Melissa was going to say that Leah was already wearing make-up and had two pairs of court shoes, but something told her that this might make Grace look down on her and she didn’t want that. They were just two mothers bringing up their girls the best they could, despite the obvious differences between them.

‘They’ll be teenagers before too long, God help us,’ she said instead. ‘I was a right little bitch when I was a teenager.’

Grace’s eyes opened the tiniest bit wider, but she was too polite to ask just what Melissa had done, which was a relief.

‘And is that Ray?’ Grace asked, pointing at a framed picture of the three of them.

It was the only one Melissa had. They didn’t own a camera and Ray really hated having his photograph taken, but there had been a bloke on the beach taking snaps which you could buy from his shop just off the prom. Desperate for at least one picture of them all together, Melissa had pulled Ray towards the photographer, and because the beach had been so busy, Ray had gone along with it rather than cause a scene. Then she’d nipped to the shop without him to buy the picture and a nice frame and, having gone to all that effort, Ray had had to agree to her putting it up.

Grace stood and crossed the room to the mantelpiece. She reached for the photograph and examined it closely. Her eyes scrutinised each face as if she were going to have to describe them for a photofit.

‘Yes,’ Melissa replied. ‘That’s him. Does he look like your Charles? That was taken last summer on the beach. We’d had a lovely day all together. And see that round his wrist?’ Melissa pointed, and Grace peered at Ray’s tanned arm. He was wearing a brightly coloured string friendship bracelet. ‘Leah made that for him,’ Melissa continued proudly. ‘She’s always doing stuff like that for her daddy. She’s dead good at art and that.’

‘You all look very happy,’ said Grace, but she spoke so quietly that Melissa couldn’t be sure she hadn’t imagined it. Grace looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

‘Are you okay, pet?’ Melissa asked her, resting her hand on Grace’s arm and squeezing gently. ‘Has something happened, like?’

Grace shook her head, but with a movement so small that Melissa might have missed it. All the colour had bled from her face and she looked as though she might faint.

‘Let’s sit down. Here,’ Melissa said, offering a biscuit to Grace. ‘Have one of these. It’ll keep your blood sugar up.’