'Busy, thanks.'

'She's overdoing it as usual,' Mum said, picking up a bottle of wine. 'Now, sit down and have a glass of red before Julie arrives and the madness begins. Those children are completely out of control. They need a firm hand but Julie and Harry are walkovers.'

'Ah, you can't be shouting at them all the time. They're just lively.' Dad defended the boys.

'Boys need discipline.' Mum wagged a finger at Dad. 'Maybe if you'd been stricter with our Gavin we wouldn't be in this mess.'

'I'm not the one who spoilt him rotten all his life,' Dad muttered.

I decided to interrupt them. 'What time is Gavin coming?'

'Apparently he's going to grace us with his presence at three.' Dad fiddled with his tie.

'Mortified, we are.' Mum sniffed. 'We're the laughing stock of the golf club. Can you imagine how humiliating it is to have everyone looking at your son, your only son, living up a tree?'

'I wouldn't mind if he was protesting against child slavery,' Dad said, between gritted teeth. 'I told him I'd plant ten trees to make up for it. He says, "Dad, would the birth of ten babies replace me if I was murdered?"'

I suppressed a smile. 'At least he believes in something. Most young guys are out getting drunk every night.'

'Easy for you to say. You haven't been here,' Mum remarked pointedly. 'You haven't had to listen to his eco-this and eco-that for the last six months.'

'If you're tired of listening to it, tell him to move out,' I suggested.

'And live where?' Mum asked. 'Sure he can barely boil water he'd never survive on his own.'

'That's because you do everything for him,' Dad growled.

'Us girls had learnt to cook and do our own laundry by the time we were sixteen,' I reminded my mother. 'You never let Gavin do anything for himself. Maybe it's time you did.'

'Isn't he up a tree by himself?' Mum retorted.

'Yes, but you're bringing him casseroles and clean clothes every night,' Dad said.

Mum stiffened. 'What am I supposed to do? Let him starve? Let him wear dirty underpants?'

'It might make him grow up a bit,' I said.

'He's not tough like you. He's very sensitive,' Mum told me.

I bristled. 'You can be sensitive and self-sufficient at the same time. He's twenty-three, for God's sake. Stop mollycoddling him.'

'He's different from you, Louise. You've always been independent. The first chance you got you ran away to England and we hardly ever see you now. I don't want that for Gavin. I'd miss him too much.'

'I didn't run away to England. I took up a place to study law at Cambridge. I can see what a disappointment that must have been for you.'

'Now, now, you know your mother and I were very proud of you getting into Cambridge,' Dad said.

'Of course I was proud.' Mum pulled her cardigan around her. 'I just don't understand why you can only come home once a year and why you can't stay with your own mother when you do.'

I sighed. 'We've been over this a million times. It's not personal, it's just that I'm forty-one and I like my own space. I don't think it's such a terrible thing.'

'Noreen Ryan's daughter's forty-three and she always stays with her when she comes back from New York. She doesn't seem to have claustrophobia.' Mum took a noisy sip of her wine.

Thankfully, before it could escalate further and end up with me saying something I'd regret, Julie and her gang arrived. I rushed outside to say hello.

'Merry Christmas,' Julie said, hugging me.

'Thank God you're here.'

'What's she giving out about?'

'Working too hard, lack of a man and staying in a hotel.'

'Home sweet home.' Julie laughed.

'Nice ears,' I said, smiling at her red sparkly reindeer antlers.

'Hold on.' She pressed a button and the ears began to sing 'Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer'.

'You should have married Santa Claus.' I grinned.

'He's a bit old for me, but he might suit you!'

'Thanks a lot.'

'Here you go, Mrs Claus.' She fished a second pair of antlers out of her bag and plonked them on my head. 'It'll help get you into the spirit of the day.'

Harry came over, carrying Tom. 'Hi, Louise.' He kissed my cheek. 'How has your morning been?'

'A lot more civilized than yours, I imagine.'

'Don't talk to me.' He groaned. 'I'm exhausted already.'

He looked it. Since they'd had the triplets, Harry and Julie had aged ten years. Julie looked knackered too, and she'd put on more weight.

The triplets were running around in circles in the garden, wrestling each other to the ground. 'GET UP!' Julie roared, pulling Liam out of a puddle. 'Look at you. You're covered in mud and I went to all the trouble of dressing you up.'

They were wearing jeans and navy jumpers. Each jumper had a different picture on it a Santa, a Rudolph and a snowman which was now caked with mud.

'Say hello to your auntie Louise,' Harry told them.

'Hello, Louise,' one of them said I could never really tell them apart. They all had brown hair, which made it difficult.

'Hello, Cheese,' another said.

'Hello, Keys,' the third said, as they all giggled.

Harry turned Tom to face me. 'Say hello to Louise.'

He beamed and said, 'Kello, Ouise,' in the cutest little voice. I kissed him.

'Well, at least one of them is semi-normal.' Julie sighed.

Harry shivered. 'Come on, let's go in. It's freezing out here. Louise, would you mind taking Tom while Julie and I grab the triplets?'

