The horror on everyone’s face at this suggestion was almost comical. Feet shuffled towards the door. Billy blocked it.

‘Will you ever learn?’ he mumbled. ‘I want what Eliza … Lizzie … told you,’ Billy said more loudly. ‘For you to all admit what you did … and to apologise.’

‘Because us saying sorry will make up for it? Yeah, right,’ Rob said.

‘It won’t, no. But it’ll give me some satisfaction.’

‘Wouldn’t punishing us be more satisfying?’ Muriel said.

‘I think you may have been doing that already.’

‘It’s unfinished, though, isn’t it?’ Rob said. ‘I mean, you haven’t even got the man behind it here. He’s got away with it. Again.’ His face held the expression of a sulking teenage boy.

Billy slowly nodded. ‘There are two, actually.’

Anna noticed her mother sway. She rushed to her side, thinking she might faint.

‘You feeling all right, Mum?’

‘No. Maybe I need a doctor, I might … I might …’

‘She’s fine!’ Billy snapped. ‘Leave her. She stays. She’s playing you, like she played you all.’

Anna swallowed hard. Obviously, more was to come. She wasn’t sure she could take any further revelations.

‘Get on with it,’ Muriel said, seemingly having made a remarkable recovery.

‘Well, you know, don’t you, Muriel.’ He gave Muriel a lopsided smile. ‘One of them lost his mind long ago. The other will lose his life anyway – it doesn’t need to be at my hand.’

‘Why? What do you know?’ Anna cut in, assuming it was her father Billy was referring to about losing his life.

‘Eric’s guilt runs deep. He’s had each and every day to think about what he did, and he’ll know I’m out of prison. I don’t think he’ll last long.’

‘You’re saying he’s going to kill himself? Why would he now, just because you’re free? You must’ve given him reason to think you’re going to get your revenge – kill him,’ Anna said.

‘I’ve not given any reason for him to suspect that. But he’ll believe it, because that’s how he’d think if the roles were reversed. His mind will be working overtime. Because he’s fully compos mentis and knows he deserves punishing. His mind’s not addled, like the upstanding member of the community and man of God, Reverend Farnley.’ Billy threw his arms up in the air, like he was presenting them to God.

‘What’s Reverend Farnley got to do with it?’ Anna asked, the sudden shift catching her off-guard.

‘Your dear mother was barking up the wrong tree with me, Bella.’

‘It’s Anna now.’

‘Hmm. Okay, well, Anna – all the while Muriel had been sticking her nose into my business, trying to find something on me – a chink in my armour – her precious Reverend was the one abusing my daughter.’

‘You have absolutely no proof of that,’ Muriel shouted.

‘You had no proof it was me, either, but that didn’t stop you ensuring suspicion was thrown onto me. But you knew he was touching her; you knew he was the one Eliza was talking about when she used her doll to show you what he did to her, didn’t you? You let him get away with it just so you could pin it on me. That’s low, Muriel. Unforgivable. But because you then had something on the Reverend, you used him to get what you wanted. He was the one whose so-called evidence tipped the balance. It was the deciding statement that led social services to take Eliza from me.’