‘She says it could damage Fergus in future years. Says it’s wrong to have him in the public eye, that it’s intrusive and unfair, that he could be teased or bullied for it at school . . .’

‘No!’

‘She says – and so does her solicitor – that it’s an example of my bad parenting, my lack of respect for his privacy. I mean, for fuck’s sake!’ They had entered the building now and he punched the wall angrily. Marie, a few steps ahead of them in the corridor, wheeled round in alarm.

‘Sorry,’ Frankie said hastily. ‘Sorry, Marie. We’ve just had some bad news.’ Her head was spinning with Julia’s bloodying counter-attack, the seriousness of the hit. By dangling a sword over Craig’s ‘Dad About the House’ column, she was not only threatening to derail his career at its peak, but was also putting their finances in jeopardy, seeing as it was the biggest source of income for them both. As for claiming to question Craig’s parenting, in the name of Fergus’s welfare . . . that was particularly mean. A real blow to the heart.

‘Oh dear.’ Marie was plump and kindly, a grandmother of seven, with vibrant hennaed hair and paint-spattered jeans. ‘Is there anything I can do to help? Do you need to leave?’

‘No, we’re fine,’ Frankie replied firmly, trying to smile and look normal. She was not about to let Julia spoil Fergus’s last day here. ‘We don’t want to miss this. Do we, Craig?’

‘No,’ he agreed after a moment, his jaw still clenched, his whole body seeming to bristle with tension. There was no doubt about it, Julia was really upping the stakes. You don’t want to talk about this like reasonable adults? You want to rubbish me in a court? Fine, Frankie imagined the other woman thinking. I can give as good as I get, you know. Just watch me.

Trying to shake these thoughts away, Frankie took Craig’s hand and they followed Marie through the double doors into the main hall. The children were sitting cross-legged in a big circle on the floor, all wearing their colourful hats with beaming smiles, and there was a buzz of excitement in the air. Frankie felt a surge of emotion as she spotted Fergus wearing a bright-orange hat and waving at them, looking so proud and happy. Her throat tightened as she looked around the room at the gaudy paintings up on the wall, the Wendy house standing empty for once, the boxes of toys and musical instruments now put away for the summer. It was almost over, his time of belonging here, being part of this place. It was coming to an end, just like the happy, carefree family existence she’d enjoyed with him and Craig until now. Everything was changing beyond her control.