Anna sat down on the sofa and clasped her hands in her lap. ‘But how do you do that?’ She’d managed to keep her cool at the one family lunch she’d been to since the vol au vent incident, but she’d discovered that ‘not reacting’ was a lot tougher than it sounded.

Teresa thought for a moment, idly stroking the downy hair on the top of the baby’s head. ‘The way I look at it, without Gayle, Scott wouldn’t be my Scott. He’s much more like her than his dad, but it’s watered-down in him. He’s quietly determined, not noisily pushy, but that’s where he gets his drive from.’

Anna sipped her tea. ‘I suppose you’re right. I always thought Spencer was just like his dad: laid-back, full of fun, but he had that drive too, and that’s what prompted him to take a risk and follow his dreams.’

It occurred to Anna that if Spencer had been just like his father, he’d have been happy to potter around in a middle-management job until his retirement, just as Richard had done. Maybe that ambition, that creativity, was his mother’s gift, even though Anna was struggling very hard to see where it came from. Was Gayle a dreamer too? It hardly seemed possible.

Teresa lifted the dozy baby so his chin was resting on her shoulder, then she rubbed him firmly on his back. After a few moments, he let out a gurgling belch. ‘I wonder what this little man will be like. Whether he’ll be like me or like Scott? Or just a mixture of all of us in his heritage, combined to a secret recipe that is uniquely him.’ She looked down at her son with such love that tears almost sprang to Anna’s eyes. ‘It’s all in there,’ Teresa added. ‘All those things have already been planted, but it’s going to take years to see them come to fruition, for them to work their way out.’

That was a beautiful thing, Anna decided, to watch a person unfold like that.

Teresa caught Anna’s eye. There was a huskiness in her tone when she said, ‘A lot of the time I find myself hoping that he’s just like his uncle.’

Anna didn’t say anything. She just gave a watery smile to her sister-in-law, and then she went across the room to give her a hug. Just in case the moment was getting too girly and emotional, little Spencer responded by doing the manliest thing he could think of and let out a giant fart. Anna caught Teresa’s eye and they both burst out laughing.

Teresa lifted him and undid a couple of poppers so she could peek inside his babygro to see what the damage was. ‘Oh, crap,’ she said. ‘Literally. It’s exploded right out of the nappy, and it’s probably gone halfway up his back.’ She pulled a face. ‘I haven’t got used to that bit yet,’ she said, standing up and giving her son a disgusted look. ‘I’d better change him. Third time today, and it’s not even noon yet!’