‘It smells of smoke in here, Rob,’ Holly said. ‘What happened to you giving up? And that hob looks as though it’s never been used. Are you eating properly? You know takeaways aren’t good for you. Most curries are nine parts cooking oil, and pizza is basically carbohydrates and cheese.’

‘Now you’re making me hungry,’ said Fleet, smiling again. In truth, more than anything he wanted a cigarette, but he knew how Holly would react to that. And that was without even taking into account her … condition.

He’d been standing by the breakfast bar, and as before he took a seat beside her on the sofa. She nestled into him, and his arm moved naturally once again around her shoulders.

‘Have you decided … I mean … Have you thought what it is you’re going to do?’

Holly’s voice, when she answered, was a whisper. ‘That’s all I’ve been thinking about. Every second of every minute since I found out.’

Fleet waited. ‘And?’ he prompted gently.

‘And I’m going to keep it.’ Her voice remained quiet, but there was no mistaking the decisiveness in her tone. In truth, Fleet had never expected her to say anything else.

Holly’s hands, he noticed, had crept to her belly.

‘It’s all I’ve ever wanted, Rob. I mean, not all …’ She glanced up at him. ‘I don’t mean …’

‘I know, Sprig.’ He stroked her hair. ‘I know what you mean.’

She looked down at the place she was covering with her hands. ‘It doesn’t even matter to me that it’s half him. Because it – she, he – is all me. And I’m going to love it so much, Rob. So, so much. More than enough to make up for him not being there.’

‘Is that what he said? That he won’t be there?’ Fleet felt that same sharpness in his chest that he’d felt when he’d thought Holly might have been hurt. Not quite as insistent, perhaps, but just as fierce.

For a moment Holly didn’t reply, and it was obvious there was something else she was reluctant to tell him.

‘He’s married. With three kids of his own. I didn’t know, Rob. I swear to God, I didn’t know. I met him at my yoga class, and he never once wore a wedding ring. And he never gave the slightest hint when we were together that he had a family. I mean, he … he gave me his business mobile number rather than his private one, but he said that was because he was more likely to answer it. And the times we … we … the three times we … because that was all it was, Rob. Three lousy times. And they were lousy, I promise you. It … it was nothing like … like we …’

‘Holly …’