Heartsore at the thought of his son being hurt because of him, the last spark of hope died in Frank’s eyes. He had always tried to be a good father, but now, when he ought to have doubled his efforts in light of them losing their mother, he had failed his children in every possible way. Marie had been right to call him a disgrace, and if, by some miracle, he and Evan came out of this alive, Frank would do everything in his power to make it up to him – and to Jo.

Resigned to the thought that, whichever way this turned out, his children probably wouldn’t want to have anything to do with him, Frank washed the blood off his face and brushed his teeth, then shampooed the grease out of his hair before heading back to his room to change into clean clothes.

When he went downstairs a short time later, Irena was coming out of the kitchen with the overflowing laundry basket in her hands, and their eyes met for a brief moment before, blushing, she scuttled into the utility room. Walking on into the kitchen, Frank stopped and looked around, drinking it all in. It was the first time he’d stepped foot in there since arriving home after visiting Yvonne on Christmas Day to find Karel and Nick with their feet under the table, and his heart cried when he saw the state of the place. Irena had kept it tidy when it had been the two of them, but he guessed she was overwhelmed by the volume of people she was now catering for when he saw the dirty crockery stacked on the ledge beside the sink, and the empty whisky bottles and crumpled beer cans heaped in the corner beside the overflowing bin. The table was littered with playing cards and used glasses, some of which still contained dregs of alcohol; but he was more upset about the china saucers from a tea set Maureen had inherited from her mother being used as ashtrays – along with the tabletop, which was scarred with numerous burn marks. The lack of respect was staggering, but he didn’t know why he’d expected better of these animals.

A girlish little giggle drifted out from the living room, and Frank looked round to see Karel coming out into the hall with his arm around a young, barefoot girl dressed in a long shirt. She was extremely pretty, with dark-lashed blue eyes and long black hair, and Frank instantly recognized her as the one he’d seen smile at Karel on the day the girls had first arrived. Realizing that she must also be the one he’d heard Karel having sex with, he understood why Irena had looked so miserable. If Karel was no longer trying to hide the relationship from her, she had to be afraid that her days were numbered.