She could not go out alone or with friends. She went out only with her husband, normally to clubs he owned or pubs where he was more than welcome. His aunts were frequent visitors to her house, and she was expected to visit them frequently.

Boysie watched her like a hawk. The friends who still visited were given the silent treatment by him, who said he had nothing to say to a gang of young girls.

Well, she was still a young girl, wasn’t she?

She wanted a life of her own but even her music had to be turned down because Boysie couldn’t stand loud noise.

Even the novelty of being treated like visiting royalty in shops and around the markets had long worn off. In fact it got on her nerves. The day before she had gone into the grocer’s and he had stopped serving someone to serve her. She had seen the naked hatred on the other girl’s face, as she looked at Suzy’s new clothes, her packed purse, and the deferential manner bestowed on her by the shopkeeper.

Suzy had felt like screaming at her: ‘You wouldn’t want to be me, love. It all looks nice but it’s not. My life is like a caged bird’s. I can’t move but there’s six people asking me where I’m going, what I’m doing, and why I’m doing it.’

Even his bloody granny, Granny Moll as he still called her, was like another appendage of him. Always round the house, poking her beak in where it wasn’t wanted. His Auntie Briony listened to him with rapt attention, the same as she listened to that little brat Faithey. Faithey! What a stupid name.

Suzy flung three rashers of best bacon into the frying pan. The fat was so hot it spat at her immediately, hitting her on her cheeks. The stinging sensation brought tears to her lovely china blue eyes.

She hated being pregnant, and she hated being married. Married to a man who treated her like some kind of doll, to be picked up and played with when it suited him, and then cast back into the toy cupboard until he wanted to play with her again.

She placed his breakfast in front of him ten minutes later and, pouring out two cups of tea, sat and watched her big fine husband eat the lot.

It occurred to her then, that she was beginning to hate him.