Alice's defiance melted like snow as Tobias approached. She didn't fight back when he pulled her up, but automatically put her free arm in front of her face to shield herself from a potential blow.

And then Mr. Meijer spoke. She hadn't let herself be moved by his insults but had played the game as hard as she could. And while her husband had shouted and pulled her up she hadn't cried. She had merely braced herself. But when he mentioned the age difference, she suddenly broke down in tears, as if those words had suddenly reminded her vividly of how much like a lost child she felt and how she had in fact been wronged and hurt.