After six p.m., Martha waited for her husband, Alistair, who had promised to be home by five to help unload her flower delivery van or watch the children. With no response to her messages, she asked her teenage son Troy to watch the baby, Nala, and drove the pink Martha’s Garden van to her shop to unload perishables with her assistant, Milly. Martha noted their upcoming two-night trip to Normandy and left Milly to finish as she rushed home, worried Troy might forget to monitor Nala.

On the drive back, Martha admired the Christmas lights on Enderford High Street and reflected on the cost shared by local shopkeepers, including her own store, which was decorated for the season. Returning home around seven, she found Nala absorbed by a cartoon, Jonah drawing anime-style art on his iPad, and Troy on his phone; Alistair was still absent and unresponsive. Frustrated, she quietly cursed and began making dinner for the children.

The next morning, Martha briefly felt the pleasure of a weekend lie-in before remembering the planned trip to Normandy and realizing Alistair had not come home. Her brother was due in two hours to mind the children, her favorite dress was ready for the evening’s restaurant booking, and then she recalled Alistair’s late message: a blow-up at work meant he had to stay overnight but hoped to return by the following afternoon. She did not reply, interpreting “should be home by tomorrow afternoon” as uncertain timing.

A wave of disappointment and anxiety set in as Martha anticipated that their plans might collapse. She moved through her morning routine: checking on the still-sleeping Nala, greeting the family dog Baxter at the stairs, and going to the kitchen to make tea. She reflected on meeting Alistair four years earlier and becoming unexpectedly pregnant two years later at forty-four, seeing him as the perfect man despite the recurring disruptions caused by his unpredictable job.