Una leaned gratefully into the touch and nodded, still not looking up.

"My own fault, of course," she said, her voice thick and quavery. "Each on their own is intense enough, but when I'm with them both together, the weight of what they know and they don't, and their own long, long story, all of it ..." She trailed off and took a deep shaking breath. Then another. She turned her head slightly to wipe her face on her sleeve.

"Not sure how I'll untangle it. Or if I even can. And so around them I've got to be on my best game, every minute. Not exactly relaxing." She looked up and her mouth twisted ruefully. "I suppose it's obvious that I've been keeping this rather close to my chest, isn't it?"