‘I’m not talking about him, I’m talking about you,’ Jo interrupted. ‘You’re his father, and you’ve known him his entire life, so how could you accuse him of something as vile as that?’

‘I didn’t accuse him of anything,’ Frank replied evenly. ‘I caught him. But, like I told him, I’m sure he got his wires crossed and misread the situation.’

‘She threw herself at him. There’s nothing to misread in that.’

‘With respect, love, you’re not here, and you haven’t seen the way he’s been behaving around her.’

‘So he flirted with her – big deal. He’s a man. That’s what they do when they’re attracted to someone.’

‘Not all of us.’

‘Oh, come off it, you’re no saint. Mum knew exactly what you were like, and it used to really piss her off when you turned on the charm for other women.’

‘I never cheated on your mother,’ Frank protested. ‘I loved her.’

‘So why are you disrespecting her memory by screwing that bitch in her house?’ Jo demanded. ‘And why would this woman even want to have sex with you if Evan tried to force himself on her? Rape is one of the most traumatic things a woman can go through, and there’s no way she’d have got over it that fast.’

‘I know what I saw,’ Frank said, rubbing his temples when they started throbbing. ‘Evan was lying on top of her with his hand over her mouth when I walked in, and she was absolutely terrified.’

‘She put it on because she heard you coming down the stairs,’ Jo said, repeating Evan’s theory. ‘But if you’d given him the chance to tell you what actually happened, you’d know she’d offered to give him a blow job immediately before that. And I’m sorry if that offends you, but you need to know the kind of woman you’re dealing with.’

Patience wearing thin, Frank said, ‘Irena has done nothing wrong, and I don’t appreciate you talking about her like this when you haven’t even met her.’

‘No, I haven’t met her, and I don’t bloody want to, because I’d be tempted to rip her lying face off,’ Jo retorted defiantly. ‘How dare she worm her way into my mother’s house and cause trouble like this!’

‘This isn’t really about her, is it?’ Frank asked perceptively. ‘It wouldn’t matter who she was, or where she’d come from, you just can’t bear that she’s here. But your mum’s gone and she’s never coming back, so it’s about time you accepted it.’

‘I can’t believe you said that,’ Jo gasped. ‘You might want to forget about Mum, but I never will.’