’

Francis stood, nonplussed, deciding to say nothing until he was sure what turn the conversation was going to take.

‘Mummy …’ said Pru, a warning in her voice.

‘It’s all right, dear, I just want Francis to know that I am delighted and proud to have him as my son-in-law. Now, pass me those wine glasses, would you?’

‘Hear, hear!’ Francis felt the pressure of Pru’s hand on his leg. He looked at her and smiled. ‘Mum’s right, you know. I don’t know what any of us would do without you.’

He blinked and looked at his wife’s smiling face. ‘It’s what husbands do, isn’t it?’

*

After the dinner, while Jem took Emily to watch television in the rumpus room, Henry, Dorothy, Francis, Pru and Belinda remained around the kitchen table, and the topic of conversation returned to the subject of Susan.

‘There’s one thing I still don’t understand,’ said Henry. ‘When your mother told you about me, when you found out who I was, why didn’t you just call me?’

‘It was all too much to take in. I’d been through a lot already – Brett ending our marriage, Mum’s stroke – all within the space of a couple of months. When I found the marriage certificate and wedding photos amongst her things, I was devastated. I’d always thought I was Howard’s daughter.’

‘Howard?’

‘He was Mum’s boyfriend when I was little. They were together for quite a while. It was Howard who set her up with the flat in Pevensey Bay, but he was married so he never actually lived with us. He used to bring me presents and I’d call him “Daddy”. I suppose I wanted a daddy like all the other kids had, and he never corrected me or anything so I sort of assumed it was true.

‘After Mum told me the truth, I looked you up on Google. It was so strange to see your face. I sat looking at my face in the mirror, trying to see if there was a resemblance. I thought about writing to you, or phoning you up. But … well, you’d abandoned Mum, walked out on us. I’d just been abandoned by Brett, I couldn’t face dealing with more rejection. All the same, I couldn’t let it rest, I had to know what you were like … what your other family was like, the one you’d walked out on us for. So I left Eastbourne and rented a house near the Carew factory. Then I met Francis at the school and discovered he was your son-in-law.’

‘How did you find that out?’

‘School-gate gossip. Anyway, once I’d found you, Francis, it felt as if destiny was taking a hand.’

Pru shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

Belinda