Jessica

Jessica is Naomi Fullerton’s seven-year-old daughter and Rachel Elliot’s goddaughter. Her appearances show her amid the upheaval of her parents’ separation, but also establish a growing ease between her and Rachel: what begins as a brief request for childcare becomes a playful outing that Rachel herself enjoys.

Identity and Family Context

Jessica comes to Rachel’s office with Naomi, who is in London while dealing with her separation from Graham and has an appointment with a lawyer. Naomi explains that Melissa has been looking after Jessica while her other children stay with their grandmother, and asks Rachel to keep an eye on Jessica for a couple of hours so she can attend the meeting alone.

Jessica resembles her mother in her dark eyes and facial features, though her hair is wavier and darker. When Naomi introduces her as Rachel’s goddaughter, Jessica stays close to her mother, clutching the panels of her dress and looking wary. Naomi reassures her that Rachel is her aunt and urges her to be good while she is away.

Time with Rachel

Rachel agrees to look after Jessica, and the two meet again later that week, partly because Naomi’s lawyers require further appointments and partly because Rachel had enjoyed their first visit. In St James’s Park they share ice creams after Jessica has pleaded for a hot dog with ketchup and onion. Jessica tells Rachel that hamburgers are not allowed at home because of concerns about mad-cow disease, offering a small glimpse of the rules and anxieties that shape her childhood.

The outing gives Rachel an uncomplicated pleasure she had not expected. Jessica’s delight in food she regards as a forbidden treat becomes contagious, and Rachel finds herself enjoying the meal alongside her goddaughter rather than simply supervising her.

Play in St James’s Park

When it is time to leave the park, Jessica jumps up and runs ahead, reluctant to return toward the bustle of Covent Garden. She finds a bright red football in a shrub and kicks it expertly to Rachel despite wearing smart patent shoes. Rachel kicks it back, and the two become absorbed in the game, heedless of the time and the mud gathering on their shoes.

The football game marks a shift from Jessica’s initial reserve at the office: with Rachel, she is now energetic and willing to play. Their connection is presented through shared ordinary pleasures rather than formal declarations of affection, as Rachel follows her into the game and is just as reluctant to end the outing.