Tania was lovely – not as obviously beautiful as Bernadette O’Toole, but she was a natural beauty. Where Bernadette had learned to enhance her natural assets with make-up, hair dye and expensive underwear, Tania still had the fresh-faced youth that was actually far more appealing, in Ria’s opinion. With her reddish-blond hair, and her deep blue eyes, she was the double of Theresa Bailey as a girl; anyone who saw her immediately saw the resemblance. It was uncanny. Being the good girl she was, Tania went straight to where her grandmother was sitting, and she made a huge fuss of her before making her way over to her mother and aunt.

‘Where were you? I expected you hours ago.’ Lena tried not to sound as worried as she obviously was and Tania laughed.

‘Mum! I was doing my coursework with Ellen Sparks. I told you I was going there first. We need to get ourselves in gear if we want good grades. How’s it going? Is it all right if I have a proper drink?’

Imelda laughed at her cousin’s bravery. ‘Come on, Tania, one little vodka won’t kill you.’ She whisked her away quickly. ‘You’ve already been drinking! I can smell it on you – cider, and cheap cider at that!’

Tania grinned as they pushed their way towards the bar area.

‘Coursework, my arse! Where you been really?’

‘No, I was working, Imelda. Me and Ellen just had a drink while we were studying, that’s all. I’m seventeen, for God’s sake! My mum and dad act as if I’m twelve.’

‘It will never change, you can take that as fact from me. My dad still treats me like I’m a fucking schoolkid.’

They both got double vodkas, and the noise and the heat of the room drove them out into the large gardens. The cool air was just what they needed.

‘So how has it been? Has Petey somehow miraculously seen the light?’

Imelda smiled and took a deep gulp of her drink. Tania had a crush on her older cousin, and Imelda knew that she didn’t think anyone had sussed that out yet. But Tania looked at him like he was some kind of god, and she suspected that Tania’s crush would be there for a good while yet. It didn’t help that Petey unwittingly made a big fuss of her – they all did. She was a very lovable person. Clearly Tania hoped that one day he would see her for the woman she was becoming, but that was never going to happen. Imelda had her fingers crossed that the crush would fizzle out naturally.

‘Petey is happy, Tania – he knows what he wants. He’s in his thirties, he ain’t a little kid. We might not like her, love, but he’s the one who’s chosen to tie himself to her.’