Iris Donovan and her brother were unwilling to call Julian Croft's parents "Grandpa" and "Grandma." For one, they had little contact with Julian's family. They didn't live together and didn't always see each other during holidays, so there was little affection to begin with.
In their hearts, they had only one grandpa—Lillian Donovan's father, the great-uncle to Arabella Donovan and the others.
He was the elder who had watched them grow up, who had truly loved and protected them. To them, the Crofts were nothing more than strangers with whom they shared a bloodline.
The second reason, of course, was because of the disgusting things Julian Croft and the rest of the Crofts had done.
Lillian Donovan had undoubtedly struggled for a time with whether to tell her children about the vile, depraved things their father had done. In the end, it was Mrs. Donovan who made her see the light.
