Anne looked devastated. "Aye, Mrs. Blacke..." she said in a hushed voice thick with held back tears.

Kate bit her lip while her eyes shifted between her friend and her mother, desperate for inspiration for the right words to do. "Come, Anne," she said at last. "Let's set yer bed. 'T will be nice to share a room, won't it?"

Anne nodded languidly. Kate helped her up and the girls went upstairs. As they passed out the room, Kate's hand gently touched her mother's arm.