Nellie, desperate to do more to help, clapped her hands. ‘Yes, I’ll help.’

Kathleen nodded. ‘I’m going to give it another hour and then I’m going to the pub to fetch Jerry and ask him what we will do, but, sure, look, it’s gone eight; she’ll be back soon enough wherever she is. Peggy would never leave her kids for long, she’ll be back.’

They all turned as the back door flew open and Alice thought she was imagining things when Angela burst into her kitchen and then, with tears springing from her eyes, ran to Nellie and threw her arms around her and began to wail. Then the rest of the Doherty children filed in, Maura and Tommy behind them.

‘Maura! Tommy!’ Kathleen exclaimed. ‘Feck, I think I’m going to faint!’

Seconds later the noise in the kitchen was so loud, Kathleen could hardly hear herself think and Joseph, who had woken, thundered down the stairs.

‘Is that Captain Conor’s ship in the dock?’ said Tommy to Alice as Kathleen fussed over the kids and Maura.

‘It is, Tommy, and you can guess where Jerry is?’

‘What a night to come home. Is the haul waiting to come up?’

Alice had picked Niamh up and rocked with her on her hip. ‘Not yet. It has a list and needs to go into dry dock after it’s been unloaded. Jerry reckons there’s nothing wrong with it, that Conor’s overdone it with the barrels of dark rum from the Caribbean and he’s gone to see him down the Anchor.’

Tommy winked at Alice, then said, ‘I’m off to the pub, Maura, to see a man about a dog,’ and without another word he was out of the door and down the backyard, whistling as he went.

‘Tommy!’ Maura stood at the back door with her hand out. Tommy knew exactly what she was there for, the money from the sale of the Talk of the Town. He slipped his hand inside his jacket and, removing the money, placed it in her own. ‘Away with you,’ she said, grumpily, but Tommy could feel her warm smile on his back as he almost ran through the gate.

*

Back in the kitchen, with tea in her hand and Nellie and Alice feeding the children with griddle scones, Maura felt as though she could relax for the first time in days.

‘Sit down, Maura, leave them to us,’ Alice had said as she mixed the batter in the bowl. ‘They are far too excited so they need to get it out of their system and then, when they are done, I’m making some to take down to Peggy’s.’