‘No, Mrs O’Brien, I wasn’t. I’ll tell you why I drove in a minute,’ Felicity said calmly, placing the shopping bag on the table. ‘I’ve brought you a dinner and some trifle for dessert. Would you like to have it now? I’ll heat it up in the microwave if you want.’

‘That’s very kind of you.’ Imelda’s eyes brightened. Felicity was a great cook and she always enjoyed the meals her daughter-in-law served. ‘I wasn’t expecting that. I’ll have it now, then. I’m a bit peckish. I wasn’t in the humour for cooking a full dinner. Eh . . . were you talking to anyone . . . ?’ she enquired delicately while Felicity put the plate in the microwave.

‘Not a sinner,’ Felicity said lightly. ‘Cormac and myself had a lazy morning.’

‘I went past the house and saw the cars there as I was going to Mass,’ Imelda remarked, fetching cutlery from the dresser to set her place at the table. The aroma emanating from the microwave was mouth-watering and she suddenly realized that she was famished.

‘A glass of milk?’ Felicity enquired.

‘Huh, the way I feel I’d be as well turning to the vino. I’ve upset everyone, I suppose,’ Imelda came straight out with it.

‘Sit down there and enjoy your dinner.’ Felicity ignored the comment, placing the steaming plate in front of her mother-in-law.

‘I’ll never eat all that,’ Imelda declared, dipping a spoon into a small dish of horseradish sauce and spreading it over the roast beef.

‘Eat as much as you can,’ Felicity said. Imelda always said the same thing every time a meal was put in front of her, before clearing her plate. ‘Will I light the fire for you while you’re eating?’ she asked, anxious to get the visit over as soon as possible.

‘That would be lovely. I’ll sit looking at the Christmas tree. It’s nearly the sixth. Time to take it down. The season flew in,’ Imelda observed, filling her fork with mushy peas and creamy potatoes.

Felicity set the fire and put a match to it, and placed Imelda’s Sunday paper on the small side table beside her chair. Her mother-in-law was tucking into the trifle when she went back into the kitchen ten minutes later.

‘That was delicious,’ Imelda declared. ‘I didn’t realize how hungry I was.’ She indicated the empty plate. ‘You can put that in the dishwasher.’

‘Will I make you a cup of tea to bring into the lounge?’ Felicity was used to her mother-in-law’s imperious ways and she did as she was bid.

‘Yes, that would be grand,’ Imelda nodded, scraping the trifle dish.