‘For months now. I told you, he’s at that awkward stage. Tears and tantrums, paddiwacks and cuddles: that’s all we get. He’s needing a nap and his Yumpy bear.’ But Yumpy was nowhere to be found and Gus lay on the floor and howled like a puppy in agony until Angus couldn’t stand the din any longer, whisking him over his shoulder. He took him up the stairs for a rest, settling him down with firm words.

For the first time Netta felt at a loss to understand his behaviour. This was not the little boy she knew and loved but a stranger who could bring the whole household to a standstill with his screams. Was he sickening for something? Was he normal?

She sneaked glances how Peg dealt with his tirades, by ignoring him mostly and then humouring him out of his screams. It was Father who really had the measure of him and took only so much cheek before he spanked the child’s legs sharply and took him out of the room to cool down.

‘I hope you’ll be able to handle this when he tramples all over your bridal fabrics and shames you before your customers!’

‘Oh, it won’t come to that,’ said Netta with a half-hearted smile. But as the rain poured down that week and she was cooped up in the farmhouse watching the rivers of water streaming down the windows like tears, she felt her confidence slipping away. What if she took him home and he screamed? How would she cope? What if he didn’t settle at the nursery and they sent for her to take him away? How would she complete her orders? What if he was so upset he became ill and wouldn’t be consoled? How would she console him?

Peg and Father withdrew into polite silence. They just left her to deal with Gus and whenever he played up he was passed to her to manage. Netta was exhausted and gave in to his whims to humour him. Gus was now confused as to who was running the show so went from one to the other of them in search of attention. Netta tried to appear confident but dogs and children can sniff a phoney at fifty paces and Gus was no exception.

To her horror she found herself afraid of the power of her child to humiliate her and frustrate her orders. He was sapping all her confidence. Parenthood was not some ready-to-wear garment you could slip on and off when it suited. It was like a shift, a hair shirt at times. You wore it all the time and it could scratch and pinch next to the skin. She was feeling shirtless and exposed. But surely a parent and child could just settle down together if given privacy and time together?