John Hunt had advised Philip that perhaps Joan would be better off in the nearby excellent cottage hospital where a full complement of nursing staff could assess and note even the tiniest of changes in her condition and Philip, wearied by the length of time it was taking for his wife to recover, had reluctantly agreed. With Joan no longer resident in the house, Evangeline was relieved to think she could stay at Cuckmere without the guilt of avoiding the invalid. Evangeline’s mother had always said that August was a wicked month and Evangeline was hoping that the monthly characteristic would hold true this year. She felt she could do with a bit of wickedness. Checking the contents of the silver dishes on the sideboard, she placed two sausages, a spoonful of kedgeree, three rashers of bacon and a grilled tomato onto a plate and settled herself down at the head of the Cuckmere dining room table. An envelope addressed to Joan in green ink was sitting next to a basket of scones. Evangeline was surprised to see scones at that time of day and had quietly blessed Cooky for anticipating how they would be just as welcome at the beginning of the day as they always were at teatime.
