EstherShe found Isobel packing. After the baby’s birth, Isobel cleared a small room further along the hallway and slept in there, and it was there that Esther found her, folding up her possessions and putting them into her bag.
Esther stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe. She had left Catherine with Jack, out on the veranda where the day was heating up. He had wanted to hold her. She had let him.
‘You’re leaving,’ Esther said.
Isobel did not look up. ‘It’s for the best.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘Back to Auckland.’ Isobel busied herself over a small table, gathering together a hairbrush and mirror.
‘To Brendan?’
‘No. Rachel will let me stay with her for a while, I’m sure. I’ll ask Brendan for a divorce.’
Esther’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline, but she bit bac
