Chapter 1
AN EXCEPTIONALLY PREGNANT Nabila sat at Luella’s kitchen table with a curry goat roti in one hand, a mobile phone in the other. With a lilting British accent, she said, “Mark my words, Luella: this child will be born with fire in her belly. She’s got me craving all sorts. Pickled asparagus, hot peppers straight from the jar, Moroccan—”
Nabila’s phone rang, and Luella watched her neighbour’s expression change.
When Luella’s husband was alive, he also used to call at a set time every day. Luella had always known better than to think he wanted to hear about her day. Gianni only phoned to check up on her, make sure she wasn’t playing host to other men while he was on shift.
In fact, she’d always found Gianni’s phone calls unsettling. Even after she’d hung up, she could feel
