Several days later, when I had cleaned the house from top to bottom, hung the paintings and bought a big rug for the living room, I decided it was time to make an effort with the neighbours. I really needed to make some friends before the children started nursery school so I wouldn't go mad with loneliness.

I called into the house on our left, but there was no answer, so went to the house on our right, number seven. I rang the doorbell. A supermodel opened the door. She was tall, slim, tanned, with cascading blond hair and blue eyes. She was wearing teeny-tiny denim shorts and a bikini top.

'Yez, can I 'elp you?' She asked, in the sexiest French accent this side of Bridget Bardot.

'Hi I'm Molly. I've just moved in next door. Do you live here?'

'Yez, I am the au pair of theez family.'

'Oh, right, OK.' Thank God for that. I didn't fancy befriending a mother whose thighs were the same width as my middle finger. 'Is the mum around?'

'No, she eez shopping. She like to shop very much. I think she will be back at about five o'clock, but I am not definite about theez.

'No problem. Will you just tell her I popped over to say hi?'

'OK.' The supermodel closed the door.

'Mummy, she looked like a princess!' Even Lara was impressed.

'I know. But she's not the mummy, she's the minder.' I didn't want Lara thinking that any mother looked like that.

'I want a minder like her,' Lara said.

'Come on, let's go home and have some ice-cream.' I wanted to distract Lara from the stunning au pair. I wanted to distract myself from her, too - she had reminded me of someone I'd rather forget.

I'd always felt really secure in my marriage. Charles was solid, steady and devoted to me. He was very English - reserved and measured - and had always liked my lack of restraint and impulsiveness. I felt safe with Charles. But then one day, about five months ago, I'd called on him at work at the training ground. I wanted to show him a painting I'd bought. When I arrived I saw him talking to a young woman. She was wearing tight leggings and a team sweatshirt - not very flattering, but you could tell she had a killer body underneath. Even from a distance, I could tell he was trying to impress her. I could see how animated he was. He was telling some story and she was laughing hard. I knew it couldn't have been that funny, because Charles is no comedian. She had her hand in his arm and she was leaning into him and her was leaning towards her, too. You could tell from a mile away that they liked each other. There was an intimacy about them that stopped me in my tracks.

Liz did point out that it wasn't as if I had found him having hot sex with someone in the storage cupboard, but I still felt sick. I could see he was flirting with her. You know when your husband fancies someone...because he acts the way he did when he used to fancy you.

When I came up behind them, Charles jumped and then went a bit red in the face. He hadn't been expecting me and was suddenly flustered. He introduced me to this Mandy person. She was at least ten years younger than me and a whole lot more pert. Her boobs still stood up and her face was almost devoid of lines.

I put out my hand and shook hers very firmly - if I'm being honest, I crushed it a bit. Well, a woman has to stand her ground. I wanted Mandy to be under no illusion as to who she was up against. 'And what do you do, Mandy?' I asked.

'I'm a physio,'she said, shaking her bouncy ponytail.

'Really? And how long have you been working with Charles?'

'About two months,' she said. 'He's been so great to me, showing me the ropes and making sure I feel included in the squad. And he's so funny- you must laugh all the time at home. You're so lucky.'

Two months! Two months! This flirtation had been going on and Charles had never mentioned any new physio coming into the squad. And who the hell was Mandy to tell me how lucky I was? And Charles wasn't that funny. He could be amusing sometimes but not hysterically so, like she was making out. I was furious and, actually, I felt threatened and suddenly very insecure.

'Well, I'd better go. I'll see you later at training. Charles. Nice to meet you, Melissa.'

'It's Molly,' I said.

'Oops, sorry.' Mandy bounced off, leaving me seething with a shifty-looking Charles.

I turned to my hilarious husband. 'So how come you never mentioned Mandy before?'

He shrugged. 'What's to say? She's one of the physios, that's all.'

I glared at him. ' i think there's a lot to say actually. She seems to find you very amusing. Apparently you went out of your way to make sure she felt at home. You seem to have taken a very keen interest in her.'

Charles dug his hands into his tracksuit pockets. ' I always try to make new people feel comfortable.'

'Oh, she seems very comfortable to me. You're doing a great job there. She looks very at home.'

'She's a good physio and fun to be around. All the guys love her.'

I bet they do, I thought grimly. 'Is this right? Well, bully for her.' I tried to keep my voice neutral. I didn't want Charles to see how rattled I was. I wanted to be calm...but, unfortunately that is not my nature.

'Do you fancy her?' I blurted out.

'No.' He was avoiding my eyes.

'Oh, my God, you do. I can see it in your face.' I was shocked. I'd never been remotely worried that Charles would meet someone in work, because 99 per cent of the people he worked with were men. Besides I hadn't imagined he fancied other women any more. I'm not saying he didn't think some women were good-looking or sexy...but actively fancy them? No. I'd never seen him like this with any of our female friends or his colleagues' wives or anyone else we socialised with. Charles was always polite and charming, but never flirty.

'For goodness sake, Molly, don't start making a drama out of nothing. She's a new colleague I get on well with.'

'Very well, by the look of things,' I muttered.

'She's easy to work with. There's no crime in that,' he snapped.

I opened my mouth to protest, but decided to shut it again. He was annoyed and defensive. I didn't want to push him right into Mandy's arms. I needed to step away and think about what to do. I changed the subject and tried my best to be breezy, but it was difficult through gritted teeth.

For the next month I'd watched Charles like a hawk and popped in at different times of the day, to visit him at work. I checked his phone and his laptop when he wasn't in the room, but didn't find anything. As Liz said it was probably just a little flirtation, and there was no harm in it. But I didn't feel so blasé. A flirt can lead to a lot more if it isn't nipped in the bud. A flirt means your bored at home. Happily married men don't flirt.

Charles got more into sex in the weeks that followed my meeting with Mandy than he knew what to do with. I cranked it up big-time - new lingerie, scented body lotion, candles and even some dirty talk. Charles seemed very pleased and participated enthusiastically. It ended up being fun for both of us. But I had been shaken by what I'd seen. I realised that I needed to make more of an effort at keeping our marriage interesting and fresh. And although most nights I just wanted to put on my fleecy pyjamas and eat chocolate biscuits in bed while watching bad reality TV, I had to remember that there were two of us in our relationship.

Then, of course Charles had been fired and Mandy was no longer an issue as our life was turned upside-down.

As I walked the children back to our house, I resolved that this was the night to christen our new home. I'd bought a black lacy body in Sydney, before we left, and I was going to root it out, open a bottle of wine and give Charles a little reminder of why he'd fallen in love with me.

I was lost in thought, planning my evening, when I heard, 'Hey, Sis. Hey, Shrimp. Hey, gorgeous.'

It was Liz, climbing out of a taxi, looking amazing, with perfect hair and make up. She was wearing a ballet-length, halter neck red dress.

'I know, I look ridiculous. This dress is so conservative, but they've had complaints about me showing too much flesh on the show. Apparently some frigid cow in Devon thought it was disgraceful to have so much cleavage and thigh on view on an afternoon show. I bet her husband loved it and she just got the hump with him ogling me.'

I never ceased to wonder where Liz got her confidence. It was colossal. I wished I had half of it.

'You should consider wearing clothes that don't show off so much flesh more often. You look much nicer and less available,' I noted, behaving every inch the older sister. But, then, it was true.

'I've come straight from the studio to give you the good news. I'm the best sister in the world and you can grovel at my feet.'

I put my key in the door and ushered the kids through the kitchen and into the back garden. 'Go-on- I'm waiting with bated breath'

Liz threw her enormous bag onto a chair. 'I've only gone and got you a job!'