‘Maybe I thought I meant it, but I know better now. If we were just being sensible, my heart wouldn’t be breaking at the thought of losing you. Dear God, this can’t be happening! We can’t have found each other, only to lose each other in the same moment.’

‘But we can,’ she said despairingly. ‘Oh, my dearest, kiss me; kiss me again and again. If it’s all we have-’

‘It mustn’t be. I won’t let you go. Do you hear me? I won’t let it happen.’

It would be so easy to yield to his insistence, and the temptation tortured her. It was unfair, she thought rebelliously, that the onus must be on her. But Joey’s face was before her, and she hardened herself to do what must be done.

‘For the moment, at least, you must give me up,’ she said. ‘You can’t send Brenda away. It will break Joey’s heart.’

‘But we both know that her games won’t last. She’ll tire of it-’

‘She’ll go on as long as it’s useful to her. Maybe long enough for Joey to grow older and cope better. Don’t force the truth on him, Carson. He couldn’t stand it.’

‘Isn’t it better for him to accept it now?’

She couldn’t bear any more. Driven to desperation, she faced him with the situation in the bluntest, cruellest terms she knew.

‘All right,’ she said. ‘Maybe he should be told that the mother he thought loved him is using him heartlessly, that his happy dream is over, and he’s actually as rejected and abandoned as he feared. Will you tell him that, my darling? Or shall I?’

He seemed to grow older before her eyes as the inevitability of what she was saying sank in.

‘You’re right,’ he whispered in horror. ‘We can’t do that to him. However much we reason around it, when it comes to the point-we can’t.’

They looked at each other. There was nothing more to say.

Slowly he put his arms about her, drawing her close against him, not making love to her now, but needing to feel her warmth. They lay holding onto each other as the night passed and the first light of dawn crept in.

Gina watched it with bleak eyes. She’d told herself that in marrying Carson she was accepting second best, that the most she could hope for was a sedate, pedestrian love. Now she knew the glorious truth-that it was she and she alone whom he loved. She had his whole heart, his passion, his trust, his soul. She had everything she wanted.

And it was all too late.

As the light grew she asked herself whether it would have been better never to have loved him than to have known this pain. But her heart knew the answer. She’d had her moment of glory, and, however long it must last her, it would be enough to live on.

At last Carson said, ‘I won’t believe that this is the end. Some day we’ll find each other again and, when we do, I won’t have changed.’

‘And nor will I. However far away that is, I’ll still love you, just as I do now. Hold me. Hold me!’

She buried her face against him, her shoulders shaking. And he held her in silence.

Angelica confronted Gina in the kitchen while she was making coffee.

‘Now I know who you are,’ she said belligerently. ‘It was you on the phone that time. I didn’t recognise your voice at first. So you’ve been here ever since, worming your way in.’

‘I was here to help Joey.’

‘Nice try. You took a look around you and thought you’d get your hands on the goodies. I don’t suppose a speech therapist, or whatever you are, earns very much.’

‘I’m a lawyer.’

‘Oh, a lawyer. But you just happen to have spent the last few weeks being a drudge in this place, and you expect me to think you’re not on the make?’

‘You can think what you like,’ Gina said quietly.

‘Oh, I’ll do that. I know your sort. Thought it would be easy to take over another woman’s home and husband. Well, think again, lady. I’m back to stay.’

Gina faced her. ‘As long as you make Joey happy, that’s fine.’

‘Don’t you lecture me about my son,’ Angelica said viciously. ‘I want you out of here, fast.’

‘Don’t worry. I’m going. But I’d like to talk to you about Joey first. There are things you need to know about his development.’

‘Like what? He can hear, can’t he?’

‘In a way, but-’

‘Well, you wouldn’t know it. I can’t understand a word that kid says. As for those signs-’

‘You can learn them. Mr Page did.’ Gina added bleakly, ‘I’m sure he’ll teach you.’

‘But why should I have to learn them? I thought once he had that thing he’d be all right. But he’s just like before. I suppose that’s your doing.’

Gina looked at her sharply. ‘What do you mean by that?’

‘Oh, come on! That’s how you got your feet under the table, isn’t it? Poor little kid-needs you. You weren’t going to let him be normal too soon, in case Carson wised up.’

