Eventually Ella scooped up a forkful of peas and tipped them into her mouth. Janie turned to her own meal and started eating, and with some relief let Lottie ask her dad about his day. She wished Harry wasn’t sitting at the table with them, because if that were the case, she would have asked Ella what had happened, because clearly something had. But Ella wouldn’t tell her while Harry was wittering on; nor would he let the subject go, if he thought Ella was holding back on them.

She let his conversation drift over her head, intermittently watching her elder daughter, who finally put her fork down, leaving half the food untouched.

‘Eat up,’ Harry said.

‘I don’t feel like it.’

‘Come on. You’ve hardly had anything.’

‘I’m not hungry.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous, your mum—’

‘Don’t force her if she doesn’t want it,’ Janie interrupted.

Harry looked up at her questioningly. ‘She’s hardly had a thing.’

‘I know, but …’ Janie waved a hand in the air, trying to defuse the conversation.

‘Just another few mouthfuls,’ Harry said, turning to Ella.

‘For God’s sake, she doesn’t want it,’ Janie snapped. ‘You can’t force her to eat when she’s clearly not hungry.’ She turned to Ella. ‘If you don’t feel well, you can go and have a lie-down,’ she told her.

‘You’re pandering to her again,’ Harry said, as he chewed on a mouthful of chicken. He had a piece hanging on the edge of his lips, which she couldn’t help but stare at.

‘I’m not pandering. I can see she’s not right.’

‘I am here,’ Ella cried. ‘You’re both talking about me like I’m not even in the room.’

Janie took a deep breath as her phone rang. ‘You’re right. I’m sorry.’ If she were a single parent, then at least there’d be no one to contradict her every five minutes.

Janie took a call from Anna, wandering out of the kitchen to speak to her, and by the time she returned, the plates had been stacked in the sink and the back door was wide open. She glanced out of the kitchen window and saw all three members of her family jumping up and down on the trampoline and for a moment Janie couldn’t take her eyes off them. They looked so happy. Even Ella was smiling and laughing as her feet landed on either side of Harry, who was curled into a ball, his hands wrapped protectively around his head.

Janie pressed her hands against the granite work surface and felt tears filling her eyes, though she didn’t even know what it was that was making her upset. Possibly the thought that she couldn’t break them up. Possibly the knowledge that however much she might have wanted to, she wasn’t going to be able to do it.