Her comfort, her life, was always at the forefront of his thoughts. She did as she was told and took a step backwards as she took her petrol lighter from her pocket and, flicking the lid back, held it under the cigarette that dangled from Eric’s lips. He inhaled the fumes from the petrol before he pulled up the flame and the stray ends of tobacco sizzled in the Rizla. Their eyes met and held again, despite the best intentions of both. They lived by the rules because Eric was a married man. This morning ritual was the closest they came to intimacy and, as she leant forwards, she inhaled the earthy smell of him, the morning air and Old Spice, cigarette smoke and horse. It felt to Eric as though the world stopped spinning on its axis, as if, for those captured seconds, he was someone else, sharing a harmonious life with someone who cared. This morning their eyes lingered on each other for longer than usual before she drew on the flame herself, the lid of the lighter snapped shut and she slipped it back into her cardigan pocket. The moment was gone, over and done, until tomorrow.

‘Yes, that was Maura all over for you,’ she said. ‘She kept this street in order, she did. Just look at the state of Peggy’s nets. They were never like that when Maura was around. And I’ll tell you what, Maura did get the money back off Peggy right enough; she made sure of it. She ran that house next door as well as her own. God love them, if there was a family that deserved good luck, it was theirs. Terrible thing that, losing their Kitty. I promised Maura before she left that I’d keep an eye out for little Paddy and the others. It’s not the kids’ fault they’ve got a mam and da like Peggy and big Paddy.’

Eric agreed. ‘No, that’s why I always feel bad when she asks me for the milk. Breaks my heart it does to see a kid go hungry.’

Maggie looked up at Eric. His shoulders were broad and he was a good eight inches taller than she was, his complexion lined and cragged from spending hours of his day outdoors, his eyes dark and deep and his hair, cut into a style only just longer than when he was in the army, poked out from under his waterproof white cap. If anyone saw them together, they would say ‘there’s a good-looking couple’ and she knew it. A vainer woman than Maggie Trott would have relished such a compliment.