‘Yeah, they’re cool, Mrs Bailey.’ He hated lying to her but what could he do? He couldn’t tell her the truth, he couldn’t tell her that her husband was a fucking imbecile who had nearly caused the early demise of not only himself, but his own brother. He could not tell her that her husband was right now one of the most hated men to ever walk the streets of London Town. She had to be aware of it anyway; after all, it wasn’t like it was a big secret or anything.

Davey came back into the kitchen putting on his leather jacket and Delroy breathed a sigh of relief. He passed the baby to her mother and, gulping the last of his tea, he was happy to finally leave the house.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ria was thrilled. Her daughter was finally pregnant, and she was so pleased for her. If ever a girl needed a child in her arms it was her Imelda. She needed more in her life than her husband, who she loved with a passion so intense it was a wonder it didn’t burn them both up.

Ria was heart-sorry for her at times. Imelda’s feelings for Delroy were not healthy; she was consumed by him twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Ria could almost smell the fear that he would leave her. It was hard for Delroy because she knew he loved this girl of hers, but Imelda could not bring herself to believe it. For the life of her, Ria could not understand why.

Imelda had been given every chance in life – she had been brought up to believe she was loved and cherished, not just by Ria and Peter, but by her brothers too. Imelda had been literally worshipped from the moment she had entered this world. So why, Ria asked herself on a daily basis, did her daughter have no confidence in herself at all?

‘You’ll be a great mum, Imelda. You can’t even imagine what it’s like to grow a child inside you and then bring it into the world. From the second you feel it stir inside your belly, and feel the strength of it, you change. Suddenly no one else in the world can ever replace that child in your affections. It’s like you suddenly understand what this life is really about.’