Mam is really enjoying her second glass of Merlot, having been first to arrive at our engagement party, and I try and signal to her that she has two little black marks at either side of her mouth which do nothing for the new pink nouveau lipstick she bought especially for the occasion.

‘Nice to see they showed up,’ Jack whispers in my ear in reference to his own parents. His only sister, Caroline, is on her way but so far my family are well outnumbering the Malones when it comes to the turn-out at our party. Mam, Dad, Matthew and Martin were first to arrive, with Matthew thrilled to bits that there were no accessibility issues to access our first-floor apartment and delighting in telling everyone so.

‘It really shows the difference in city life and rural life,’ I hear him say to one of Jack’s friends. ‘I keep saying to Martin we’ll have to move back to Dublin very soon, but I think he’s too well settled now in Loughisland, isn’t that right, Martin? You’re a country boy, now, aren’t you?’

They both share a look and a laugh, which makes my heart swell when I think of all the years my brother wasted pretending to be someone he wasn’t.

Martin, who has the patience of all the saints not to mention the heart of a lion, has been the best thing that ever happened to Matthew, and we tell him so as much as we can. With his love and support, Matthew is gradually learning to adapt to his brand-new life on so many levels, and a lot of that has to do with Martin who has stood by him every step of the way.

‘You’re in for a treat tonight,’ Martin whispers to me when he gets the chance. ‘Matthew would like to sing a song or two later if that’s OK with you?’

I put my hand to my chest. ‘Really?’ I gasp. ‘But he hasn’t played music in public in years. Wow, that’s really special, Martin. Thank you.’

‘All I did was a little bit of coaxing here and there,’ he says. ‘I also didn’t want to land it on you without some warning as I know how much it will mean to you to hear him sing again. It’s an emotional evening for all of you. We’re thrilled to bits for you, Charlotte. Matthew adores you. We all do.’

I get a lump in my throat even thinking about hearing Matthew sing and the memories it will bring back from our childhood and from more recent years as I watched him work so hard with the band. In fact, I’m dreading hearing him again, but so proud of him at the same time as it really does mark another step in the right direction for him.