They eventually reached the outskirts of Dublin, forty minutes after they left the hotel. Harry managed to drive around in circles for the first thirty and only admitted he was lost when an old traveller tapped the window and asked him if he was looking for anyone in particular on the fifth occasion they’d driven onto her site next to the docks.

Cormac was grateful the girls were asleep after their constant, and he suspected, still drunken, details of the concert. Harry was in no mood to talk and he suspected that was mainly due to his three-hour stint with the bride’s father at the wedding. His phone buzzed silently in his trouser pocket for the fourth time in ten minutes. He looked at the missed calls. He didn’t recognise the number. All four calls were from the same number. He listened to the latest message.

‘Hello, Cormac, it’s Maggie here. The thing is … the thing is, Cormac … I was wondering what you and Annie were doing this afternoon. You see Jack and me would like it if you could call for some lunch, or just a cup of tea … he hasn’t got to see you and well I would like to a … you know … I would like to a… apologise for my behaviour the other day and I…. I don’t want Annie… or you, in fact, going back to England on that note … so if you could give me a call back on this number which is 0777… 0777… Oh I can’t remember… but Jack says it will come up on your phone… God bless.’

‘Trouble?’

‘What?’

‘The message you just listened to. By the look on your miserable face, I’d say that was trouble!’

He sighed and placed the phone back in his pocket.

‘Not trouble really - it’s just Maggie. She wants us to call for lunch or something.’

Harry opened a toffee to satisfy his sugar craving.

‘What’s the problem? Why don’t you go for an hour and tell her I’ve organised something back at my place and you can’t disappoint me. She is your big sister, Cormac - it wouldn’t cost you very much to cut her a bit of slack and spend an hour of your time with her, would it?’

Cormac unwrapped one of the toffees Harry hadn’t offered him.

‘It’s just I was thinking of going home tonight and travelling back with the official party tomorrow.’

‘I thought you’d cleared it with the prime minister you’d make your own way there.’

He removed the toffee which was hurting his tooth.

‘I did, but I’m not really that comfortable about hanging around Killane, if I’m being honest.’

Harry unwrapped another toffee.

‘Don’t, then. We’ll call at my place; you get the car, see Maggie for an hour, and come back and hide out with your old mate who incidentally you have ignored for the vast majority of this trip. Besides, Annie and Claire are having a great time and they can go out on Friday night while you’re hobnobbing at the castle.’