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Since she broke her hip, Anne has slowed right down. It has been replaced and the new part works well, it’s just that she’s well down on speed. She and Jessie get to Emmett within half an hour of the call from the hospital. Footscray, as Emmett always said, is not far from anywhere.

They wait for the lift because Anne is not able to take the stairs. When they reach Emmett, Rob is in the chair and Peter is close to Emmett with his hand resting on his head.

Rob says quietly, gently, ‘He’s dead Mum, there’s no rush.’

Jessie feels the world shooting by and she reaches out to hold the bed. Anne puts her hands to her mouth and Rob steers her to the chair but she’s not ready for that. She walks to Peter and takes the sheet away and she leans over and kisses Emmett on his cheek. Then she raises the sheet, and still looking down into that mysterious face she says, ‘Louisa. We will have to tell Louisa.’