Ben frowned and I saw his body stiffen, as if bracing himself to answer.

‘No, Bella. You were super-keen on Suffolk and being near my parents, so I don’t know why you’d suddenly change your mind.’

I mentally rolled my eyes. Of course he didn’t know why I would suddenly change my mind. It would change everything if he did.

‘Anyway,’ he added. ‘It’s too late.’

‘Not necessarily,’ I said with a wave of my hand. We hadn’t yet exchanged contracts so there was nothing set in stone. ‘We can still pull out of the Suffolk house.’

‘No. You insisted on Suffolk, so that’s where we’re going. And I like the house. Plus, it’ll be good being so close to Mum, now that she’s on her own …’

I didn’t like the unusually defiant tone in his voice. Normally, he would just agree with whatever I said but he sounded worryingly determined.

‘It should be a joint decision,’ I snapped, aware that actually it had all been down to me so far. I hadn’t given Ben any say on the houses we looked at, or, come to think of it, the one I eventually plumped for.

‘It is a joint decision, we chose it together, remember?’ Ben said. ‘Although, to be honest, you didn’t really give me much say in the choice, did you?’

I didn’t think he had been so aware that I wasn’t giving him any say. ‘Don’t play that card with me, Ben,’ I said, trying to deflect his words with my defensiveness. ‘While you’ve been dashing off to be at your mother’s beck and call, I’ve had to sort everything out by myself. So now I’ve decided that Surrey would be better instead.’

‘And remind me how far it is from your mum’s house?’

I rolled my eyes dramatically. ‘Oh, for Christ’s sake! We will need my mum’s help with Elodie, so it’s a good thing that she’ll be so close.’

‘My mum would be just as much help, especially now that she’s on her own. It would give her a focus.’

I couldn’t believe my ears. Ben had never defied me before and I didn’t like it one bit. ‘She’s not as good with Elodie as my mum. I wouldn’t feel happy leaving her. Your mum seemed completely disinterested in her today …’

‘Well, I expect burying her husband might have meant her mind wasn’t fully on Elodie today.’

‘There’s no need to be sarcastic, Ben.’ I threw him my angriest stare, hoping that he would do his usual and just roll over. But he was in a strange, surly mood and didn’t seem to be prepared to give in so easily.

‘Of course my mum isn’t as good with Elodie as yours,’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘Because she hasn’t had a chance. If she’d spent as much time with her as your mum, she would be just as capable. It’s not her fault that she was banned from seeing her for the first few months of Elodie’s life.’