‘Thanks, Bri. It’s funny but we was at rock bottom today. Danny got laid off at the docks. This’ll keep us going for a good while.’

Briony and Lily embraced, the child between them crushed by their bodies. He shouted to remind them he was there.

‘Tell Danny to go and see Bobbie Phillips tomorrow at the Royal Albert. He’ll have a job, I’ll see to that.’

Lily nodded, her throat constricted.

‘Tara, mate, see you round.’

‘Tara, Bri, and thanks again.’

Inside the car Briony was aware of Kevin Carter looking at her as if she’d gone mad.

‘Saint Vincent’s church, Kevin.’

Her face looked more relaxed than it had earlier and she waved at her friend until they turned the corner of the street.

Father McNamara was not surprised to see Briony Cavanagh in his hallway. He smiled at her and showed her into his library.

‘Now then, Briony, what can I do for you?’

‘I’m looking for Elizabeth O’Malley and her son, Joshua.’

The priest nodded. ‘I see, and why would you be looking for them. You’re related now, aren’t you? Didn’t I see him married to your sister not two weeks since?’

Briony smiled.

‘You did, and now he’s left her. I want to have a little talk to him. Only I can’t find him, or his mother.’

The priest lit himself a cigar and puffed on it for a moment to get it fully alight.

‘That woman is like one of the deadly plagues, a mouth on her like nobody’s business. Has she put you out like?’

‘You could say that, Father. Now have you seen them?’

‘No, I haven’t seen them.’

Briony stood up.

‘Thanks anyway. I’ll just keep looking. Do you know if they have any relatives at all? Someone they could go to?’

The priest looked at the girl before him, weighing up in his mind whether to speak out or not.

‘Sit back down and tell me what’s happened. Then I’ll answer your question.’

Briony sat back down and told the priest about Eileen, a carefully edited version, leaving out the juicier bits.

‘So Eileen’s in a terrible state and he’s to blame. I want to see him and set the record straight once and for all. I think I owe him that much.’

‘Poor Eileen. She was never right, that one, I saw the change in her myself, God love her and keep her. Didn’t she used to work for that feller with the moustaches who owned the blacking factory and half the dock properties?’

Briony screwed up her eyes to slits and nodded. ‘As I did, Father. I worked for him as well.’

‘Ah, that’s right indeed.’

Briony and the priest looked at one another in unspoken communication.