He sighed, but switched the oven on before turning round to face Thea. ‘I didn’t know Veronica had any plans for Rory.’

‘Yeah, right! You didn’t come all the way to Ireland with Toby because Molly asked you to. You did it to track Rory down for Veronica, so she could put on the show he should have had first time round.’

‘Veronica doesn’t have a gallery. She’s a patron, she collects artists, but she doesn’t have space of her own.’

Thea made a dismissive gesture. ‘Well, whatever, you knew Veronica was interested in him, which was why you went to Ireland. What I want to know is why the fuck you let me set up the gallery?’

‘I tried to stop you. I pointed out the pitfalls.’

‘You’re pathetic! You didn’t try to stop me at all. You know bloody well that if you’d told me Rory was destined for Cork Street or wherever, and wouldn’t show with me, I’d have gone back from Ireland to my lodgers and my part-time job, and taken up a hobby!’

‘I’ve told you I didn’t know Veronica had plans for Rory and I don’t believe she did until she heard about your gallery – and before you accuse me of telling her, she heard about it from Toby.’

‘Hide behind your son, would you?’

Then she winced as she watched his reaction. His rage seemed to fill him like an implosion of explosive gas. Frightened, she prepared to duck or run as surely he would direct his anger at her.

Seeing her hover, prepared for flight, enraged him more and his eyes glittered. He thumped his fist on the worktop and the glasses in the cupboard above clattered together.

Thea kept her weight on the balls of her feet, but held her own. Her fear had insulted him further and as much as she hated him, she wished she hadn’t shown it.

‘I am not hiding behind my son,’ he said in a dangerously quiet voice. ‘I am telling you the truth. If you don’t choose to hear it and prefer to write your own little scenarios about what happened, don’t let me stop you. But I’m not going to defend myself to you any more.’

‘Fine.’ Her voice was shaking. She no longer felt like slugging it out with words. She didn’t believe him, not because she didn’t want to, but because it just didn’t seem credible. Why on earth would Veronica only have become interested in Rory again when she heard about Thea’s art gallery?

‘I think we should eat,’ said Ben.

His voice was shaking too and Thea wondered how near he had actually been to hitting her.

‘Would you like a drink?’

‘Yes, please.’