Peter and Daniel’s work had initially been the cause of its delay, and she had accepted that as she always did. She wondered at times like this if she was too bloody accepting, but she had never wanted to know too much about her husband’s work life. That would mean she might actually have to admit to what he was capable of. She already had more than an inkling – she didn’t need it thrown in her face. Daniel certainly believed that she was an innocent where he was concerned, and that suited them both. She would stand by his side no matter what. That was the main reason she avoided the truth because, no matter how bad it might be, she could never find it in her to berate him or walk away from him.

There was clearly trouble between the brothers right now, and she didn’t want to know the basis of it all. She had weathered this kind of thing before, many times. But, deep down, she feared this time was different.

Daniel had obviously caused some really serious aggravation. Peter and Ria had not crossed their front door for weeks, Theresa was tight-lipped and didn’t have a decent word to throw at her youngest son, and the tension was getting too much for Lena. The boys could sense it too and she suspected the older two at least probably knew more than she did. She hated it when there was any kind of discord, and she could feel the atmosphere all around her like a heavy weight, draining all her strength.

Ria sounded like a bundle of nerves when she called her, and Imelda too, who was ringing her regularly, was the same. She was close to Imelda, and she loved Ria – she loved them all – but she would always put her husband first. Before anyone, except her little Tania, but that was natural. Tania was her baby, her last born, her heart.

Ria, Theresa, and even young Imelda would understand that; they were cut from the same cloth, even though like her they would never admit it out loud. To love men like the Baileys, to be a part of the Life, you really had no other option.

Everyone had labelled her weak, a fool, because she had never ever involved herself in the daily grind. But to Lena’s mind it had made her much stronger because, when you were tied to a man like Daniel Bailey, the less you knew the better for all concerned. Lena knew, from experience, that the truth could be a very dangerous thing. In the Life the truth didn’t set you free, the truth just hurt you. It just made you reassess your morals, boundaries and guidelines; it made you rework them, so that you could eventually condone literally anything.