Her voice trailed off. There was no other reason for Robert to be here. He’d found out that Kitty was still alive, and he’d come to kill her. So she could never tell anyone the sort of man he was. Because if people realised what he was really like, that would properly ruin Robert’s plans to become Ireland’s next Taoiseach. And not just Robert’s plans, but Ursula’s as well.

‘What about Uncle Frank?’ Emer asked, remembering Dee’s beautiful house on the beach. ‘Did he know what Eamon was up to?’

‘He knew all right,’ Fiona said. ‘He tried to warn Eamon off, more than once, but Eamon just ignored him.’

‘Uncle Frank always kept in touch,’ Kitty said. ‘He was wonderful.’

‘And Dee? You never met her?’

‘Uncle Frank didn’t think it was safe,’ Kitty said. ‘Don’t forget, he really believed my life was in danger. The only way to keep me safe was for as few people as possible to know who I really was.’

‘But you changed your name, your whole identity. How is that even possible?’ Emer asked. ‘How can you get a national security number or a passport if you’re not who you say you are?’

‘We ran a pub,’ Fiona said. ‘You meet all sorts of people through that job. It was easier than you’d imagine to pay someone to arrange a new identity.’

‘So Kitty became Annie and I was told to accept my sister was dead.’ Emer shook her head. ‘I can’t believe it was that easy.’

‘It didn’t feel easy,’ Kitty said. ‘It still doesn’t. Fiona and Michael were brilliant, but I was a difficult kid. I was pretty messed up.’ She smiled. ‘Most people would say I still am.’

‘That makes two of us then.’ Emer leaned over and squeezed her sister’s hand. The contact gave her strength. She looked at the two women sitting opposite her.

‘What happens now?’

‘We do what we should have done years ago,’ Fiona said. ‘We go to the police. If I’d been brave enough to do that earlier, we might not be where we are today. Michael would never have gone to prison.’ She looked at Emer. ‘And you’d have had your sister back. I’m so sorry.’

‘I met Michael,’ Emer said. ‘I went to visit him yesterday morning. I thought he might be Dad.’

‘What made you think that?’ Kitty asked.

‘It’s a long story,’ Emer said, ‘and it doesn’t matter now, anyway. He was very kind to me.’

‘He’s okay then,’ Kitty said. ‘Thank goodness. I tried to call him yesterday but he didn’t pick up, which is unusual.’

‘When he got out of prison,’ Fiona said to Emer, ‘I wanted him to move back home. He refused. He’s never been able to forgive himself – or me – for what he did to your father. It destroyed our marriage.’