‘There’s nothing going on between me and Laura,’ Mia said firmly. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. Of course I never wanted to overstep the line when you’ve invited me into your lovely home,’ she went on, ‘although I have a feeling I may already have done that. All I was trying to say, rather clumsily, was that I think it’s often so easy to blame the man, and a lot of the time it’s—’

‘Not their fault?’ Janie interrupted. ‘Is that what you’re saying?’

Mia smiled thinly again and this time, in Janie’s eyes, she at least had the presence to look embarrassed.

‘You think that if my husband is having an affair with someone from his office, then he shouldn’t be held responsible?’ Janie spat out with a bitter laugh.

‘No, actually, I don’t think that at all,’ Mia replied, her expression now so deadly serious that Janie wondered if she’d caught the right end of the conversation. ‘I think men should be held responsible for every one of their actions.’ She held her gaze, and Janie stared back at her blankly. If she’d been confused moments ago, she was even more so now.

Mia’s penetrating glare was beginning to unnerve her.

‘And I suppose, as women, we should stand by each other, shouldn’t we?’ Mia went on. ‘Only sometimes that doesn’t happen, either. They can be the ones to blame, can’t they?’

Janie’s mouth hung open. ‘Is this all to do with Laura?’

Mia shook her head. ‘Oh no. Not at all, Janie. This was nothing to do with Laura. Anyway, thank you for a lovely evening, but I think it’s probably time for me to go home, too.’

‘Yes, I think it probably is,’ Janie said.

Mia nodded. ‘Maybe I’m just not as good as you are at putting my point across,’ she said as a taxi beeped from the driveway, simultaneously sending a text to her phone. ‘Better go,’ she added cheerily.

‘Wait!’ Janie called as Mia walked out of the front door, heading for the waiting car. ‘What do you mean, “not as good as I am”?’ Her eyes flitted back and forth as Mia climbed into the car and pulled the door shut behind her. Her mind tried to catch up, racing through their odd conversation, attempting to patch together Mia’s words, which were clearly intentional. Did she know her?

As the car pulled away, Janie retreated to the kitchen and a text pinging loudly from her phone on the counter startled her. She reached for it and on the screen flashed a photo from Ella of herself and her little sister, clad in pyjamas. The message read: We’re still up!!!

Janie’s eyes filled with tears. She wanted her girls home. She wanted these intruders out of her house.