‘A good dose of Vitamin D will do you the power of good,’ Hilary says, noting as she sits down that they are fully visible now from the upper storeys of the house. Likewise, behind the shield of her sunglasses, she can cast her gaze up at the windows without it being obvious.

She wonders if he’s inside now, witnessing this. Something tells her that he is. They are alike in that way, Anton and Hilary, both keen observers.

‘Thank you for calling to see me,’ Leah says, in that quiet voice of hers. ‘Jake told me he bumped into you. He said you’d had a similar experience.’

‘It’s true. I know only too well what you’re going through right now. That confusion of feelings. One minute you’re empty and wrung-out, like there’s just nothing left inside you, and the next you’re moved to anger at the sheer bloody unfairness of it all.’

Leah nods, her eyes sweeping the grass in front of her.

‘Miscarriage is far more common than people realize,’ Hilary continues. ‘It’s just that no one seems to talk about it and I could never figure out why. But it does help to talk.’

She looks at the young woman’s face, notes her complexion has lost all its bloom. There’s a dullness to her features now, and Hilary experiences a rise of genuine sympathy. Oh, yes, she can still feel that pain. She remembers acutely what it was like.

‘You know, the first time it happened to me –’ Hilary stops abruptly. Her attention has been drawn to movement inside the flat, a raised voice, and Leah’s head also turns.

‘Don’t fucking lie to me! It’s right there in black and white!’

A woman’s voice, shrill with fury.

‘I’m telling you – I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about!’

Through the open French windows, she can see Jake on his feet, the boy still and watchful on the couch, the game forgotten. The woman moves and comes now into view. Small, elfin, in shorts and a T-shirt, her limbs tanned against the ice-cream shades of her clothes.

‘I left my son with that woman,’ she is saying. ‘You told me I could trust her!’

‘You’re being ridiculous,’ Jake says.

‘Read that and tell me I’m being ridiculous!’ she shrieks, and Hilary watches as she thrusts something at him – a newspaper. Half of it drops to the ground and he bends to reach for it.

‘Excuse me,’ Leah says to Hilary, in that small, distracted voice.

She’s on her feet now, moving cautiously through the grass, but Hilary isn’t going to wait in the garden and miss the action. Enthralled by what’s unfolding in front of her, she stands and follows.

‘Well? Did you know?’ the strange woman is demanding.