‘Fingers crossed,’ muttered Olivia beneath her breath, although, as it turned out, not quietly enough as far as her grandmother was concerned.

‘That’s enough! I don’t care what he’s done, you shouldn’t say things like that.’

Something inside Olivia snapped. ‘Really? So it wouldn’t bother you to know that he’d had my baby, your great-grandchild, cremated?’

Olivia’s grandmother reeled backwards, clutching one of the dining chairs and sinking into it, a hand to her forehead. She stared at Olivia. ‘I don’t know what poisonous little wretch told you that, but …’

Olivia cut her grandmother off without apology. ‘He did. I went to see him today. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you knowing what he’d said, but I’m sorry, Nana, I couldn’t sit by and hear you trying to make excuses for his behaviour when I knew what he’d done.’

Nana shook her head in disbelief. ‘But he’s Catholic, he doesn’t believe in cremation, or rather he does, but not in a positive sense.’

‘I know,’ said Olivia. Her fingers trembling, she fished her handkerchief out of her pocket and blew her nose loudly before continuing. ‘Why condemn your own flesh and blood in such a fashion?’

Nana placed a comforting hand over Olivia’s. ‘I’ve no idea, Liv, I can’t imagine what was going through his mind at the time. Did he say anything else?’

Olivia shook her head. ‘I told him what I thought of him before I ran out. I didn’t want to stay in that house a second longer than necessary.’

‘I don’t blame you,’ said her grandfather gruffly. Until now he had stayed out of the conversation. ‘The man’s twisted. I think you’re wise to cut your losses and chop him out of your life.’

His wife looked doubtful. ‘I know what he did was wrong, and I can’t fathom why he would do such a thing, but I’m not sure it’s in Liv’s best interests to cut her father out of her life. Like it or not, he is her father.’

‘Biologically,’ said Olivia simply, ‘but it takes more than that to be father. I agree with Pops.’

Nana frowned at her husband. ‘Well, you shouldn’t listen to everything your grandfather tells you …’ She rapidly tapped her forefinger against her lips. ‘There’s something about all of this which is troubling me.’

‘Troubling all of us,’ said Pops.

Nana eyed her husband. ‘Where did you put my old diaries?’

‘In the attic. Why?’

She pursed her lips. ‘I seem to remember him coming back from Glasgow with a different tale to the one he’s told our Liv, and I’m hoping I wrote it down in my diary.’

‘Doesn’t matter what he told you,’ said Olivia. ‘The man’s full of lies. I very much doubt he’d know the truth if it slapped him in the face.’

Placing both hands on the arms of his chair, Pops got to his feet. ‘Well, I for one don’t intend to waste another second trying to work out what’s going on in that man’s mind, not when our Liv’s going to be catching a train in a couple of days.’