Looking at Ted, Olivia jerked her head in the direction of the door to her father’s room. ‘Ready?’

Ted looked doubtful. ‘Are you sure it’s a good idea, me coming with you? Only he doesn’t trust me, never has, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to exacerbate the situation.’

‘He’s being cantankerous and bossy because he can, but I won’t let him treat us that way, so yes, I do think it’s a good idea that you come too. He just needs a stiff talking to.’

Ted took a deep breath and held his hand towards the door. ‘After you.’

As she opened the door to her father’s room she peered cautiously around the edge. Her father was sitting up in bed, a plate of untouched toast on his lap. Seeing the door open, he grabbed a vase from beside his bed and threw it at the door where it smashed against the frame. ‘Sod off,’ he bellowed, ‘I’m not eating your poisonous crap!’

Olivia pursed her lips and strode into the room. ‘I’ll have none of that!’

Her father squinted at her, before reaching for his glasses and putting them on. ‘Oh,’ he said dismissively, ‘it’s you.’

‘It’s nice to see you too, Dad,’ said Olivia.

He peered at her as she walked towards him. ‘I thought you said you were never coming back. Never’s not as long as I remember it to be.’

‘Well, it’s a good job I did,’ said Olivia stoutly. ‘By all accounts, you’ve run yourself into the ground, and taken a few others along the way.’ She glanced over her shoulder to where Ted stood, half in, half out of the doorway. ‘I’ve brought Ted with me.’

William’s jaw flinched as he eyed Ted with disapproval. ‘So I see,’ he said in withering tones. His eyes flicked towards Olivia. ‘What the hell did you bring him for?’

Olivia placed her hand in Ted’s as he arrived by her side. ‘We’ve decided to give things a go, and we’ve been courting for well over …’ Breaking off, she swiftly removed the plate of toast from her father’s lap before he sent it hurtling in Ted’s direction. ‘That’s enough, Dad!’ she snapped. ‘I’m not Annie. You can’t boss me around and have a hissy fit just to get your own way.’

‘Boss her around?’ scoffed William. ‘Is that what she’s been telling you? Because if it is, she’s a liar! She’s trying to bump me off, and I can prove it.’

‘Oh, don’t be ridiculous, she’s not trying to do anything of the sort.’

‘Really?’ he demanded. ‘Then how come I found her hiding drugs in my food? Bet she never told you about that, did she?’ he finished with an air of triumph.