Alison gives Natty her best smile, but tears are pricking her eyes. She still hasn’t got to the bottom of why Jamie went out yesterday. He’s being very secretive. Her fingers slide over his lips. He frowns up at her, but she won’t look directly at him. She will not put up with this behaviour.

‘George.’ Natty catches the arm of a white-bearded man as he appears behind her. ‘Come and meet our new neighbours.’

George is a short stocky man with surprisingly skinny legs. He’s wearing a big knit sweater, over-the-knee shorts and canvas shoes with no socks. He salutes and tips his sailor’s cap then disappears indoors.

‘We’ll be ship shape by this evening,’ Natty chuckles, showing an uneven set of rotten teeth.

‘Really?’ Alison says. She needs to sit down. This baby feels so heavy today.

‘We don’t have many things, lived on a boat up till now.’

‘Oh.’ Alison doesn’t mean to be abrupt, but she’s put out by people who are more organised than she is.

‘Mind you, it’ll take a while to find our land legs.’ She chuckles. ‘When’s your husband back?’

Alison doesn’t like people assuming she’s married, but she also hates not being able to call Adam her husband. She’s not about to correct her. ‘He probably won’t be back today.’

‘Busy man, is he? That’s a shame.’

Alison thinks she says it like she doesn’t mean it.

‘He works very hard.’ Her voice quivers slightly, making her sound unsure like a child.

Natty smiles widely. It’s more of a disbelieving smirk, meaning we both know the truth: he’s left you and he’s not coming back.

Alison goes to push the key into the lock but misses. She tries again, conscious of being watched. It slides in and she opens the door. Poppy races out barking. The terrier re-appears, growling. Alison pulls Poppy by the collar and shoos him indoors shutting the door behind them.

In the hallway, she detects a fresh lemony smell. The laminate floor looks shiny. She tries to think if it’s ever looked that way since they moved in. The pile of magazines on the bench behind the door has vanished. In fact, all the clutter piled there has gone. In the sitting room, everywhere is tidy. Dusty shelves have been wiped down, fingerprints buffed from the windows. There isn’t one speck of dust or hair on the rug.

Jamie is holding a photo. Even upside down she knows she’s never seen it before. Adam is younger, standing with a dark-haired woman. Their arms are around each other in a garden, but Jamie’s thumb is obscuring the woman’s face. Without thinking, Alison snatches the photo out of his hand.

‘Mum!’