‘Is it that time already?’ Her voice had the querulousness of great age and the man laughed.

‘We’re all here, Gran.’ As he spoke a boy in his late teens looked over his shoulder and grinned.

‘Come on, Granny, it’s not like you to be a lieabed.’ The words brought a stinging sensation of tears to her rheumy eyes. That was an expression of Tommy’s.

‘Come here, me lovelies, and give me a kiss.’

One by one they kissed her. Faithey first, her own two children following. Then Deidre with that startling red hair so like her own. She had a young man with her, Briony noticed, and smiled at him. Then came Becky, her children and grandchildren. Then came Delia with her son Daniel, a fine strong boy, nothing like his mother at all. Though he had a look of Marcus, his grandfather, about him. Briony swallowed heavily. Bernie’s dying had been a great blow; she had died five days after Marcus had had his coronary. Briony wondered if Bernie still didn’t trust him, she’d followed him so fast. It seemed all the old people were disappearing, but that was how it should be. Though she didn’t particularly want to leave them all, not yet.

Then Liselle was kissing her heartily. Briony squeezed her hard. Nearing seventy, Liselle was still as sprightly as a girl. She had inherited the Jazz Club on her father’s death ten years before; Kerry had sung there the night she died. It was hard to believe at times that her Aunt Briony was the only one of the sisters left.

‘Let Lissy sit down, will you, she’s getting on.’

This was said seriously and Lissy smiled at the people in the room. Briony always forgot her own age.

Then came Natalie, Briony’s grandchild, and her two boys. A pair of buggers if ever there was, Briony thought. They kissed their granny with real affection. They thought she was absolutely great. They loved bragging about her and being a part of her. Briony grabbed their cheeks tightly in her jewelled hands.

‘You two need watching, my lads! You’ve too much of the Cavanagh in you.’

Everyone laughed.

Then came her favourite, the one she had least expected to steal her heart. He stood with his father, smiling at her. Benedict’s face glowed as his son wrapped his granny in a long embrace and kissed her. He had a deep love for his granny, and his two daughters and his son all stood round the bed waiting their turn.

It always amazed Briony that a man called Henry Dumas could kiss her like that and she feel nothing but love. The love she bore her grandson. The name was exorcised for her, it meant nothing but happiness now.