‘But did you ask where she lives? Where she came from?’ asked Miranda. ‘Did you ask where she would be staying over the nine months?’

No.’ Emily hesitated. ‘Dr Greystone said that his team out there would arrange for everything.’

‘She is being paid,’ Dominic insisted. ‘Part of our payment is going directly to her, they promised us that.’

‘But didn’t you want to know,’ Miranda asked, ‘who this woman actually is? This is the probably the most important event in your whole lives, and you didn’t even ask?’

‘What could we do?’ Dominic said, almost angry. ‘I don’t know anything about Bangladesh. It’s thousands of miles away. But Greystone promised us it would be done properly, that the girl would be well looked after while she was pregnant.’

‘To guarantee you a healthy child,’ said Casey.

‘Well,’ said Dominic. ‘Yes.’

‘These women,’ Miranda said, ‘are being kept in a factory. A farm for human beings. They are forced to get pregnant, and then they are forced to hand over the baby. It’s barbaric.’

‘That can’t be true,’ Emily mumbled.

‘It is,’ Casey said. ‘It is.’

‘Well,’ Dominic said, ‘even if it is true, what can we do about it?’

He was so quick to dismiss them that Casey realised that he had known all along. Or guessed, at least. Miranda’s eyes were slits.

There was a long silence.

‘Casey will go out to Dhaka instead of you.’ Miranda’s voice was like ice. ‘And while she’s out there, she will find out where they are keeping these women.’

‘No.’ Emily leapt to her feet in horror. ‘You can’t do that. That’s my baby out there.’ Her voice rose to a scream. ‘Our daughter.’

‘It’s the only way,’ said Miranda.

‘You can’t.’ Emily’s legs gave way and she slid into an armchair. ‘You mustn’t.’

Dominic had his arms around his wife now, was crouching down beside her. ‘You’re mad,’ he said to Miranda. ‘Of course we won’t do that. Never.’

‘I can’t . . .’ said Emily. ‘No . . .’

‘How are you planning to get that baby home?’ Miranda was like a viper striking. ‘You know the clinic won’t be able to get a passport for the baby if the authorities find out. It will take months to resolve, this sort of thing. You don’t want your daughter stuck in Bangladesh for years while you try and sort this.’

‘But what if something goes wrong?’ screamed Emily. ‘You don’t care about our child at all. You only care about your bloody story. We have to go out there to get her. We need to bring her home.’

There was a primitive rage in Emily’s voice, and a fast-rising despair.