He lay on the bed and let the feelings of warmth Mandy Kelly had created wash over him. He was a bit sorry she was dead, because he had quite liked her. After all, Mandy was his favourite name.

Feeling better now, he gradually relaxed.

Downstairs Elaine was sitting at the kitchen table eating her dinner. She was seeing Hector later in the evening and she thanked God for that. Since he had come into her life she had felt as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

The great weight was George and all he entailed.

Kate was draining spaghetti while her mother put the finishing touches to the bolognaise sauce.

‘Are you sure you don’t mind him coming for dinner, Mum?’

Evelyn looked at her daughter. ‘Now why should I mind that?’ She turned off the gas under the pan and went to the breakfast bar to begin laying it. Kate put the spaghetti into a buttered Pyrex dish and went to give her a hand.

‘Why is the table only set for two?’

‘Because, Katie, I’m going to bingo with Doris tonight. I’ll grab a bite to eat there.’

‘Oh no you’re not! He’s making you leave your own home . . .’

Evelyn interrupted her. ‘Did it ever occur to you that I might have wanted to go out more over the years, and didn’t because I always had Lizzy to look after or had to wait for you coming home? No, I didn’t think it had!’

Seeing the hurt look on Kate’s face, Evelyn grinned at her. ‘I didn’t mean that really, Kate. I want you and this man to have a bit of time together, that’s all. He’s buried his only child today and I think he’ll want you near him tonight. But for all that, if I wanted to stay in, I would. I’m going out with Doris because I want to go to bingo. I happen to like bingo so all in all this has worked out fine. Now, will you put the Parmesan on the table, please? I grated it earlier.’

Kate gave her a hug and Evelyn pulled her close. ‘Don’t you be hard on him now, you hear? He needs a bit of coddling tonight. Forget all the eejity talk about the blood testing and everything, he did you a favour you know.’

Kate nodded. She heard a knock at the door and went to answer it. Evelyn took off her apron and surveyed the little breakfast bar. It looked nice. She understood that Patrick’s house was a huge posh affair with expensive carpets and a housekeeper and all manner of frippery! Well, as far as she was concerned her Katie’s house was as good, if not better, because it had the added bonus of having herself, Katie and Lizzy living in it!