‘I feel fine. I was just thinking about when we were kids. Sit down for a while. I feel the urge to talk to you. You’ve been very good to me, Briony, you know that, don’t you?’

She sat on the bed, her tiredness forgotten, and took her sister’s hot hand in hers. Close to, in the lamplight, she could see the feverish glow to her sister’s face.

‘I’ll go down and make us all some tea, shall I?’ The nun’s voice was low.

‘Please, Mary. If you don’t mind.’

‘I could drink a gallon of tea. I’ve got a thirst on me, Bri. A real thirst.’ Eileen’s voice was stronger than Briony could remember for a long time.

When the nun left the room, Eileen said: ‘Remember when Kerry used to put on her shows down the basements? All her rude songs! Then when the priest come she’d change to a hymn and we’d all join in?’

Briony smiled, remembering.

‘Yeah. I remember. We had some good laughs.’

‘I liked living in the basements. I wish we’d stayed there, Bri. We were much safer in a lot of ways. Remember how cold it used to get in winter, though? The walls would freeze up inside.’

Briony frowned. ‘How could I forget?’

Eileen nodded seriously.

‘Mrs Jacobs’ baby froze to death one Christmas, remember that? And they had to put it outside in the snow ’til the ground was soft enough to bury it.’

Briony squeezed her sister’s hand tightly.

‘Don’t think about things like that, Ei, just think of the nice things. The summer days when we’d all swim in the Beam river, or walk out to Rainham and go pea picking.’

‘I liked the basements. It was when we left them, or when I left them, that all my troubles started... I don’t think I was ever meant to be happy, Bri. But I was as a little kid. Dad used to make us laugh, didn’t he, sometimes?’

Briony swallowed hard.

‘Yeah, I suppose he did.’

‘I never meant to kill him, you know. It was an accident. Here, I’ll make you laugh. Do you remember Sally Connolly and her talking dog?’

Briony laughed, remembering.

‘Yeah, she could make that dog do anything. It was a big bastard and all, weren’t it? I can still see the day it bit her dad for smacking her one.’

Eileen grinned.

‘That’s right. She’d given it half her dad’s dinner and he went garrity, and when he smacked her, the dog went for him. It had to sleep outside after that, and anyone who walked past their house got growled at.’

‘It wouldn’t let her dad in unless they got Sally up to calm the dog down!’

They both laughed together, remembering happier times. Eileen grimaced and Briony was immediately concerned.

‘You all right, Ei?’