Ever since her mother died, Martha Mary had had to take over the running of her home, a sprawling mansion called The Habitation.  But more and more she found herself nursing her aunt who was prone to fits and playing mother to her sisters, with no tasks too demeaning for her, as the bills mounted and there was no money to pay for supplies.She did everything she could to make ends meet but always managed to ensure her father was looked after well and had a good table laid when he came home.  Her sisters and their loyal servants, Peg and Dilly, were often cold and lived sparsely.  She could not understand why they were in such financial straits especially as when her mother was alive, they had several profitable businesses and even after she died, one of them had been sold well.
