‘Now eat it all up,’ Daisy said brightly, using a phrase that Edie had heard far too often before. ‘I made it all mythelf.’ She smiled proudly. ‘Exthept Archie helped a little bit.’

Archie rubbed his Marmite streak into his hair. Edie dreaded to think what her son’s contribution might have been.

‘Yum,’ Lee said.

Breakfast consisted of two bowls of Smarties ice cream—and the rainbow-hued sweets looked particularly fluorescent this morning—which were accompanied by a plate of rather well-grilled fish fingers submerged beneath a slick of tomato ketchup, what was left of two burned squares of bread that may or may not have been fit for human consumption hiding beneath an inch of Marmite. More than likely her son’s contribution. To finish off there were two glasses of Ribena Toothkind and a chunky Kit Kat each.

‘Toast,’ Lee declared, examining the offerings. ‘How clever of you to get it so black.’

Daisy beamed.

‘And so much Marmite.’ Her husband beamed gratefully.

‘I’m not that hungry…’ Edie tried. ‘Mummy’s feeling a bit poorly.’

‘Thith will make you feel better,’ her daughter assured her.

‘Eat it,’ Lee muttered under his breath. ‘She’s gone to a lot of trouble. Eat it.’

‘I’ll die.’

Lee didn’t move his teeth, which were set in a smile. ‘It’ll be in a good cause.’

Edie was horrified to think that her own culinary efforts might have inspired this, but she feared they might well have. Dutiful parents, they both grinned and picked up their spoons.

‘Mmm, ice cream,’ Edie said as the cold shock jarred all her teeth. Just the thing for a hangover. She hoped her daughter would grow up to have a drink problem and then she could get her own back on her manyfold.

Daisy stood over and watched as they struggled down every last morsel. Whoever said parenting was easy? When they’d finally finished and Daisy had deigned to take their tray away and had been persuaded to make them a cup of tea—following explicit instructions—Lee and Edie collapsed back onto their pillows, giggling. Lee pulled her into his arms.

‘You’re not going to be sick, are you?’

‘I can’t guarantee it.’ She pushed the thought of the brightly coloured Smarties ice cream to the back of her mind.

‘It was a good night, wasn’t it?’ Lee grinned at her.

‘Yes,’ she sighed happily. ‘It was a great night.’

‘We should do it more often.’

‘Do you really think so?’ Edie said. ‘I’m not sure that I can stand the pace anymore.’

Lee wiggled his feet. ‘I’m still not sure how I managed to get my trousers off without removing my shoes though.’