Stories about Berwick Manor before the war, when it had been frequented by politicians and other well-known people, were appearing in the papers every day. Hints of scandals involving government ministers and diplomats were given prominence. Most of the stories held a grain of truth, but they were written primarily to shock, to sell newspapers. They were written for people who wanted to believe it all; wanted to believe that the rich, the famous, and the people in charge of their country ran around naked with young girls beside a warm swimming pool. One paper had even hinted at an international scandal involving the Russians, like the Profumo scandal earlier in the decade.

There was an awful lot Briony could have said, but she didn’t. It would help no one.

Daniel was being treated like visiting royalty in Wormwood Scrubs. Even the screws deferred to him, made conversation with him, and called him ‘Mr Cavanagh’. He had a man to do his slopping out, a man to deliver his meals to him, he even had his own cell.

This treatment soothed him. He was on remand and once the trial was over, was convinced he would be a free man.

He felt a shadow pass over his face and looked up from the letter he was reading.

A tall man stood before him. He was thin to the point of emaciation.

‘I wondered if you fancied a bit of company?’ The voice was high, a thin falsetto.

Daniel looked at the man for a few seconds, unable to believe the utter neck of the obviously homosexual individual before him.

‘If I was so hard up for company, mate, that I had to resort to you, I’d fucking top meself !’ He got up from his bed angrily as the man ran from the cell in blind panic.

Back in his own cell Bernard Campion, better known as Gloria, sat on his bunk shaking. His cell mate and long-time confidante Ian Snelling, known as Pearl to his friends, shook his head in annoyance.

‘I told you not to go, didn’t I?’

‘Well, you can’t blame a girl for trying!’

Gloria sat daydreaming of what it would have been like to have had the protection of Daniel Cavanagh. In this place it was as good as money in the bank.

Daniel couldn’t calm himself after Gloria’s visit and put the letter to one side.

A bloody shirtlifter coming on to him! The more he thought about it, the more it annoyed him.