Everything was ready. The soda bread was going in the oven the minute she heard the front door open, so they could have it nice and hot with melted butter. Her trifle was wobbling itself to death in the fridge and the little bottle of Bushmill’s was snuggled into her apron pocket, where she could have a snifter without being seen.

She settled herself on the stool.

It would be grand to have Lizzy back home. There had been too much going on in the last few weeks, and Evelyn nearly admitted she was getting a bit old for it all.

Still, Kate looked better and that was good. Her child was dear to her heart and she was glad that Kate and Lizzy were finally coming to some kind of understanding of one another’s ways. They were as alike as two peas physically, but temperamentally they were like chalk and cheese. She hated to admit that Lizzy had a lot of Dan’s selfishness in her. But she blamed herself for that. She had doted on the child from day one.

She forced these thoughts from her mind. The child was coming home and she wanted everything to be lovely.

But she knew that what she had read in Lizzy’s diary would stay with her for a long time.

She concentrated her thoughts on her son Peter and his wife Marlene. She was looking forward to seeing them. Seeing her other grandchildren for the first time. She took a deep drag on the cigarette and her thin body was racked by a fit of coughing. She’d have to knock these on the head, they’d be the end of her. She stabbed her cigarette out in the ashtray and heard the sound of Kate’s key in the lock. Leaping from the stool, she put the soda bread in the oven and rushed out into the hall.

‘Hello, me pets!’ She hugged them both in turn, her little dark eyes darting over her granddaughter with a critical glint in them.

She looked all right, a bit thinner, but a few good meals would remedy that.

‘Hello, Gran.’ Lizzy was shy all of a sudden. ‘Is that an Irish stew I can smell?’

‘It is, one of the best I ever made. I’ve done mashed swede to go with it. Now come along in and I’ll get you both some.’

Fifteen minutes later they were all around the little breakfast bar enjoying the food when someone knocked on the front door. Kate stood up, wiping her mouth with a paper napkin.

‘I’ll get it.’

She went out to open the door. She could not help her face registering surprise when she saw who was there.

‘Caitlin?’

He stood on the doorstep in his crumpled raincoat, a little smile on his face.

‘I’m sorry to disturb you at home like this . . .’