That is a significant amount of new information for such a simple sentence.

She opens her mouth and then closes it again, hesitating while it sinks in.

'I'm sorry, I didn't know.'

She remembers the room she stayed in when they spent Christmas in Manchester. She remembers the other face in the pictures on the mantle, and she searches her memory for his name.

Stuart. This explains why he wasn't around or even mentioned. Her face falls at the thought of Betty losing a child.

'I... I won't suggest it again.'