Sadie was right. In law and politics, gynaecology was ever-present.

‘I’m not remotely surprised,’ I said. ‘I’m sad for Deirdre, that’s all.’

‘You’re 100 per cent convinced that it was Gill who raped her?’

‘More like 99 per cent. Or 90. I shouldn’t be as sure as I am. I don’t actually know.’

‘No you don’t,’ Sadie said.

‘I think I’m right, though, or I feel I am a lot of the time. But Gill’s like an eel. Every time I have a hold of something, or of him, he slips from my grasp. Even what happened today at the workshop, it seemed so clear at the time that he was targeting that girl Carmel from St Al’s. But she’s one of the loudest voices on Twitter, she seems to have started the lawyerbitch hashtag. I just don’t know. I don’t know who he is. Or what I’m doing. Maybe I’ve gone a bit mad over the last few days. And now I’m going to be mad and jobless and homeless too. It’s too awful for words.’

‘Could you issue a statement? Defend yourself?’

‘I want to – but issuing a statement only fuels the fire and gets me nowhere. I said that to the partners’ meeting at work. The best thing is to let it die down and, if asked, say something like “not in a position to comment at present”. I’m expecting some press interest, I know it’s already made breakingnews.ie and I’m fairly sure it will hit the papers. But if they’re not fed, the press will tire of the story. And Twitter will move on. That seems to be the approach being taken by the festival too. But there’s an added complication for me, something dire altogether.’

‘What could be worse?’

‘I got a letter by fax, and an email, this afternoon from Gill’s solicitors. Elliott Phillips, the biggest and baddest in Dublin, offices worldwide.’

‘What does it say? Just tell me.’

‘It tells me to cease and desist my campaign of harassment and intimidation of their client, one Jeremy Gill, in default of which the appropriate further action shall be taken against me without further recourse to correspondence, which said action shall include, without being limited to, civil proceedings for defamation, including all and any damage to their client’s impeccable reputation, and/or complaint to the Law Society of Ireland seeking to strike me off the roll of solicitors for misconduct and/or complaint to an Garda Síochána in respect of their client’s fears and concerns for his personal safety, and the letter taxes me with the costs of all and any proceedings.’

‘Ouch,’ Sadie said.