But, as time wore on, Lena began to feel uneasy. Where was her husband? He knew she had given birth, knew he had a daughter, he should have been here by now, should have been beside her. He should have come straightaway, and she knew that Ria and her mother-in-law both thought the same, even though neither of them had said it – not in front of her anyway.

She looked at her daughter’s tiny hands, curled up into little fists, at her heart-shaped face, and she saw the long eyelashes that would one day attract a man, and she felt the panic rising inside her.

She breathed as deeply as she could, knowing that she had to stop this feeling before it got out of control. She had to swallow it down, as she had swallowed it down in the past. She had to be strong, had to put her brave face on for the world. She had to gather her strength, because this little child would need her to be strong. But, as she fought against the terror rising in her breast, she felt the first stirrings of discontent inside her. Daniel had let her down, and badly. As ever, he had more important things on his mind. There was always something more important than his wife or his family. And until now, until this second, she had never before admitted that to herself.

She hugged her daughter to her so tightly she made the child cry, and as she soothed her daughter she wondered at how she was ever going to make peace with herself again.

Chapter Fifteen

Alfie Clarke was an ugly man, but he had a funny personality; he could, as his own mother said, make a cat laugh. This was his secret with not only the ladies – who he was sensible enough to spend money on as well as giving them his undivided attention – but also with the men around him. He was always smiling, always in a good mood.