‘I speak baby,’ he said, attempting a joke.

Ninni shook her head. ‘What?’

‘You’re not a Doctor Who fan then. Well, we’ll work around that. Now, you don’t look like you have slept in weeks. Have a shower, get some sleep. We’ll be fine.’ Jack kept rocking the baby, who stared at him with those blue eyes all new babies seemed to have.

‘What are you doing here, Jack?’ Ninni looked like she was about to cry again.

‘What’s her name? Alma didn’t tell me.’

‘I can’t make up my mind. My mother thinks I should name her after her, which I refuse to do.’ Ninni rubbed her head. ‘There are so many names to choose from, it makes my head hurt.’

‘That’s not a problem. We’ll think of one together. She’s absolutely perfect, by the way. Well done.’

Ninni looked at the baby, then at him. ‘Why are you here?’ she asked again.

Jack put a hand on her cheek. ‘Because I love you and if you weren’t so revolting right now I’d kiss you. Go on, have a shower. I bet you haven’t had one in days.’

The baby cooed. Jack smiled. ‘See? We’ll be fine.’

Ninni rubbed her eyes. ‘You’re mad, and you’re right. I do need to get clean.’

She shuffled into the bathroom and Jack smiled at the baby.

‘What are you fretting about? You should be asleep, giving your poor mum a much-needed rest.’

He walked with her, listening to the shower running. The baby kept looking at him. He knew she wasn’t really wondering who he was; she was just a couple of weeks old.

‘I wonder what you’re thinking,’ he said.

He put his finger close to her hand and she gripped it with those tiny fingers, surprisingly hard. ‘I think we’ll get along just fine.’

‘Where did you learn how to do that?’ Ninni came out of the bathroom wearing a bathrobe and towelling her hair.

‘Learn what?’

‘She’s settled. She has been crying for hours, and I had no idea what to do with her. When you rang the doorbell, I was sure it was my neighbour coming to complain.’

‘When Danny was born, my mum became ill shortly afterwards. She was in and out of the hospital and she didn’t have the strength to care for him as much as she wanted to. Dad and I took over. I didn’t mind. Danny was easy. Holly was the tough one. She was four and so jealous of the baby she would spit at him.’

Ninni laughed. ‘I like her already.’

She came over to him and put a hand on the baby’s head. ‘I had no idea a baby would be so much work. I had convinced myself it would be like having another puppy. Boy, was I wrong.’

She looked at him, properly this time, and asked him yet again, ‘Why are you here, Jack? And I want a straight answer, if you don’t mind.’

‘I came to bring you both back to the island. Back home,’ he added to make sure she understood him.