So, he’d been out all night, then. What a complete shit. I looked past her into the kitchen and saw that the dishes were piled up. The poor girl was obviously sinking under the strain of everything.

‘Look, why don’t you run yourself a bath now and I’ll keep an eye on Alfie. We can have that cup of tea in a bit. Elodie’s happy enough at the moment, and if you pop the baby in his cot, I’ll listen out for him.’

She hesitated. ‘I don’t expect you to …’

‘Go on. You need a few minutes to yourself. Go and have a soak – it’ll perk you up a bit.’

‘If you’re sure. I’ve started topping him up with the odd bottle – there’s one already made up in the door of the fridge, if he wakes up. And the Calpol is on the kitchen side – he’s due a dose in about half an hour, but hopefully I’ll be done before then.’

‘Take your time. I’m not in any rush.’

‘Thank you. I could do with it. I feel disgusting.’

Taking Elodie, I went into the kitchen and looked out into the garden. Alfie was happily running up and down, Jobie hot on his heels. Looking at the dirty pots and pans in the sink, I thought I’d better try to clean up a bit. I managed to move the pram into the kitchen doorway and lay Elodie down. She had been fed right before we left home, and seemed quite content chomping on her dummy. Her eyes began to close once more. I went through the kitchen like a whirlwind, anxious to restore some sort of order before Lucy had finished her bath.

Thankfully Georgie didn’t stir, and by the time she came back downstairs, I’d washed and dried the mountain of crockery and wiped down the work surfaces, plus the sticky coffee table in the living room. The effort had left my stomach uncomfortable and I was glad to sit down.

‘Oh, you’re a diamond. Thank you.’ She had put on clean clothes and her damp hair was wrapped in a towel. She looked more relaxed and a little colour had returned to her cheeks. ‘I’ve just checked on Georgie – he’s still asleep. I know he’s due a feed soon, but I didn’t want to disturb him. He could probably do with the rest. He’s awfully warm, though.’

We sat drinking tea, popping out from time to time to see what Alfie was up to. I had given him Jobie’s rubber bone, which I carried on the pram’s shopping tray, and the little boy was attempting to throw it, although he hadn’t quite got the hang of it. Jobie was clearly enjoying the attention and amenably retrieving the thing each time, even though it was only landing about three feet in front of him.