The atmosphere in the tiny kitchen was charged. Dan felt an urge to take back his fist and slam it into the old woman’s teeth. But he knew he wouldn’t, because he was too much of a coward. Anthea knew it, which was why she did what she did to him. She told him what to wear and eat, when to sleep or make love to her. In short, she had called the shots and Dan had let her. In all the years he had not had one really happy day because Anthea was always the boss. What she said went. They travelled extensively, but he had to pander to her every whim. If she decided that they had had enough of sightseeing or whatever, then they had had enough. The woman sitting in front of him was right, he had to take responsibility for himself. Because there was no Anthea to do it for him now.

‘I know what you’re saying is right, Eve, but I’m not sure I’m man enough to do what you suggest.’

She slipped the cigarettes from her pocket and gave him one. ‘Listen, Dan, Kate’s sick of seeing you on that settee. Get yourself somewhere to live and gain her respect again. Get a job, sort out your life. If you really want her back, that’s the only way to get her.’

‘What about the man she’s been seeing?’

‘What man?’ Evelyn sounded puzzled.

‘Oh, come on, Eve. There’s a man in the pipeline or my name’s not Danny Burrows.’

‘Well, if there is it’s the first one I ever knew of.’

God forgive me for lying, she thought. She knew as sure as eggs was eggs that Kate, bless her, had finally caught herself a man. A mysterious man, she admitted, because she couldn’t get anything out of her daughter about him, but a man all the same.

‘You get yourself fixed with somewhere to live and then start your campaign to get Kate. Life has a funny way of sorting itself out. I’ve learnt that much over the years.’

He smiled at her. A genuine smile. Danny had never liked Kate’s mother because he had always known she didn’t like him. That she could see through him as if he was glass.

‘Thanks, Eve. It’s meant a lot to me to have us talk like this.’

Evelyn grasped his hand and smiled.

‘I’m only trying to help you, son.’

She had the grace to look down at her wedding ring, a worn gold band. She couldn’t look him in the face any more. All she really wanted was to see him out of the house.

For all their chatting about him and Kate and Mystery Man, he had not mentioned his daughter once.

That was typical of bloody Danny Burrows.