‘No.’ She stopped walking, only moving when he dragged her forward and she didn’t have a choice. ‘I’m done with the lies, Robert. I know what you did. Kitty didn’t kill Lucy. It was you. You were driving the car that night. And you were at that party where that poor girl…’

‘Emer, listen to me. You’re confused. Everyone knows that. You have complex mental health issues which have never been properly treated. That’s probably my fault – I should have faced up to the problem earlier, but I’m facing up to it now. We’re going to get you back home and get you the help you need.’

‘You’re nothing but a fraud,’ she said. ‘You pretend you’re this decent man who wants to help others. But the only person you’re interested in helping is yourself. Kitty told me what happened. You were driving the car that hit Lucy and killed her.’

‘Stop that right now.’

His voice had changed, hard and angry now. His fingers dug deeper into her arm as he swung her around so she was standing in front of him. He leaned his face close to hers as he continued speaking. The stink of his cologne filled the air around her, clogging her nose and lodging in the back of her throat.

‘You are a stupid, spoiled little brat who has no idea what you’ve got yourself involved with. I am doing my best to keep a lid on this thing, trying to keep you and your mother safe. But you’re not making it easy for me. I told you not to go sticking your nose in, didn’t I? It’s not my fault your parents lied to me. All these years living with your mother, believing your sister had died. Can you imagine what it’s been like for me to find out that the woman I love has been playing me for a fool?’

‘You paid my father to make himself and Kitty disappear.’

She tasted vomit at the back of her throat, as she realised something else.

‘Oh Jesus. When they told you Kitty had drowned, you believed them. You thought they’d actually killed their own child just to protect your stupid reputation.’

‘Why wouldn’t I believe it?’ he said. ‘Your father was a greedy bastard and I paid him well enough to get the problem sorted. It wasn’t what we’d agreed. The plan had always been for your father to take Kitty to England. But when your mother told me she’d drowned, well, how was I to know she was lying to me? She’s spent the weekend trying to convince me it was all your father’s idea, but we both know that’s bullshit, don’t we Emer? Your father didn’t have the brains to orchestrate something like that. Ursula lied to stop me asking too many questions, that’s all.’