Although she didn’t risk meeting any of Julian’s friends, she could tell that his circle was very different from hers. While most of them were a few years older than her, few had regular jobs. They seemed to spend their time putting together portfolios and talking about projects. Portfolios of what, Nina was never quite sure. Their lack of earnings didn’t appear to be a problem. They drank in The Bailey and The Norseman. They went to Sides and the Pink Elephant and other places where Nina would have felt crushingly uncool.

Julian liked to say that Ireland was changing. ‘Can’t you feel it?’ he’d ask.

Nina would make light of his claims. ‘Oh, there’s been big change in Kilmitten,’ she’d say. ‘We have the British TV channels now. And the Moynihans went to Santa Ponsa on their holidays. Oh, and Mangan’s shop has started stocking vegetarian cheese and Greek yoghurt.’ Despite her flippant words, she agreed. This wasn’t the time to leave home.

Occasionally, they spoke about Father Galvin. Julian remained convinced that Ginny Fortune was part of the story. While Nina laughed and called him a conspiracy theorist, part of her wondered if there might be something in what he said.

Throughout August, they continued to meet. This was, she knew, the most reckless thing she’d ever done. Moving in with Tom might have irritated her father, but you could hardly call it reckless. They’d known each other since they were four years old. She told herself that hooking up with Julian was the type of thing that Tess would do. But that wasn’t fair. As impulsive as Tess was, Nina had never known her to be unfaithful. The only person she ever hurt was herself.

She expected Tom to notice. Was there not something different about her? Did she not look like a woman who was sleeping with another man? Who was infatuated with another man? Why didn’t he ask more questions about how she was filling her days? Why hadn’t he spotted that she could barely eat? That she was irritable in his presence. Yet Tom went about life as usual. Once or twice, he appeared to be on the verge of saying or asking something but checked himself and pulled back. On another occasion, he enquired about the documentary. Had Nina heard any more? he asked. If he thought there was anything odd about her mumbled, evasive reply, he didn’t say.

She came to realise that if you trusted someone, you didn’t ask questions. Signs that might otherwise point to the truth went unnoticed. And Nina had never given Tom reason to distrust her. Until now.