Briony laughed. ‘I hope so, Bern, but I have a feeling that this time he won’t be coming back. Not now, not ever.’

‘Balls to him if he don’t, Bri, it’s his loss not yours. Sod him, that’s what I say. He was at the Ninety-Eight Club last night, Fenella told me. You know Fenella, the big girl with the huge buzumbas!’ Bernie held her hands out from her chest to emphasise what she said and Briony laughed.

‘Was he on his own?’

‘What do you think? ’Course he was. Pissed out of his head and all, according to her.’

‘No Kerry today?’ Briony wanted to change the subject. Tommy going to the Ninety-Eight Club had upset her. He was going out then, even if he was getting drunk. She had waited in last night, as she had every night, for him to come round.

Bernie shook her head.

‘Our Kerry is sleeping, she had a heavy night last night.’ Her voice was heavy with sarcasm.

‘What’s that supposed to mean? She got a bloke then? It’s true, is it? Me and Mother wondered. Who is it?’

Bernie smiled craftily.

‘I’ve been sworn to secrecy about him, Bri, I can’t even tell you. I’ll give you a hint though. It’s the last person in the world you’d expect.’

Briony picked up an air of malice in Bernie’s voice and it troubled her.

‘Is he married, is that it?’ She was all concern.

Bernie shook her head. ‘I don’t know, do I?’

Briony stared at her for a long moment before she said, ‘What’s going on here, Bernie? You ain’t come here to be Miss Nice Sister, you’ve come here to cause a bit of hag. Now if you’ve got something to say, spit it out, or else shut up.’

Bernie sat down and grinned. ‘I ain’t saying nothing, Briony. If you think there’s something funny with our Kerry, you ask her yourself. You’ll find her at home in bed about now. She don’t get up ’til five these days. Like living with Dracula it is. Up all night and asleep all day. Even the cleaning woman asked if there was a coffin in her bedroom!’

Briony laughed and shook her head.

‘You’re a bleeding wind up, Bernie, do you know that?’

Bernadette smiled.

‘Now, how are you really, Briony? We’ve all been worried about you.’

Her voice was so sincere, Briony left the subject of Kerry and started to reassure her sister that she was fine, knowing it would all go back to her mother. But what had been said about Kerry stuck in the back of her mind.