All Molly’s feelings burst like a cancer inside her. The strong rum toddy made her tongue run away with her. Forgetting everything, where she was and with whom, she bellowed: ‘And that’s what Kerry should have done! You should have made her do it. You could have talked her round. But no, not you. Not bloody Briony the marvellous wonder woman Cavanagh. You welcomed her in here with open arms. Knowing she’d slept with a bloody bl — ’

Danny burst into the room and everyone stared at him. A second later the front door slammed and they heard Boysie calling Liselle’s name as she ran up the drive.

‘She heard you, Gran, she was listening to you! You nasty old bitch! What’s she ever done to you? What’s all this about? You been drinking as usual? Is that it? I’ll go and help Boysie find her and you’d better be gone by the time we get back, Gran. I ain’t in the mood for you tonight.’

Tommy watched the drama unfold before his eyes and sighed. But the way Daniel had spoken was like listening to Briony. Earlier that day she had said ‘They’re my boys’, and Tommy was inclined to agree with her. Well, if they had some of their natural mother and some of Briony in them, they couldn’t be all that bad. No matter what he had heard.

Briony said slowly, ‘Go home, Mum. Just go home.’

Marcus got up and took Molly’s arm.

‘Come on. I’ll take you home, love.’

Molly stared at Briony, her face troubled. ‘I didn’t know the child was listening, I swear. I wouldn’t have hurt her for the world.’

Briony laughed bitterly.

‘Of course you wouldn’t. You’ve never wanted to hurt anyone, you. But Christ himself knows, somehow you always bleeding well manage to!’

Boysie caught up with Liselle at the bottom of the street. She was crying, really crying, and he held her to him, stroking her hair and whispering endearments.

Danny arrived a little while later and they tried to take her back to their house but Liselle refused.

‘I don’t ever want to see me gran again! Ever.’

Danny wiped her eyes with a clean white handkerchief and smiled crookedly.

‘You know Gran. When she’s had a drink she’s always stroppy. Look at last Christmas when she started on poor old Mrs H, accusing her of all sorts. Forget it.’

Liselle looked up into his face and said through her teeth, ‘If she’d said about you two what she’s just said about me, would you forget it?’

Boysie and Danny both looked away, knowing they wouldn’t.

‘Whoever my father was, he seems to have made quite an impression on everyone. I wish now I’d listened to the rest of it, I might have found out just what was so very wrong with him.’