They smiled at her then, two identical smiles with identical white teeth.

‘We won’t.’ It was spoken in unison and Briony nodded at them. The course was set.

Chapter Thirty-four

Chapter Thirty-four

‘Come on, Mum, get up! It’s after ten.’

Liselle pulled the covers back from her mother’s body and sighed.

‘Please, Mum, you’re recording at eleven-thirty.’

‘Leave me alone, Liselle, I’m tired.’

Kerry’s emaciated body was curled in a ball. Liselle put her arm under her mother’s head and pulled her forcibly to a sitting position. Then, half dragging and half carrying her, she pulled her from the bed, across the bedroom and into the shower. Kerry felt the cold water hitting her body and began to gasp for breath. Liselle laughed.

‘That’ll teach you to tie one on! I’m getting sick and tired of having to do this. Now, when you’re awake come down and have something to eat and a cup of coffee. I’ll drive you to the studios.’

Kerry stuck two fingers up at her daughter’s retreating back and turned on the hot water. Five minutes later she emerged from the shower and wrapped herself in a towel. Then, going back into her bedroom, she opened the dressing-table drawer and took out a bottle of pills. She swallowed five without the aid of water and slipped on a dressing gown. Downstairs her daughter was waiting for her.

‘You look like you’ve been done and left!’

Kerry smiled. ‘I feel like it, love. Where’s me coffee?’

She poured out the coffee and they drank in silence. Liselle studied her mother. Kerry was working late in the clubs singing, she was cutting an album, and she was also taking far too many pills. What really annoyed Liselle was that her mother looked so bloody good on her way of life. Anyone else would have been burnt out, looked terrible, but not Kerry Cavanagh. She seemed to thrive on work, work and more work. Even during the war she’d travelled all over the world singing to the troops and had come back raring to go. It was the pills that bothered Liselle, those and the vodka.