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As she‘d said the bit about car accidents her voice had cracked, and suddenly Do his ar the newspaper fro

He sighed, looking at her with an expression of infinite compassion

So tells me you‘re not quite ready for all this yet Look, why don‘t you take the rest of the week off? The Healthy Schools account is all up to date at the moment, so there‘s not much for you to do here‘

Kate was just about to argue that she was fine, when it dawned on her that he was saying she was ht now

In a daze, she drove to herher hands on an apron, a fa her face when she saw Kate

A shaft of sadness pierced Kate‘s numbness Grief had do lost both her husband and her son in road accidents, there was a part of her that expected every knock at the door to be a kindly fe bad news

What is it, love?‘ she said worriedly, standing aside to let Kate in

Alexander‘s having his afternoon nap upstairs—I wasn‘t expecting you until five, as usual Has so happened?‘

Kate took a ragged breath, leaning against the familiar faded wallpaper of the hallway for a moment

No…Yes… Oh, Mum…‘

And then she was in herback since Cristiano had walked away fro her, the tears that she had been too nuaret‘s cotton cardigan

Kate, love?‘

I‘m in here‘

The door opened and Margaret appeared, carrying two floral chinabrown tea She set them down on the bedside table Will‘s bedside table

Sitting on the bed, Kate moved up a little to make room for her mother

After the stor she had come upstairs to wash her face and check on Alexander, and for the first ti the door to Will‘s old room

Do youup asurface

Pulling her cardigan across her thin chest with red, work-roughened hands, Margaret looked around Everything was exactly as it had been on the evening that Will had left it, dressed in his new jeans for a night out with friends His black towelling robe still hung on the back of the door, the bed was still made, the posters of his favourite models and pop stars and sports heroes still lined the walls—so a little dated now

Except Cristiano He looked younger and eous

No, love, I don‘t mind I often come in here myself—to dust and that—but just because it makes me feel better as well Closer to him, I suppose‘

The tears had left Kate feeling scoured out and oddly cals e after Dad died?‘ she asked

There‘sup her tea, Margaret absent- with a tissue

The doctor gave uilt, and people were very kind…‘

Kate frownedGuilt? Why guilt? Dad was killed in an accident on the way to work‘

Margaret took a sip of tea and put herbefore he left So, but it haunted ave Kate a watery set the idea out ofhim, so his mind wasn‘t on the road‘

It was the other driver‘s fault, MuentlyThey said so at the inquest, didn‘t they?‘

Margaret shrugged her thin shoulders in the washed-out blouse and threadbare cardigan, her fingers twisting her gold wedding bandThat made no difference to me To me it‘s always felt like my fault, and even if it wasn‘t—‘

She broke off, staring down at her hands for a momentEven if it wasn‘t,‘

she continued quietly,I still can‘t forgivehione that you realise what a rare and precious thing it is—love‘ She shook her head dis else is just details‘

Oh, Mum…‘

Kate sighed While Margaret had been talking she had got to her feet had gone to stand in front of the picture of Cristiano His dark eyes stared out at her, narrowed, inscrutable, and looking into theret—suddenly she found everything seemed very clear

Turning round, she said,Mum, could you possibly have Alexander for me this weekend?‘