Two months before their fortieth wedding anniversary he left. Jill was in shock and found she couldn’t focus on practical details. Her eldest son cancelled all the party arrangements and arranged an appointment with the solicitor.
She refused to attend. The reality of the situation was something she chose to ignore however much her children urged her to protect her own interests. She ignored phone calls from her husband, and flatly declined to discuss the situation with her friends or family. She snubbed the press, and likewise, increasingly frantic communications from the PM’s Office.
It was a frustrating time for all of them but every time they visited their mother, she was pottering around as usual in the garden or walking the dogs. She was not in the slightest bit curious to know where he was or what he was doing. After years of ignoring his various infidelities and petty cruelties she simply carried on as normal. Of course, she was on some level aware that her life would change in the future, but she wanted to face that in her own time, and at her own pace.
Boadicea's Chariot 