 In due course, she also meets his wife Carrie, an American coming from a rich background, and their children – Emily, her 17-year-old daughter by her first marriage; Simon and Mark, two teenage boys; and 8-year-old Hope, a girl.The Messengers live in a beautiful house near the University but they also have a country retreat in the Cotswolds (quite close to Gloucester) called 'Horseshoes', where they have a large redwood hot tub in their back garden.Before long Helen is invited to join them for a Sunday in the country, and she gladly accepts to avoid another dreary and empty weekend.