Molly shook her head and said truthfully, ‘I’ll be surprised if she lasts the Christmas, Bri. She’s bad this time, God love her. The priest is coming tonight.’

‘We’ll go in after the boys have eaten.’

Molly nodded and the room was quiet once more. Finally she swallowed her pride and said, ‘How’s Liselle and Kerry?’

Briony pulled on her cigarette. If her mother asked that, she was admitting responsibility for what she had done. It was something they all knew but no one alluded to.

‘They’re fine, Mum. Great in fact. Liselle’s father is over here actually, visiting her.’

Briony took great pleasure in seeing her mother’s face whiten. The wooden spoon clattered to the floor.

‘What did you just say?’

‘I said, Evander Dorsey is over for a visit, from the States. Liselle is very pleased finally to know him, as a matter of fact.’

Briony berated herself inwardly for enjoying saying all this to her mother, but God himself knew, she’d asked for what she got.

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if she went over for a visit next year.’

Molly stooped down to pick up the spoon. Running it under the tap, she said, ‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Would you credit that?’

Boysie and Daniel laughed, enjoying their gran’s discomfiture.

‘He’s a nice bloke, Gran, me and Boysie really like him.’ Daniel rubbed salt into the open wound with glee.

Molly, cute enough to know that the joke was on her, kept her peace. Now they were all here in front of her, she realised just how much she had missed them all, especially the twins. ‘I’m glad the child has met her father. It must be a great load off her mind. How did she take it?’

Boysie laughed out loud then. His gran was not only eating humble pie, she was chewing it in big lumps and swallowing it without water.

‘Oh, better than we expected, Gran. Much better.’

Molly nodded and began dishing out broth, cutting large lumps of soda bread, hot from the oven, for the twins. She placed the food in front of them and they attacked it with relish.

‘Rosalee looks rough, Mum, has she been all right?’ Briony’s voice was low and concerned.

Molly 8apped a large hand and shook her head. ‘Oh, you know what she’s like. She’s been off her food a couple of weeks, that’s all. It’s all the upheaval with Mother Jones. You know how she hates change of any kind. And she’s missed you lot.’ The last was a barb aimed at them all, and it met its mark because all three felt ashamed.

Molly, satisfied she’d paid them all back for their earlier jokes at her expense, felt happier.