‘No!’ I cried out so vigorously that I felt a kick of protest from the baby inside me. ‘I don’t want anyone getting hold of her like that. They’d have her back in there . . .’

Douglas limped back over to the bed. ‘You think there are grounds, then?’

‘Do you?’

‘She’s not – well – normal, is she?’

‘She just needs time.’ It was my turn to pull myself out of bed and hold back the curtain. ‘Oh, Livy, where are you?’ I stood there for a long time, willing her to appear along the road. ‘At least it’s not as cold as it was.’

‘Come back to bed,’ Douglas ordered. ‘You’re not responsible for her. She’s an adult.’

‘But I am. I feel I am, at the moment. That’s the trouble.’

Douglas lay beside me, eyes narrowed. ‘Where d’you think she is?’

I hesitated, hardly even wanting to admit it to myself. ‘With a man, most probably.’

‘But who?’

I sighed. ‘I’ve absolutely no idea.’

‘I don’t think we can put up with much more of her.’

‘Don’t start,’ I said, trying to find a comfortable position for myself. ‘Not now.’

The night crawled past. I made watery cocoa at three. Douglas brewed tea at four-thirty. We lay dozing uneasily. I was sleeping badly at that time anyway because of the pregnancy. I dreamt repeatedly of Olivia, and once I was so certain that she was banging on the front door that I went down to open it and saw only moonlight whitening the houses opposite. By the time morning came, we were exhausted and full of nervous irritability.

At ten o’clock, long after Douglas had left, she came sailing in, wearing an expression of smug satisfaction, of victory almost. There was mud on her coat and her stockings were laddered. She also seemed more than slightly drunk. I felt like strangling her.

‘Where’ve you been?’ I snarled. ‘We’ve been awake all night waiting for you.’

‘Oh, how quaint – thank you,’ she said, walking unsteadily to the kitchen table and sitting down. She gave an enormous yawn. ‘I must say, I’m all in.’

‘Where have you been?’ I found myself shouting, tearful, my voice sliding up to a wail. ‘Have you any idea how much worry you’ve caused? I’m supposed to be looking after you.’

She put on a startled look. ‘Katie darling, you musn’t worry about me any more. You’ve got quite enough on your plate with the baby coming and everything.’ She stood up again and put her arms round me as I sobbed, the tension of the night releasing itself. ‘I want to give you all the help in the world.’

‘You smell of booze,’ I told her brutally. ‘And sex.’

She put on her baby voice, then, that she usually reserved for Elizabeth, and which made me feel wild with rage. ‘I was just having one tiny night out,’ she wheedled. ‘Just for a little change. Don’t be cross with me, Katie.’