The surfaces were bare, covered with a thin layer of dust as had been the rest of the house. The cleaner must be due to come soon. She slid open the first three drawers of the dresser, there were no cute miniature outfits or soft sheets and coverlets. This nursery was waiting, for a tiny inhabitant, for the smell of milk and baby powder and the sound of lullabies. The rocking chair in the corner was forlorn in its stillness, the room would have been better picked up and packed away, so great was the air of abandonment. She dragged open the lowest drawer, there was a flat packet lying on the bottom and she reached in and lifted it. It was obvious immediately that it was a frame, wrapped in a piece of towelling. She placed the parcel onto the top of the dresser, her hands were shaking and there was a risk it would be dropped and damaged. She unfolded the soft fabric. In the bright picture a young, dark haired woman, in the early stages of pregnancy smiled out at her. She was leaning into the arms of a tall man in military uniform. The soldier held her lovingly around her waist, big hands spread over the slightly swollen belly. Samuel cradling his unborn child.
