She was alone in the bed. The curtains were still closed and the room very dark. Somewhere she could hear movement in the house, the others getting off to work. Would Simon just disappear to the works and not even come and speak to her? Was that how it was? And she had to get to work as well – she couldn’t just lie here! But she felt sick and utterly drained.

What had he said to her last night? She thought back to what it was that had kept her awake, paralysed by worry, by a sense of abandonment. There had been no warm words, no loving reassurance. Yet he hadn’t exactly rejected her, either. He had been overwhelmed, she could see, and had nothing to give her when she needed to feel his arms close round her, reassuring her. Instead of which he had spoken in a strange, flat voice, not at all like his usual jaunty self.

‘Look, Katie.’ No fond nicknames now. That was all gone. ‘I don’t know what to say. I can’t sort this out tonight. Let’s sleep on it.’

He lay down, turned away from her and seemed to sleep easily, though she was not sure if he was pretending, just to avoid her.

Sort this out, he had said, as if she was a carburettor that needed technical adjustment. Had she known, in her heart, that it would be like this? That Simon had never truly loved her, and that in her turn she was not sure of him? She had felt herself shut down. She could not bear to let herself feel the bald truth of this. Still she longed to believe in love, that what they had made together was not all false and a terrible mistake.

Footsteps came up the stairs, slowly, reluctantly. He came in with a cup and saucer.

‘Are you awake?’

‘Yes.’ She sat up slowly.

‘I brought you some tea.’

‘Thank you.’

He handed it to her in the gloom, then sat on the bed, at the end, far from her. His mood seemed even more distant. There was silence for a few moments and she sipped the sweet tea, feeling detached and helpless.

‘Look, it’s no good,’ Simon said, all in a rushed, clipped voice. ‘I’ve been thinking. You’ll have to go – you can’t go into the works in that state. It’s just not on. You’d better give in your notice today – I’ll see to it that you get references for another job somewhere, when you’re ready.’

‘What d’you mean? Just go?’ Her voice rose in panic. Even if she did not expect much of him, she had at least hoped for gentleness. She had not thought he would be this brutal. ‘What about . . . I mean, this is our baby – yours and mine!’

‘Not mine.’

‘What d’you mean, “not mine”?’ She scrambled up onto her knees in outrage. ‘Of course it’s yours – who else d’you think . . . ?’