After he had left, she used to lie awake at night waiting for the sound of his footsteps outside her room. She knew he would come back; how could he keep away when she was his honey, his gorgeous, his heart throb, his best love, his little princess, his sweet pea? Night after night, she would creep into her mother’s room and curl up at the bottom of the bed like a cat, thinking that maybe when she woke in the morning, he’d be there, large and solid under the sheets, his long, blistered feet touching hers. She looked at him, doubled over, a dribble of vomit hanging from his chin, his blue eyes bloodshot and watering.

‘Sorry,’ he gasped, spluttering.

‘Never mind.’

‘Something disagreed …’he said.

‘Don’t worry.’

Toni found them there.

‘Oh Duncan,’ she said. Her voice was flat with distaste. ‘Look at the state of you. Oh why in the world do you do it?’

‘Party,’ he said. ‘Wedding. My only son. What d’you know about it? Nothing.’

Toni swung round in the doorway, her buttocks sharp under the pale blue dress, her tight shoulders hunched up. Miserably, Irene saw that her tan was fake, streaked at the back of her calves where she couldn’t see properly.

‘Dad,’ she said urgently. ‘Don’t. Stop it.’

‘S’OK. She’s not going anywhere without me. Where would she go? She’ll get over it.’

Irene had an urge to slap him across his slack cheek, to bring real tears to his eyes. She balled up the towel and chucked it under the sink, then turned to leave.

‘Don’t go yet,’ he said. ‘Don’t go, Irene. I know what you think of me, all of you. But I love you, I do. And I loved your mother too.’

‘Yes,’ said Irene neutrally.

‘We were so happy once, the three of us, weren’t we? Things with Toni aren’t the way –’

‘Dad,’ said Irene. ‘This isn’t the time. You shouldn’t tell me about Toni.’

‘You don’t understand. I loved you both.’

‘I know. I know.’

‘You shouldn’t judge me so harshly.’

‘I don’t judge you at all. I don’t think about it any more.’

‘Yes you do, I see the way you look at me. Like you despise me.’

‘No.’

‘You think I’m just a stupid, drunk old man.’

‘That’s not true.’

‘You loved me once, too. You were my first little girl. When you were born … so tiny … I could always make you stop crying …’