The most important thing in a relationship or marriage is fidelity. Vera Renczi believed this, and throughout her life she came to see this belief as something more precious than life itself. The men who crossed her path also became well aware of how she felt about this. Although by the time it was brought to their attention the first grains of arsenic had already begun to dissolve.

Sometimes there are days where you feel like nothing is going right. The roast gets burnt, a sudden downpour soaks the washing just as it was ready to be brought in off the line, it can be any little thing. And it can be that one little thing that makes a woman snap and throw the peg basket, just out of sheer frustration.

There is nothing more comforting than a hot cup of tea, especially when a family member is feeling unwell. Caroline Grills (also known as Aunt Thally) understood this, and was always on hand to provide endless cups of tea and cakes. She dutifully attended to each sick relative, making their imminent demise much more comfortable than it otherwise may have been.

Marie loved shopping. She had been brought up by parents who both worked long hours and they saw new clothes, toys and other niceties as a suitable replacement for hugs and boundaries. She grew up believing that shopping solved everything.

To all intents and purposes, Martha Rendell might well have met her end on the gallows for the heinous crime of ‘being a step-mother’.