‘There’s nothing worse than a meal like this that’s been kept warm for hours. The pudding part turns to leather. I’ll make him an omelette when he gets back.’ As Diana cut into the crisp batter and well-browned sausages she tried to think of something she could say to lighten the atmosphere. Elizabeth’s outburst had affected them all. Except perhaps Charlie, who sat eating his meal as self-possessed and remote as ever. ‘Will, do you remember seeing a cot when Uncle Evan and Eddie cleared the box room for me?’ Diana asked her brother, finally settling on a safe topic. ‘I wasn’t around when they cleared it,’ William replied. ‘I’m sure there was one,’ Diana mused. ‘I’m not happy with the idea of you sharing your bed with the baby, Beth.’ She sliced her sausage daintily into small pieces as she spoke. ‘I know you. You’ll be so afraid of rolling on to him during the night; you won’t close your eyes.