Out of sight Gina clenched her hands, angrier than she’d ever been in her life. But she subdued her rage. For Joey’s sake she must make this unpleasant woman face the reality of his condition.

‘I won’t answer that,’ she said when she could speak calmly. ‘But you have to know how things are for him.’

‘All right, all right. Maybe later-’

‘Shut up and listen!’

Angelica’s jaw dropped. Nobody had talked to her like that for years. Taking advantage of her silence, Gina explained about Joey’s implant, and about the time and work it would take before he could speak properly.

Angelica blew out her cheeks. ‘Well, it’s not what I expected, I’ll tell you that.’

‘Just be patient with Joey. He’s learning fast, and now he’s got you back he’s-well, he’s perfectly happy. If you’ll just learn a few signs-’

‘No way. That stuff gives me the creeps. If Joey can hear now, it’s time he sharpened up his act. And he’ll do it a lot better without you around, miss. So-out.’

There was a noise in the doorway and they both turned sharply to see Joey standing there. He was looking from one woman to the other and it was impossible to tell how much he’d followed. Angelica was in profile to him, making lip-reading difficult, and anything he’d heard would be no more than a jumble of sounds.

The actress gave her son an effusive greeting, which made him smile. He began to sign, which made her mouth tighten.

‘He said “Hello, Mummy”,’ Gina told her in a strained voice.

‘Well, he can say it, then, can’t he?’ Angelica demanded.

‘Let him do it when he’s ready,’ Gina begged.

‘I told you to keep out of it, lady. He can speak properly if he wants to, and he’ll be fine when he hasn’t got you here holding him back.’

Her tone changed and she swooped on Joey again. ‘Come along, darling. You can do it for Mummy, can’t you? Now say it-Hello, Mummy.’

He tried. It was a good try for a child who’d only been able to hear for a few days, but not close enough to please Angelica. She winced.

‘Never mind,’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘We’ll try again later.’

Carson overheard part of this and it increased his sense of moving through a nightmare. Gina, who had taken every situation in hand and shown him the answers, seemed to have no answer for this.

The nightmare deepened with the discovery that Angelica had invited the press back that very day, determined to restage their reunion.

‘If she thinks I’m going to allow that-’ he growled.

‘Let her,’ Gina said. ‘Sooner or later she’s going to do this, and better now while I’m here to help Joey. After that, I’ll have to go.’

‘Have you explained that to him? He’ll take it hard.’

‘I’m not sure. I’m dispensable. I have a feeling that he may not even notice that I’ve gone.’

‘After everything you’ve done for him-’

‘Children are practical, darling. They take what they need to survive, and pass on.’

Joey was following his mother around, trying to communicate with her. When she didn’t understand his signing he attempted speech, and managed some of the words. He didn’t know that Angelica had expected to find all the problems solved.

He read her lips as she explained that they were going to have another party, some friends of hers would be coming and he must be on his best behaviour. He smiled, enjoying the thought of another party, but wondering when his mother would want to be alone with him so that they could talk, as they did in his dreams. As he talked to Gina.

He decided that Gina would know the answer to this, and went in search of her. He found her in her room, packing.

Where are you going?

‘Back to my job, darling. That was what we agreed at the start-that I’d be here for just a few weeks.’

I don’t want you to go.

‘I have to. You don’t need me any more. You’ve got Mummy now.’

Joey didn’t react to this with the brilliant smile she’d seen so often on his face since yesterday. Instead he frowned and tilted his head in a considering manner, as though it was only just occurring to him that he couldn’t have them both.

‘You love your mother, don’t you?’ Gina asked gently.

His lip-reading seemed to fail him and she had to sign, crossing her folded hands on her chest to indicate ‘love’.

Joey nodded, and now there was the smile. He understood that sign. It was what he felt for Brenda, Gina thought sadly. And that was how it should be.

He went away without communicating any more. Gina watched him go, with an aching feeling that made her angry with herself. What had she expected? The child had recovered his mother, and if Angelica’s career really was on a downward slide perhaps she would be scared into behaving well. If not, Carson would know how to protect Joey. Everything was working out well.

Downstairs Angelica was getting agitated. She’d put on a glamorous dress and made herself up to kill. What was left of the cake had been wheeled out, and she was distributing the presents that she’d brought the day before. She frowned when she saw Joey.