Aunt Maggie, her dad’s sister, met her at the door with flour on her sleeves, and worry pressed into every line of her face. She hugged Nora too tightly for comfort, then immediately asked whether she had eaten. That was how Maggie handled all disturbing news. She was one of those who believed that food was a cure for everything.
Later, in the kitchen, Maggie fetched the old biscuit tin from beneath the stairs. Inside it, she stored away newspaper clippings, folded notices, and a photograph of Thomas grinning beside his boat. Nora had not asked to see any of it, but Maggie must have sensed Nora’s need to revisit their shared memories of her father.