Boysie and Danny sat in Mrs Horlock’s room with Cissy and Briony, listening to the story of Liselle’s birth. They sat side by side on the bed, their sleek heads bowed as between them the three women told them the story from start to finish. When Briony got to the part about Kevin Carter’s breaking Evander’s fingers they both looked up and nodded, as if silently agreeing with his actions. It was the only time they moved. Mrs H watched them with shrewd rheumy eyes.

‘That bloke went and we was all glad, it could only bring trouble to her, Kerry. She couldn’t see that herself, not then. But then the child...’

Boysie shook his head.

‘So Liselle is a half-chat then? Her dad was some soot piano player me Auntie Kerry was boffing ...’ He sounded disgusted. Somehow guessing something and finding out it was true were two completely different things.

Briony shook her head.

‘Evander was a handsome man. If it had been today, who knows? Plenty of women have half-chats, as you call them, now. The Americans saw to that, son. But this was in the 1920s. It just wasn’t done then. It just wasn’t done.’

‘But Auntie Kerry with a big soot!’ Boysie’s face was twisted with contempt.

Briony slapped his face, the crack resounding in the room. Danny stood up as if ready to fight her while Boysie rubbed at his smarting cheek.

Briony pointed at them and bellowed: ‘That’s my sister you’re talking about. You wanted to know and we told you. Don’t you get bloody lairy with me over the truth, I won’t have it, you hear me? Liselle is your flesh and blood, boys. Why should anything change now? So her father was a soot. Big deal. He was a talented, handsome man as well.’

Danny stared at her and said quietly, ‘If he was such a saint, why did you go to such lengths to get rid of him?’

‘Because of this, the way you’re acting. By Christ, I thought I’d brought you up a bit better than this. Your mother loved that little child when she was born. She doted on her. If you ain’t inherited any care for people from me, I had hoped at least that my Eileen’s tolerance would have rubbed off on you. You’re like me mother. Everything has to be cut and dried. Well, the real world ain’t like that. We never know where our heart’s going to lie. You two have got to fall for someone yet, and believe me you don’t know who it could be. It could be the biggest whore God ever put on this earth, but something could make you want her. That’s real life, my loves.