And there you had it. The real reason her mother pretended to give a damn about Emer’s life. Because she was terrified Emer might do something to thwart her single-minded ambition to become lady of Steward’s Lodge, the official residence for Ireland’s Taoiseach. Ever since seeing a documentary on the house a few years ago, Ursula had become obsessed with living there one day. An obsession fuelled by her husband’s steady rise up the ranks of Fine Gael.

So far, there was little evidence that Ursula’s ambition wouldn’t be fulfilled. Robert O’Brien was the party’s bright shining star. A successful businessman, he’d built a reputation as someone with integrity and empathy. In politics, he’d cleverly aligned himself with the emerging ideology of the new Ireland, becoming an outspoken supporter of causes such as gay marriage, divorce and the recent abortion referendum.

Robert’s political ambitions, coupled with his money, had been an attractive option for Ursula after her husband disappeared. Boring, respectable Robert had offered her all the security and financial comfort her first husband had failed to provide. There had been times, plenty of them, when Emer had wondered if her mother had had a hand in her father’s sudden disappearance. Because there was no doubt Ursula had benefitted hugely from being newly single and being able to choose a partner better suited to giving her the lifestyle she believed she deserved.

There were advantages to living with Robert, of course. He was kind and never seemed to lose his temper or get angry. The biggest change, however, was Ursula’s attitude to her remaining child. While she didn’t become kind or loving, her cruelty abated. She didn’t lose her temper the way she used to and, since she’d moved in with Robert, she had never once hurt Emer physically. Emer suspected her mother’s behaviour had improved for the benefit of her new husband, rather than Emer herself, but that hardly mattered. The important thing was that after they’d moved in with Robert, Emer was able to finally feel safe.

‘Would you like some more chicken?’ Robert’s voice dragged Emer back to the dining room, the sun streaming through the windows and the tiny portions of food on the plate in front of her.

‘She’s not even finished what’s on her plate,’ Ursula said, before Emer had a chance to answer.

Ursula’s obsession with portion control and calorie counting was another reason Emer hated living here. Ursula had been vigilant to the point of obsessive when Emer was younger, making sure her only remaining child didn’t become overweight. Almost, Emer used to think, as if being fat were a worse crime than being dead.