‘Yes, yes, I did, but when I chose your father, I didn’t choose a bloody villain, did I? I chose a docker who isn’t afraid of honest hard work, now why can’t you just do the same? I wanted better for you,’ she wailed. ‘I thought taking the veil would be good for you. Haven’t you had enough of looking after kids? Aren’t this lot enough for you? I thought I was saving you from this.’

Mary felt her anger slowly rise like bile in her gullet, but her response was calm and steady. ‘No, Mam, that was you. Not me. No, not me.’ She shook her head from side to side.

Mary could see that Deirdre was thinking, plotting, then her mother’s eyes narrowed as a thought struck her. There was one question, one fear that had to be resolved there and then. ‘How long has this been going on? Has he had his way with you? Has he? Tell me right now?’

Mary clenched her teeth together and looked down at her nails, bitten to the quick and cracked from hard work. Deirdre felt a panic rising. ‘Oh, Holy Mother of God! Mary, I’m asking you, how many times has Jimmy O’Prey kissed you? How far have you gone? Jesus, tell me you aren’t pregnant?’ Deirdre was almost at screaming pitch.

Mary looked up at her mother, unable to stop the tears from flowing now. ‘Mam, what do you mean, how far?’

Now it was Deirdre’s turn to look embarrassed. ‘Mary, you and me, we need to have a little talk about things for, honest to God, you don’t understand. A few words followed by a few minutes with a scally like Jimmy O’Prey, they can ruin your life forever. You are never to be alone with him ever again, do you hear me? That’s how accidents happen.’

Like most of the women on the four streets, Deirdre loved a drama and that day she had one all of her very own. ‘God, my nerves are shot, I’ll be down at Dr Cole’s at this rate. Who would have thought it? You, kissing Jimmy O’Prey and in broad daylight too! The shame of it if anyone had seen you. Mary, you promise me now that you will never see him again, because if you do I’ll have to tell your da and he won’t be happy, I can tell you. There will be trouble, Mary.’