The boy shook his head, but he was looking at his feet. Miss Root looked down at the top of his head, encased in a cute hat with a blue and yellow pom pom, and wondered what she was going to say to his Mom. Maybe this was mad. None of her business. But she couldn’t let it pass, in case, well, in case something happened and she’d done nothing.

A woman was striding across the snowy yard towards them, smiling at first, then the smile fading as she grew nearer and saw her son’s head bowed.

‘Mrs Hunt?’

‘That’s right. Hi Billy! How’s it hanging?’ She bent down to his level and put her gloved hand under his chin to bring his face to hers. He dropped Agnes Root’s hand and threw his arms around her neck. Katie looked up at the young teacher. ‘Has something happened?’

‘No. Not really, Mrs Hunt. I just wanted to have a word with you. Do you have time to come inside for a moment?’

‘Of course.’

Katie picked Billy up in her arms and followed her into the school. The sounds and smells of schools were the same as hospitals, Katie thought. As Agnes Root walked ahead of them along the corridor, her low heels made a clicking noise on the tiles that echoed off the hard walls, and added their small contribution to the din made by shrieking children leaving the building.

They turned into the glass-doored classroom, and Agnes Root made a gesture at one of only three adult-sized chairs in the room, for Katie to sit down. She put Billy down and he rubbed his eyes like a tired baby. Miss Root bent down to him.

‘Billy. Why don’t you go look see if the gerbils are okay for a minute while I talk to your Mom?’

He looked uncertain. Katie touched his cheek. ‘We’ll be here, lamb. Go on.’

He looked at Katie to see if that was true, then turned and left the room. They listened to his boots squeaking along the corridor to where the gerbils were imprisoned in their glass cage.