So things were sliding. Groceries not bought, takeaways ordered and decanted quickly into saucepans to look like I’d cooked. Nobody cleaned, so dust built up on the furniture and there were bits of food dropped on the kitchen floor. The laundry piled up and we all wore clothes for three, four, five days. Neither David nor Abby appeared to notice. She was out a lot still, at the gym or supposedly at auditions. She didn’t tell me where she went any more and I got the impression that she and David weren’t speaking at all. The children, and the house, had become my sole responsibility.

I began to plan my escape – my contract was up in four months, but I was starting to think I couldn’t last that long. The nanny agency, Little Helpers, was no help. No one ever answered the helpline, and when finally I got someone they just asked if I had immediate concerns about the children’s welfare. I didn’t know what to say to that. Madison was acting strangely, yes, and she had bruises I was sure I hadn’t caused (but was I totally sure? I did have to pick her up sometimes and she was heavy, I might have dug my fingers in too hard), but those could be normal childhood things. Carson was all right. He slept well, he ate, he smiled at me slowly, melting my heart. He was sedate. A quiet and good baby. I didn’t know enough to worry about that yet.

One night I found out the reason why the children were suddenly much easier to manage. Madison had come home from school with a fever, complaining she was cold, though her head was hot to the touch. She didn’t want a snack or any dinner, so I helped her into bed. It was one of the times I felt closest to her, she was so weak and helpless. I laid out her pyjamas, realising I needed to wash her favourite pink ones, and lifted her into bed, smoothing the covers.

‘Now, be sure and drink your water, and you’ll feel better tomorrow.’

She lay back, closed her eyes. ‘Casey? Will you tell me a story about England?’

I had so much to do – Carson to bathe, laundry to put on, since we were all out of clean underwear, dinner to start, or order at the very least. But she was so sick and she never asked for things.

‘Of course,’ I said. ‘Let me just see if I have something to make you better.’