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

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

Ben thought about letting it drop and just doing what he always did, which was to let her have her own way. But after such a stressful, upsetting day, he didn’t want to. ‘My mum would be just as much help, especially now that she’s on her own. It would give her a focus.’

‘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.’

‘There’s no need to be sarcastic, Ben.’

Ben gritted his teeth. ‘Of course my mum isn’t as good with Elodie as yours, 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 months of Elodie’s life.’

As he finished speaking, Ben thought about how hurt his dad had been by being prevented from seeing his first grandchild. Had the stress of that contributed to his death? He swatted the thought away, unable to bear the thought that he and Bella might have been somehow responsible.

‘That was her own fault for the way she attacked me at Christmas. And she hasn’t exactly tried to make it up to me since. No, considering how strained our relationship is now, I definitely think Surrey is the best option.’

Bella’s words were clipped and precise, as they always were when she was refusing to budge. Not for the first time, Ben felt hemmed in and trapped. Yes, Bella was stunning and could be utterly charming and funny when she wanted. He loved her and when she was in a good mood, he enjoyed being with her. But more and more often, she scared him with the darker side of her personality.

As they arrived home at the flat in London, Bella put Elodie straight to bed, then returned to the kitchen where Ben was sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a glass of red wine. He had been desperate for a drink all day but Bella had insisted that he should drive home, so he had had to stay sober, while she decided to have a glass of wine for the first time since he’d met her. She was smiling broadly as she took a glass out of the cupboard and helped herself to some iced water from the fridge. ‘Well, cheers!’ she said, tapping her glass against Ben’s and taking a long drink.

Ben did the same, feeling lonelier than he had ever felt before.

‘Oh come on, Ben. Please stop sulking.’ A deep frown of annoyance crumpled Bella’s forehead.

‘I’m not,’ he protested wearily. ‘I’m just upset. I still can’t believe that Dad has really gone. That I’ll never, ever see him again. That Elodie won’t know him growing up. It all just makes me feel unbearably sad.’