She nods, fidgets a little, pulling the sleeve of her cardigan down over her hand. ‘I don’t know what it’s all about. I thought it was just a matter of them … you know … preparing his body.’

‘I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about,’ Stella says, rubbing her girlfriend’s arm. ‘Don’t let it upset you, anyway. At least we have a bit more time to get things organised here.’

‘True enough,’ Ciara says, her eyes darting around the house as if she is seeing it for the first time, even though we’d all been here for most of the night.

Stella speaks next. ‘Where should we start?’ she asks, taking off her coat and hanging it at the bottom of the stairs. ‘I’m not familiar with all your traditions over here, so just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.’

Stella is very practical by nature. No nonsense. I’m glad to have her around. Ciara gives her a small smile. It lasts just a moment or two before she turns to look at me with a more serious face. Her expression reminds me of how she looked when we first met – full of teenage angst and intransigence.

‘Well, Heidi, what do you suggest?’

I don’t know what to do any more than Stella does, if truth be told. I avoid death rituals. I saw enough of them as a child that I blanked them out. I stare, unspeaking, at her.

‘Well, where do you want to have him laid out?’ Alex asks, stepping close to me and taking my hand. ‘Do you think the front living room would be best? If so, I’ll start clearing the furniture.’

I could kiss him for taking charge. Stella is not the only person who can help in a crisis.

‘That’s fine with me,’ Ciara says.

‘Grand. I’ll get started on that, then,’ Alex replies.

‘You can’t do that on your own,’ I say. ‘I’ll help.’

‘How about I help Alex?’ Stella asks. ‘I’m sure you and Ciara have enough to be doing elsewhere.’

Ciara and I look at each other, neither of us sure what else we should be doing at all but sure that whatever it is, we don’t want to be doing it together.

‘That would be great.’ Alex speaks for me again.

It isn’t lost on me that both Alex and Stella are talking slowly, as if giving instructions to truculent toddlers. There is an air of broken eggshells all around us and we’re all being careful not to tread them further into the ground.

‘Mum has the refreshments under control,’ Ciara says. ‘She knows a caterer and wants to help.’

Ciara’s mum, Marie, has always been kind to me. Unlike her daughter, she doesn’t seem to hold me partially responsible for her husband leaving her. I’m glad of her offer of help.

‘And she has been talking to Kathleen about the funeral,’ Ciara continues. ‘Kathleen has very definite ideas about what she wants. I imagine it doesn’t matter to you that much,’ she says. ‘Besides, it will free you up to call the estate agent and get the house on the market. Do you want to do that now, or is it time enough to wait until he’s actually buried? It might get a little awkward showing people around and seeing a coffin in the living room.’