She pointed a chocolate finger at him and spoke to Annie.

‘Did he ever tell you how he broke that young girl’s heart Annie? Oh, sure it nearly broke his poor mother’s heart, lord rest her. That wee girl coming to the house, all those years, just so she could get a wee bit of information about what this one was up to.’

He felt an urgent need to defend himself before the jury retired to consider its verdict.

‘Oh, Maggie, come on now, it happened a long time ago. It’s all in the distant past. Bernadette told me she used to go round to see mum once a week for a little while after I left. I’m truly sorry for what I did, but life goes on.’

The chocolate finger was waving close to the end of his nose but her eyes were on Annie.

‘Would you listen to this fella. Jesus Christ, God forgive me for swearing, but that girl never missed a Saturday with Mammy for nearly seventeen years, which is more than can be said for him! Even after she married that lanky fella from Dublin, she still came to see Mammy once or twice a month. Sure wasn’t she here only last Saturday, and going on and on about how she was so excited that she’d seen her Cormac on some late night political rubbish during the week.’

Her voice seemed to fade into the distance as the pounding in his head competed with the thumping in his chest. He rounded on her.

‘You’re lying. Why would you do that? Why would you lie about something like that?’

He slumped back in the chair and knew the answer before it came.

‘I beg your pardon. I don’t tell lies, Cormac. It’s the God’s honest truth. She was here on Saturday with Mammy. She wanted to take her out in the car but she wasn’t feeling very well. Mammy loved her and she used to sing for her. Mammy loved to hear her sing. She sang for her in the living room on Saturday evening with only me and Mammy for an audience. What is it they call that song she used to sing specially for her?’

She started to hum it gently. He recognised it in an instant. He felt his throat close.

‘It’s ‘Bright Blue Rose’, Maggie.’

‘That’s it. How’d you get that so quickly?’

He closed his eyes to hide the pain.

‘Because she was still singing it for her the night we met.’

His phone rang loudly and he was glad of the excuse to leave the room. He glanced at the number and it didn’t register as someone he knew. He wouldn’t ordinarily have answered it. He stood up and walked to the kitchen.

‘I’m sorry, I really must take this call.’

He closed the door on Maggie and Annie and on his embarrassment and his shame.

He didn’t recognise the frantic voice on the line.

‘Cormac, please don’t say anything, especially to Maggie, but it’s Jack here and I desperately need to speak to you.’