‘It’s a long time, Netta, since we had a chin wag. You home for Hogmanay? Here, Sandy, take the wean, my arms are stiff. Where’s that gorgeous nephew of mine? Isn’t he a doll? Peg’s so proud of him. After such a long time they must have given up hope…’ Her words exploded like an incendiary bomb.

‘But he’s…’

Netta tried to catch her attention but thankfully Morag’s foot was trapped in Sandy’s jacket and she was making a din. Peg rushed into the breach.

‘Eileen! Here at last, are the roads bad? I’ve put you in the loft, you see we’ve got a visitor in the spare bedroom. Netta’s come to stay a while…’ Eileen turned again to the daughter of the house.

‘I was so sorry to hear your bad news. Not much of a marriage, was it? Robbed of your man so soon. Still the boys are coming home so I’m sure some other young man will take your eye… What a slender willow wand you are, you must take after your mother. Nothing like a baby to fill you out, is there, Peg?’ She smiled, patting her stomach.

‘But…’ Netta lurched forward and Peg held her breath. This time it was Angus who came to the rescue, grabbing her arm and holding her back.

‘Whisht! Not now, Netta, now’s not the time.’

‘What do you mean, not now? Do they think that Peg had my baby?’ As Peg hustled her visitors quickly through the door, Angus took Netta to one side.

‘They don’t know about your troubles, it’s not the sort of thing you speak about in company. They think we adopted Gus… during the war. Don’t make a fuss and spoil the visit. Wait until they’ve gone and we’ll have it out then. Let Peg have her day. She’s been a good mother, you know.’

‘I’m sure she has but I’m home now and he’s my responsibility. Pretending he’s yours isn’t going to help anybody in the long run.’ Netta was so angry she could hardly get the words out of her mouth. Peg watched anxiously from the hallway as he tried to calm her down.

‘Not now, Netta,’ he pleaded and for the first time she saw real torment in his grey eyes, fear that his daughter would take the baby away from them. Speechless, Netta plonked herself down by the fireside to listen to the prattle of baby talk, the comparisons of who had how many teeth, what injections they had endured, who was sleeping through the night. All that sacred mother knowledge she knew nothing about, all the babyhood she had missed.

They ignored her silent presence until she rose up and left the room, to hide in the kitchen, away from the lies and the boasting.