Imelda smiled but didn’t look away from the ball. ‘It’s my job. There’s one that keeps appearing. Are you thinking of buying a house with a blue front door? It has a dolphin door knocker and it’s number nine somewhere.’

Neville shook his head in bewildered disbelief. ‘We made an offer on it yesterday. Number nine Stoke Street. Miriam loves dolphins and she said the door knocker was a good omen. I don’t believe in that kind of nonsense’ – Imelda braced herself for a disapproving tut from behind the curtain and timed her cough perfectly to cover it – ‘but it’s a lovely house and very tidy inside and out. Do you think we’ll get it?’

Imelda saw the house with packing boxes piled in the driveway, and then a key turning in the lock of the blue door before the images blurred and faded, and finally disappeared altogether.

‘Yes, Neville. Your offer will be accepted.’

He looked pleased, but something was still troubling him. Imelda placed three packs of cards in front of him and asked him to choose. ‘Shuffle the cards and ask your question out loud.’

‘Will Miriam and I be happy together?’

Imelda dealt the cards onto the table. The King of Swords and the Queen of Cups lay crossed at the centre of the spread. The King was Neville with his dark hair and pale blue eyes.

‘Does your Miriam have dark hair and brown eyes?’

Neville nodded. Miriam was the Queen.

The High Priestess, the Lovers, the Two of Swords and the Four of Cups followed.

‘You will marry Miriam. Your marriage will last, and you will have a very happy home together. Yours is a true love.’

Neville looked relieved. ‘We’re getting married next month.’

Imelda was delighted to be able to give Neville the good news. But there was something else in the spread. The Hierophant, the Death card and the Three of Swords foretold the sacrifice that Neville was making for his bride-to-be. He assured Imelda that she was worth it.

_______________________

At the end of the reading, Neville thanked Imelda profusely, paid and left. The rise and fall of Shunty-Mae’s gentle snoring from behind the curtain was syncopated by Grisha’s random groans and sighs in front of it. Imelda placed the two objects that Neville had given her inside the cubbyhole in the wall before slamming the picture that concealed it back in its place. She was still angry with her mother for the way she had behaved earlier and hadn’t spoken to her since. The sudden noise had the desired effect and Shunty-Mae emerged, smoothing her hair away from her face as she stretched her long, elegant neck.

‘I wasn’t asleep. I was just resting my eyes.’

Imelda refused to look at her. ‘It’s a shame you weren’t resting your tongue when Cillian Byrne was here earlier.’