Maura didn’t question him further. She had no desire to embarrass him into owning up that he could read no better than Tommy. ‘I’ll wait until tonight to open ours. Tommy and I like to read them together,’ she said. ‘I’m so delighted there’s one from Peggy next door – to think she was that organised to go to the post office and buy the airmail letter and then to even go back and post it. Peggy is obviously getting her act together now that I’ve gone and so, I suppose, every cloud does have a silver lining – because, God, she needed to.’

‘Even we hear about Peggy in our letters from Kathleen,’ said Liam. ‘Kathleen says she feels sorry for the kids.’

Maura sighed as the smile slipped from her face. ‘I do miss those kids, especially little Paddy, and I do worry. I suppose the nuns or Kathleen will tell me if I’ve anything serious to be worrying about though, isn’t that right?’

Liam nodded sagely. ‘You haven’t really settled here, have you, Maura?’

Liam dropped a gear and turned onto the narrow road which led to the coastal village. It was more of a statement than a question and it caught her off guard. The last of the daylight clung on stubbornly as the ocean roared to the left and the moon began to rise over the Nephin Beg and made ghosts of the mountains before them. The road ahead held another half hour of travel before they reached their destination.

‘Why would you say that, Liam? Have people been talking? Have I not been putting on a good enough show? Jesus, why would I not settle? It’s such a joy to wait on those miserable bastards all afternoon and evening.’

Liam roared with laughter. ‘I’ve heard that you haven’t exactly been making best friends with the locals. You’ll have to forgive them, Maura, it’s a man they are used to have running things, so you will have taken them by surprise, that’s all.’

‘Jesus, it’s because I’m a woman, is it? It’s their wives I would pity, if I didn’t know they send their miserable bloody husbands down to me in the pub, to get them out of their way.’

‘Maura, they are the men who keep handing you their money over the bar; you should be delighted their wives kick them out of the cottages. What would you be doing without them? You know, I wish your Tommy had spoken to me before you spent every flaming penny on that place. I’m not sure if you will ever get your money back – but you shouldn’t bite the hands that are feeding you right now.’