Evan was out of the car and walking toward them. Thinking on his feet, Frank turned to face him.

‘What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay away?’

‘We need to talk,’ Evan said. Then, frowning when he noticed the blood on the side of his father’s face, the dry leaves stuck to his sweater and the debris in his messed-up hair, he said, ‘What’s happened? You look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards.’

‘I fell over,’ Frank lied, folding his arms. ‘It’s nothing.’

Unsure if he believed him, Evan eyed the other men and the van, and asked, ‘Are you having work done on the house?’

‘No, this is Irena’s brother, and their friend.’ Frank nodded at Karel and Nick in turn. ‘Now, if you’re finished with the inquisition, we’ve got things to do.’

Aware that he was being dismissed, Evan stood his ground.

‘You’re my father, and if you can put yourself out for this lot, don’t you think I deserve the same consideration?’

‘What’s this lot supposed to mean?’ Nick stepped forward aggressively. ‘You some kind of fuckin’ racist, or summat?’

Unfazed, Evan peered down into the smaller man’s eyes, and said, ‘No, I’m not. And this has got nowt to do with you, so why don’t you back off and let me talk to my dad in private, eh?’

Aware that the guns could be brought out again as quickly as they’d been stashed away, Frank stepped between them, saying, ‘It’s OK, I’ll deal with this.’

‘There’s nothing to deal with,’ Evan said, tempering his tone as he turned to address his father again. ‘I came to talk, not argue, so can’t we—’

‘No!’ Frank interrupted sharply. ‘I told you you’re not welcome here, and I haven’t changed my mind, so go home. Now,’ he added, emphasizing the word with his eyes, praying that his son would pick up on the hidden message he was sending.

Evan stared back at him for several seconds, but just as Frank was beginning to fear that he wasn’t going to give up, Karel walked over and clapped a hand on Evan’s shoulder.

‘Is sad when father and son disagree, and I can see this is upset you,’ he said, adopting the same thick accent he’d initially used on Frank as he walked Evan back to his car. ‘I will speak to him on your behalf, but I think is best if you respect his wishes and leave now. Yes?’