I carried Tom inside. He grinned at me, then vomited all over my dress.

There was a knock on the bathroom door. I opened it and Julie stood there, holding a packet of baby wipes. 'Oh, God, Lou, I'm so sorry.' She handed me some wipes. 'He's just getting over a little bug and I thought he was fine. Look at your beautiful dress!'

'It's fine it's not new or anything,' I lied. It was brand new, expensive and I really liked it.

'I know you're lying, but thanks. I really am sorry. Last year you got apple juice spilled all over you and now this.'

'Forget it, it's done.' I rubbed the last bit off and prayed that a good dry cleaner would be able to eliminate all stains and vomit smells.

Julie sat down on the side of the bath.

'Apart from Tom's tummy bug, how are things?' I asked.

'Same old story,' she said. 'Honestly, Lou, you were so wise not to have children. It's like bloody Groundhog Day. I can't wait for them all to be in school so I can do something constructive with my life.'

'Are you still managing to read?' I asked. Julie had always been the most voracious reader I knew. She used to get through three books a week anything she could lay her hands on: history, science, politics, religion, spirituality, sport, psychology. It was incredible, and yet she hadn't done particularly well in school or college. She wasn't interested in exams. She just liked reading for reading's sake.

'Less than I'd like, but I'm still managing a book a week. I can now read while cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and eating. Anyway, I'm much more interested in your life. How are you? Are you even more manic now that you've been promoted?'

I nodded. 'I didn't think it was possible, but my workload is even heavier. It's all good, though, and my new office has a view of the Thames and Big Ben.'

'Wow! Mind you, it's no more than you deserve after twenty years' devotion to that firm.'

'It's nice to be recognized,' I admitted.

Julie's head snapped up. 'I can't believe I nearly forgot to ask you! What's the news you said you had?'

I put my hands over my face.

'Oh, my God, Lou, is it that bad?'

I peered out from between my fingers. 'Brace yourself, Julie. You're not going to believe this. I '

'Julie! Are you in there?' Mum barged in and stood glaring at Julie, hands on hips. 'If those children do not behave, I'm locking them out in the garden.'

'Where's Harry?' Julie asked.

'Harry doesn't seem to think there's anything wrong with his children pulling all the decorations off the Christmas tree, but I do!'

'OK, I'll be down in two minutes,' Julie promised.

Mum grabbed her arm and marched her downstairs. 'Julie, in two minutes my tree will have fallen down and killed someone.'

I sat down and exhaled deeply.

3.

Sophie.

'Merry Christmas, darling.' Jack handed me a big Cartier box.

I opened it and screamed.

He grinned. 'Happy?'

'It's incredible.' I took out the watch and held it up to the morning light. 'Oh, Jack, it's stunning. Thank you.' I turned to kiss him.

'A Cartier Tank Francaise eighteen-carat white gold and diamond bracelet watch for my beautiful wife.'

He helped me put it on and I watched the diamonds sparkle as I moved my wrist. I couldn't wait to show it off at Victoria's next coffee morning; she'd be green with envy. She'd wanted one of these for two years and had been dropping loads of hints to Gerry, but so far he'd ignored her. Mind you, he had given her a new Land Rover LRX Concept last year, which I admit I envied.

'Was the watch horrendously expensive?' I asked Jack.

He nodded. 'But who cares? I had a bloody great year and money is there to be enjoyed.'

'I just love it.'

'Well, I can think of one way you can thank me.' He rolled over and climbed on top of me. I wasn't in the mood for sex, but I could hardly refuse him after such an amazing gift. Thankfully, it was all over in five minutes and Jack fell straight back to sleep. I lay and admired my present.

There was a soft knock on the door. 'Come in, sweetheart,' I called. Jessica rushed in and climbed up on to the bed. Her cheeks were flushed.

'He came, Mummy! Santa came and he left me so many presents! My room is full up.'

I hugged her. 'Of course he came. You're the best four-year-old girl in the world. Now, come on, show me your new toys.'

'Daddy, are you coming?' she asked.

'Ssh, he's asleep,' I said. I took her hand and we ran across to her bedroom.

For the next hour we played with all her new things. I'd gone a bit mad and bought her everything she'd ever shown an interest in. I loved spoiling her. She was such a sweet, gentle little girl and so easy to mind. When I looked at what Julie had to deal with, I thanked God for Jess. I honestly didn't know how Julie did it. No wonder she always looked worn out and had lost her easy-going personality. She'd been constantly tired and grumpy since the triplets arrived. She'd started getting her life back to normal when they were about three, but then she fell pregnant with Tom and completely lost it. She cried for most of the pregnancy. I felt so sorry for her. It was as if she'd just given up and accepted that her life was over, which it pretty much was with four boys under five. I shuddered just thinking about her day-to-day life ... and she had no childcare!

'Mummy, did Santa come to you?' Jess asked.

'Santa only comes to children, but look what Daddy bought for Mummy.' I showed her my watch.

'Oh, it's so pretty and shiny.'