‘Yeah, but kids need guidance and Amias doesn’t ever get told off. Do you know—’ She paused from slicing the baguette into little rounds ready for her homemade garlic butter. Nick’s mouth watered anticipating such a delicious meal. He sipped his wine, eager for her to continue her story. He wanted to get the measure of this boy before he spoke to Miss Radcliffe tomorrow. Or maybe he could mention something to Bella. ‘And I’m not gossiping, I know this for a fact because his mother told me, that Amias got in a strop on his birthday and threw something at the TV in his room, breaking it.’

‘He’s got a TV in his room?’ asked Nick. ‘I wouldn’t trust Freddie with a TV in his room. He’d never go to sleep.’

‘That’s why Peter hasn’t got one. And when he broke it, do you know what happened? They bought him a new one. No punishment, no nothing. Just went out and got him a replacement the very next day and it was all “Poor darling got upset”.’

‘If Peter had broken something like that, he’d have been doing extra chores until he’d paid for a new one,’ mumbled Len.

‘Quite right, love,’ Trish agreed.

Nick tried to take it in but couldn’t believe a nine-year-old could act that way. ‘Yeah, but being spoiled doesn’t mean he’s …’ He didn’t want to say the word bullying because it stirred up so many difficult feelings. ‘Being a bit mean to Freddie.’

‘Just be on your guard is all I’m saying,’ said Trish. ‘Keep an eye on things, maybe talk to Bella – Peter loved her – and if I were you, I’d have a read of the school’s anti-bullying policy.’

‘That’s a bit steep,’ said Len.

Nick was grateful for Len’s support. He didn’t want to think of the word bullying in relation to his gorgeous little boy. Bullying hurt, whether it was physical or mental, and it left scars. Scars that sometimes weren’t seen for a long time, but never fully healed. They might be forgotten for a while or fade away, but they were always there. Nick had never been bullied himself, but he and Len had gone to school with someone who had. They’d left the village as soon as they could and never came back, and while they were growing up, Nick and Len had seen the lack of confidence, the paranoia. He didn’t want that for his son. The thought of his son crying at school, not wanting to go, being scared and upset flashed through his mind and he forced himself to rein his emotions in.