‘They still look very pretty to me,’ he soothed but she tossed her head.

‘That’s because you don’t have to go through this! It’s all right for you men. It’s we women that have to suffer.’

‘I understand that, but just think . . . it will all be worth it when we have a fine healthy baby,’ he said encouragingly. He glanced at the corset Ruffy was holding and asked tentatively, ‘Should you still be wearing those, my love?’

‘No, she shouldn’t!’ Ruffy answered bluntly. ‘I just told her she’d be doing the baby no good squashing into that thing. That’s why she’s in a mood. She’s got to forget about having an eighteen-inch waist till the little one is here! And even then, it’ll take her some time to get back into shape.’

Barnaby stood there not quite knowing how to answer. Mrs Ruffin could get away with speaking her mind far more than he could and he didn’t want Louisa’s bad mood to turn into a full-blown screaming fit!

‘Perhaps you could ask Dr Flynn’s opinion on that,’ he said quietly and Louisa turned on him, her eyes blazing.

‘Huh! This whole thing is past a joke now,’ she spat furiously. ‘I feel like I’ve been carrying a child forever since I married you. All you seem to care about is having a baby but what about me?’ She burst into noisy sobs as Barnaby backed towards the door spreading his hands helplessly.

‘You’d best go, sir,’ Mrs Ruffin suggested as she crossed to her mistress, and only too happy to oblige Barnaby hastily escaped out of the door.

On the landing he took a crisp white handkerchief from his pocket and quickly mopped his brow, as unbidden he again thought of Amber and the heartless way he had paid her to get rid of the child she had been carrying. It had occurred to him that had she continued with the pregnancy, she and Louisa would have been due to give birth at about the same time. But he had no time to dwell on the fact because at that moment Dr Flynn, a portly old gentleman, came huffing up the stairs toting his black leather bag.

‘Good morning, Barnaby. I’ve just come to check how that pretty little wife of yours is doing,’ he told him jovially.

Barnaby sighed and shook his head. ‘Well, I can’t say how she’s doing physically,’ he answered glumly. ‘But she certainly doesn’t seem to be enjoying the experience.’

The doctor chuckled. ‘Never mind, in another two or three months it should all be over and happen you’ll be back in favour again. Now, if you’ll excuse me.’ And with that he tapped on Louisa’s bedroom door and left Barnaby standing there.