‘Oh, let her get on with it, Michael. Don’t interfere. She’s promised to come and have tea with little Jake on Sunday. I’ll see how she is then.’

The subject was closed and Michael knew it. ‘Well, I’ll be seeing her tomorrow anyway, Josephine. It’s pay day.’

Josephine didn’t answer. She knew that Michael detested paying his daughter just to keep his eye on her. If it was left to him she wasn’t so sure he would still bother. It was all for her, to keep Jessie as close as she could.

Michael put his arm around his wife’s shoulders and hugged her to him. His daughter had broken his heart, but she had given him her son, he had salvaged that much.

‘How is the little man, anyway? Did he enjoy his school trip? Where did they go? To a farm, wasn’t it?’ Michael’s grandson was his life; he adored the child.

‘Yeah, he loved it, Michael. He was full of it when he got home. He’s clever, you know, a real shrewdie. Six years old and he can already read anything. His teacher reckons he’s well ahead of the other kids in his year.’

Michael was pleased. He knew his grandson was a one-off, now it seemed that the school was of the same opinion. Jake was a right little character.

‘I said that, didn’t I? He is a real fucking brainiac. He’s always been ahead of the other kids. Look at how early he was with his counting and reciting things.’

Josephine basked in her husband’s joy. Jake had always been quick off the mark. She was pleased he was showing such talent. ‘Well, the school thinks he has real potential, so we need to make sure that he gets all the encouragement he needs.’

‘A done deal, darling, you know that. Why don’t you come downstairs with me and have a glass of wine? I could do with something to mellow me out a bit. I’m tired, but I’m not sleepy, if that makes sense?’

But Josephine was already shaking her head at his words, and Michael swallowed down his annoyance. Josephine rarely left her rooms these days. She went to the kitchen to cook occasionally, or to see Jessie, if she deigned to visit, but that was about it. She spent most of her life inside her bedroom and she had not ventured outside the house for years. Even the garden was off limits to her these days.

‘Bring the bottle of wine up here, Michael. I need to get myself sorted out.’