I could hear Milly slapping her head with her own hand, as I begged her to stop, to tell me what was wrong, as I tried not to panic, asking if something had happened to James or Peggy. She managed to get out the word Fergus, and at first I thought Gaston must have died. But between sobs she explained that he had a new girlfriend, and though she’d only now found out, it had been going on for weeks, and he’d been sleeping with both of them, and he still wanted to sleep with Milly but to keep it a secret from the girlfriend, and Milly had finally said no more but she thought her heart was broken forever and please could I come over. That undeserving man, that Gaston, had brought my warrior, my Milly, to this.

As soon as I said, ‘I’m on my way,’ Zac grabbed the phone and ended the call.

‘You can’t be serious about leaving now.’ His hands were on my shoulders. ‘We have something to celebrate. You can’t go out when you’re this tired. It’s after dark. I don’t want you driving. You’re not just putting yourself in danger, you’re putting our baby in danger.’

I had to work hard to make my voice soft and loving, because every impulse I had was pressing me towards shrill shrieking. ‘Pregnant women drive all the time. I’ll be fine. I won’t be gone for long and we’ll celebrate when I get home. We’ll celebrate for the rest of our lives. Milly’s in crisis. You wouldn’t want me to ignore her – don’t you love me because I couldn’t do that? She’s proud, Zac. It was hard for her to ask for help.’

‘Think of what happened to your parents.’ He released his grip on me and grabbed my bag.

‘What are you doing?’

My car keys were in his hand. ‘Taking these.’

‘You can’t.’

‘It appears that I can, and I have.’

I was struggling not to stomp to the rage that was coursing through me. Instead, I managed to say, ‘Then drive me yourself. I can’t not go to her.’

‘No.’ He was looming over me, making the kitchen seem darker, despite the bright ceiling lights.

‘Fine. I’ll call a taxi.’

‘You won’t be able to get out of the house. I’ve locked the doors.’

‘You can’t do that.’

‘Again, it appears that I can and have.’

‘Unlock them. Right this fucking minute.’

‘You’re not leaving. If you can’t act responsibly then it’s my job to make you.’ He pounded his fist so hard against the fridge he shook his hand in pain. ‘See what you made me do? I thought we’d be cracking open the champagne by now.’