‘I blame you for all this. I’ve had to leave me home, everything, because you brought the Cavanaghs into our house. Two weeks you’ve been married, two weeks! And now we’re hiding out in my brother’s bloody coal yard! Me, a respectable widow, reduced to this!’ She felt a terrific urge to brain her son where he sat. ‘Will you stop chewing your fingers to pieces!’

‘Listen, Mother, I can sort all this out. I have something Briony Cavanagh wants, in a manner of speaking. I’ll get us the money to start up again somewhere else. Now, for goodness’ sakes, give it a bloody rest!’

Elizabeth looked at her son, a weak man like his father. A weak and cowardly individual who had been both the pride and bane of her life.

‘What have you got exactly that’s so important?’

Joshua shook his head, annoying her once more. ‘Nothing for you to worry about. Let’s just say I have certain information that could help us, both physically and financially.’

As what he said sank in, Elizabeth O‘Malley felt her legs begin to give way. She sat down abruptly on an old chair, glad of its support. Her voice low now, she said: ‘You fool of hell! You stupid foolish boy. You’re not seriously contemplating blackmailing the woman, are you? Jesus wept! She’ll take you by your balls and hang you from the highest lamppost she can find, and she’ll do it in public and all, because there’s none will ever split on her. That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? You’ve found out something. This isn’t over Eileen really. Tell me what you know now, before they find us.’

Joshua licked dry lips and swallowed hard. He was in over his head and he knew it. Now, worst of all, his mother knew it too.

‘It’s Eileen and Briony ... they were both whores of Henry Dumas as children. Their father took them as little girls. Eileen attacked her father with the flat iron, and killed him stone dead...’

‘Jesus fecking cross of Christ! And you thought you could use that to get us out of this trouble? You’re even more stupid than I gave you credit for.’ Joshua saw the fear on his mother’s face and felt the heat of terror enveloping him, making him sweat.