‘I need to tie my laces,’ I lie. ‘Hold on to the pram.’ As Mina wraps her tiny fingers around the handle of the pram, I crouch down and fiddle with my shoes, straining to hear what they are saying. I can’t make out the words, but I can read their body language easily enough. Naomi peers into the pram, cooing over Rufus who is clearly much better. Tara says something and they both laugh, in that comfortable way that confirms to me they aren’t simply acquaintances, they are more than that. Tara speaks again, and Naomi’s face grows serious. She looks towards the end of the road, towards our house, and she shrugs, shaking her head. She rubs the tops of her arms with both hands as if cold, and as Tara reaches out a hand as if to comfort her, I get the unmistakable feeling that they are talking about me.

‘Mummy, come on,’ Mina grumbles.

‘Just a sec.’ I keep crouching, watching, as Tara pulls Naomi in for a hug. They hold each other for a few seconds, and I feel a pang. Naomi and I would hug like that before, but I haven’t let her for weeks and I miss the feel of her arms around me, the scent of her perfume, before I remember that only a couple of hours ago, she was meeting my husband behind my back. Tara and Naomi say goodbye now, Naomi stepping back inside the dark, cool air of The Daisy Chain, while Tara turns towards the village, walking towards the preschool.

‘Shall we stay home today?’ I say to Mina, standing up. My lower back throbs where I have been crouching, my thighs burning. Everything feels too bright, too loud. ‘We can play in the garden, have a water fight.’

‘Yay!’ Mina cheers and starts running along the pavement in the direction of the house. I heave a sigh of relief to myself that she is so easily led and follow her, as fast as I can on my sore ankle. When I turn to look back, the street is empty.