Why is Persse's Aunty Nuala not at home when he goes to visit?

Persse's Aunty Nuala has gone to Ireland to be with her sister, according to her husband. The sister's daughter, Bernadette, had been working in a hotel as a chambermaid, became pregnant, and was dismissed; upon returning home, she refused to name the father, her parents were shocked, and she ran away in the middle of the night. Now Nuala's sister can do nothing but worry, fearing her daughter died after getting a backroom abortion in London.