'Anyway,' said her mother as though they had not just sat for fifteen minutes without a word, 'I hope you're feeling better now, darling.'

'Yes.' It was a whisper.

'If there's ever anything Daddy or I can do, you know you only have to ask.'

'Yes. Why was I sent away when I was a baby?'

'Oh, but I thought you knew all about that, darling!' Mara gritted her teeth. Her mother was glancing at her, but Mara stared at the road ahead. There was a pause, then her mother said, 'I'm afraid I simply reached a point when I couldn't cope. Post-natal depression is terribly common, darling. Just one of those unfortunate things.' She pulled out sharply to overtake a tractor. 'It's not something we ever really talk about. It wasn't that we were trying to get rid of you. You know that.'

'Yes.'

'If we'd thought you were miserable with Huw and Susan that would've been different.' Her mother's hands were still locked to the wheel. 'But you always said you loved it at the farm. You asked to go every summer.' Her mother turned to her.

'Careful! That lorry!'