"I will never forgive Carlotta for taking my child into a circus." Fern says petulantly. "You can't use a child as a freak show just because he happens to have albino skin. You know how I found out where William was? I saw the poster, tracked them down, and he was left playing in the mud with a bunch of other babies and just one of the other children watching."

She wipes her eyes.

"And she's not looking after Will properly either."