She seemed to need her energy to crawl upstairs. The staircase twisted up to a half-landing with a window on one side and a bedroom leading off. It wasn’t very large, but as she sorted out clean sheets which smelt of the sunshine they had been dried in, she thought David would be comfortable here. More’s the pity. Annabel hadn’t been able to manage the tortuous narrow stairs, and the front parlour had been converted into a bedroom for her. It had since reverted back to its original use. Jan continued up the stairs to the main landing which gave access to the remaining two bedrooms. Stephanie’s bedroom had a fiercely sloping roof and nursery wallpaper depicting characters from her favourite nursery rhymes. Jan’s room was the smallest, but it had the best view. She wondered why nobody had thought to knock out the tiny window and replace it with a larger one to make the best advantage of the beautiful countryside. Tonight she was in no mood for window-gazing. She abandoned her clothes, dragged on her nightgown and slid into bed.
