Old Jim is hovering behind him, already half-pissed. ‘He’s in love, son that’s what,’ he gives me a look, as though he’s daring me to say otherwise, ‘being dangled on a string by a famous local jezebel.’ He laughs then and it all gets mixed up with coughing, the rasping, phlegmy sound of it, as though he’ll spew his guts up any minute.

‘Alright Dad,’ Jimmy says, thumping his back, ‘it’s not that funny. It’s not a joke worth dying over. Bugger off over there and get Aunty Betty another drink will you?’

Old Jim stumbles across the room and Jimmy shakes his head at me, ‘some things never change.’

‘I think I might have buggered everything up – with May, I mean.’

He jiggles the baby up a bit and little Billy raises his head, stretches his wrinkled neck like a blind tortoise, takes a long, shuddering breath and settles back into Jimmy’s shoulder.

‘No,’ he says, ‘you’re taking it too hard, Arthur. You’re right to take matters in hand. Mum says Mrs Matthews is a right piece of work. Always has been. Thought she was Queen of the village until all that funny business–’ He looks uncomfortable. Like he’s said more than he planned to.

‘What do you mean?’

‘Ah, nothing. Just village talk that’s all. Mum’s been in my ear ever since she found out you were sweet on the lass.’

‘Well you have to tell me now.’

He shrugs and moves in closer. ‘Hasn’t May ever mentioned it, her dad and that?’

‘What about him?’

‘It’s before my time, but I’ve heard things. People round here were surprised they even let him go off to war. He went to pieces. All those years opening village fetes, and dealing with the odd burglary. Then there was that little boy who drowned. Right tragic it was and he just couldn’t handle it. They had to bring in the coppers from across town to sort it out.’

‘What little boy?’

‘Some farm lad from across the way. Funny little thing. Not quite right in the head. Wandered off one day and they found him drowned in a ditch, or was it a slurry pit?’ he puts his free hand over Billy’s head to shield him, ‘doesn’t even bear thinking about either way.’ He opens his mouth to say something else and then thinks better of it.

‘What?’

‘Nothing.’

‘Go on, Jimmy. You may as well get it all out.’