Peggy turned back to Mr Heartfelt. What had she been saying? She had forgotten. Her mouth was dry, her head was spinning, black spots were swarming before her eyes. She had been out of the house for hours, had stood for so long, waiting, and she desperately needed to use the bathroom. Frank the Skank was shaking his head at her disapprovingly.

‘Mr – Mr Heartfelt, I would just like to explain…’

But he held up his hand and stopped her. ‘Mrs Nolan, I wrote to you asking you to call in to see me and I’m very sorry to be the bearer of bad news—’

Peggy’s panic reached her mouth as the words spewed out. ‘Oh, please, don’t you be worrying, I can pay the arrears off, I’ll have no trouble doing that. No, we just need the appointment at the hospital to come through so that someone can look at Paddy’s back and then it will all be back to normal. He’s sick, you see.’ Peggy’s head swam and she put her hand out to steady her against the wall; it landed on a drawing pin. She flinched and, pulling her hand back, rubbed it hard. A spot of blood appeared in the middle of her palm and she smeared it away.

Heartfelt paid not the slightest attention, simply thinking to himself, if I don’t get the rent book back from the Dohertys this one will do. In fact he hated this part of his job. It was a massive inconvenience – those who had inherited rent books were the worst. He looked over to Frank who nodded in his direction with a knowing half-smile and he recalled their last conversation.

‘We will get you the Dohertys’ house. The trouble with these people is that they feel a sense of entitlement, as though the house is their own,’ he had said to Frank. ‘Think it’s their right to keep it, even when they can no longer pay, because the rent book gets passed down the line. It’s a bloody nuisance.’

‘Is that why the Dohertys are still paying?’ Frank had asked.

Mr Heartfelt had shaken his head. ‘I’ve no idea what’s going on there. I know they came into money, but they bought a pub in Ireland and, by all accounts, it’s not doing too well. Maybe they are coming back?’

Frank had scowled. ‘That’s not part of our agreement; you owe me.’

Mr Heartfelt had looked nervous. ‘Frank, we can’t draw attention to ourselves, can we? I’ve written and asked for the rent book from the Dohertys and I’ve sent a bailiff’s notice to the house next door. You will get your house, two weeks, tops. You wait and see, it will all be done, Frank. You just get on with your end of the bargain.’