Best of all, they were getting on quite well now. And thank goodness for that.

The phone didn’t ring, so he amused himself online, grew tired of that, then fidgeted around the flat, reading for half an hour, watching TV.

When the phone rang he wondered who it was.

‘Adam?’ The voice was breathless.

‘Hope. How nice to hear from you again.’

‘My counsellor said I should ring you back as soon as I could face it. She was pleased to hear about … you know, what happened with the letter. I was pleased too.’

‘I’ve never backed away from a responsibility in my life.’

‘No. I should have trusted you. I panicked. And Lionel pretended to be kind. He just wanted a domestic slave, I think. He wasn’t a loving man.’

‘So you could face meeting me then?’

‘Yes, I found I could. I am getting stronger. And I never was afraid of you.’

‘Glad to hear that.’

After a pause she asked, ‘Was your marriage happy, Adam?’

‘At first. But a few years ago she met someone else and we separated and divorced. I’d been working hard and she felt neglected, apparently. But we’d not been getting on all that well for a while and, frankly, it was a relief to work away from home. I’d never have thought she’d die so young, though.’

‘That’s sad for your daughter.’

‘Yes. Gemma and Judith got on really well.’ He paused and when Hope didn’t fill the silence, he asked, ‘Can you tell me something about Janey?’

‘I—’ She burst into tears.

‘What have I said? Whatever it is, I’m sorry. Don’t end the call. Please!’

He heard her gulping and trying not to cry, and waited for her to calm down.

‘I was a terrible mother,’ she blurted out. ‘I let Lionel bully Janey as well as me. I can’t believe she’s even speaking to me.’

‘She must care about you.’

‘Not … a lot. I do love her, though. And my father was a wonderful grandfather to her, right until he died. After that things went from bad to worse with Lionel. I c-can’t talk about the details yet. But Janey has a baby and he—it wasn’t her fault, she was forced. But Millie is gorgeous, anyway, and she calls me “Nan-Nan” and—look, I’m not ready to tell her about you, yet, but I will. I’ll get back to you later, Adam. I can’t do any more today. Sorry.’

The line went dead.

He stared at it for ages before he shut the phone down, his mind in a turmoil. What the hell sort of a life had poor Dorothy and her daughter had? He mentally corrected himself. Hope! He must remember not to call her Dorothy now. It must have been appalling to make her take refuge in a women’s shelter. What could he do to make up to Janey for all the trouble? Would she even want to meet him?

Good heavens! He was a grandfather!