‘Briony Cavanagh kept that a close secret, boy, so do you think she’ll ever rest easy again, knowing we have her marked down? Do you really think that? Could you be so bloody stupid! That Eileen, as mad as she is, was at least a decent wife in that she was quiet. Amenable and easily handled. You could have kept us both up there, living the life of Riley, but you had to push the girl. I can see now you pushed her over the edge. You’ve signed your own death warrant. Briony and that Tommy Lane rule the roost and, let’s face it, there’s more than a few people who’d like to see us out of the way. They’ll have all the help they need to find us.’

Joshua jumped from his seat.

‘Will you shut up! For once in your life, shut that great big gob of yours! If it hadn’t have been for you, I’d have married Eileen fair and square. But no, you didn’t want me married, not to her or anyone. Well, she was a slut like her bloody sister. Can’t you see, I can get us enough money with this knowledge to set us up anywhere we want to go?’

For the first time ever Elizabeth O’Malley was lost for words. This great big son of hers really thought he could get away with threatening Briony Cavanagh.

‘You’re mad, son, stark staring mad if you honestly believe that. Briony Cavanagh will tear London apart looking for us. You have nothing on her, nothing at all. Because she’ll see you don’t live long enough even to breathe a word of what you know.’

Tommy Lane walked into the tiny cabin then and said: ‘I couldn’t agree with you more, love.’

Joshua felt a sinking sensation in his bowels as he looked at Tommy Lane’s smiling face.

Elizabeth O’Malley took her son’s arm, pulling him to try and get him to move.

‘Come on, Joshua. At least walk out of here under your own steam.’

He allowed himself to be led from the cabin. Tommy walked beside them, his hand on Elizabeth’s arm. The vicious-tongued old woman beside him looked very small all of a sudden, and very vulnerable.

Gritting his teeth, he helped her into his car. This one was for Briony. He owed her this much at least.

‘Who’s at the door?’

Cissy marched across the hallway in her dressing gown. ‘How the bleeding hell do I know? See through solid wood, can I?’ She opened the door wide and gasped.

‘Hello, Tommy... Briony’s in bed.’

Mrs Horlock smiled as he walked into the entrance hall. ‘I’ll go up to her then.’

As he disappeared up the stairs, Cissy and Mrs Horlock clasped one another in glee.

‘He’s back then, I knew he would be!’

The two women smiled conspiratorially.