Summary

Chapter 6 is set in 2009 with Theresa, now Mother Cecilia as the character of focus. At the abbey Mother Cecilia woke happy because it had finally stopped raining. After breakfast, however, Sister Alma knocked on her door to tell her that Nora Rafferty had called on the hotline to say that her son, Patrick, had been killed in a car crash. Mother Cecilia admitted she had known both Nora and Patrick well. Theresa still wrote to Nora but the letters were returned, unopened. It was Mother Placid who convinced Mother Cecilia to take leave that was now being allowed and attend the funeral.

Chapter 7 is set in 2009 with John as the character of focus. John and Julia remind Maeve, their adopted daughter, about the family meeting they have planned. John is shocked by how Maeve treats her mother and remembers how his mother believed in...