I’m a stranger, she thought. Yet the poor little soul clings to me.

She closed her eyes and held on to him tightly, trying to convey comfort and safety in a way he could understand. When she opened her eyes again, Carson Page was standing in the doorway, watching them with an expression from which all emotion had been carefully wiped.

‘It’s time for us to go,’ he said.

Reluctantly Gina tried to release herself from the little boy’s arms, but Joey tightened his grip and wailed.

‘All right,’ she said quickly. She turned his face to her and said slowly, ‘Don’t worry. I’m here.’

She didn’t know what had made her say that in defiance of his father, but at that moment she would have done anything for this little boy.

‘I’m taking him home,’ Carson said firmly.

Gina faced Joey. ‘Home,’ she said.

But the child shook his head wildly. And when his father took hold of him, he began to thrash about, trying to fight him off.

‘Come along,’ Carson said firmly, tightening his grip.

‘Let him go!’ Gina rose to face him.

‘What did you say?’

‘I said, let him go. You’ve no right to treat him like this.’

‘Are you out of your mind?’

‘I’m asking you to be gentle with him-’

‘I make every effort to do so, but I will not tolerate tantrums.’

At the word ‘tantrums’, Gina wanted to bang her head against the wall-or preferably bang his head against the wall. Was there any way of getting through to this man?

‘He’s not having a tantrum,’ she said through gritted teeth. ‘He’s lonely and frightened. Are you such a monster that you can’t tell the difference?’

Carson stared at her, thunderstruck by the force of her attack. She was amazed at it herself. Her nature was normally placid, but Joey’s suffering had brought old fears and miseries to the surface, destroying her control. For a moment she was a child again, lashing out at a cruel world that didn’t care enough to understand.