Mirabel Rainwood was a born matriarch, and it was her influence which kept the family together. Living within a small radius, the numerous members of all generations met not only for Occasions but for Mirabel's traditional tea at Brendon Lodge on the first Saturday of every month. Bridget, 'the stepdaughter', had always remained on the fringe of the family. It was when Felix's engagement to Susan Rainwood surprised them all that they began to feel that they should really do more about Bridget, keep an eye on her. For everyone had expected the boy-and-girl friendship between Felix and Bridget to end in marriage, and indeed Bridget herself had never thought otherwise. To have the family's attention focused on her, both at the wedding and later, proved to be a mixed blessing to Bridget, although Mirabel's concern for her was genuine, and the sympathy of Robert Rainwood came to mean a great deal.