IsobelIt took a few moments for Isobel to realise that Evan, no longer hiccupping with sobs, had actually fallen asleep. The old man snorted and flinched, just once, and then his breath came low and regular. Isobel steadied her hand, done with her rhythmic patting in her attempt to comfort him. When she looked up to see what Esther made of it all, she realised her sister was no longer in the room. Jack had also left.
Isobel stood up, carefully extracting the cup of tea from Evan’s hand before it slopped onto the table. She hesitated and then gently pushed Evan forward until his head rested on the table surface. He spluttered and his arms came up, as though he were lying in bed, on his belly. And then he began to snore.
‘What an odyssey we are on,’ Isobel muttered and left the kitchen. Sh
