‘It’s not quite Downton Abbey, but it’s not far off.’ Conor drank some coffee. ‘In all honesty, the place is far too big for three people. They’re outnumbered by the staff. Miles spends most of the week in London, and Daisy’s as good a child as you’ll find. I’m not sure what Tess does with her time. It’s a funny old life.’

Nina detected tension between Conor and his stepsister. She decided not to pry. ‘I reckon I’d cope, all the same.’

‘Me too. As I think of it, I passed on your number. She said she’d give you a call the next time she’s home.’

For a minute or two, they kept up the polite pretence that this would happen. Despite being back on speaking terms with Tess, Nina didn’t fool herself that they’d ever be friends again. Tess – passionate, spiky, brave Tess – had been the best friend she’d ever had. Maybe everybody said that about their childhood pal, but in her case it was true. They’d been friends at an age when Nina had needed a confidante. When she’d needed someone to make her better than she was. She’d relied on Tess, then she’d grown up and realised that relying on anyone was a mistake. No, that wasn’t fair. Nina was the one who’d destroyed their friendship. Not by falling for Julian but by succumbing to envy. With the cruel clarity of hindsight, she saw how her envy of Tess’s success had shaped her behaviour. She’d wanted everybody’s attention. Her own share of the limelight. She hadn’t paused to consider the consequences.

Her eyes watered.

Conor touched her hand. ‘Hey, are you okay?’

‘I’m fine, just a bit nostalgic. Foolish, I know.’ Nina didn’t want his pity. ‘Listen, don’t pay any heed to me. I always get tired at this time of year. Another few days and the school holidays will be here.’ She sensed something else was on his mind. ‘You didn’t call me to talk about Tess, did you?’

‘No. It’s … it’s kind of sensitive.’ He explained what he was doing. ‘Tess said you didn’t think Noel O’Grady could have killed Father Galvin either, and I suppose I’ve been wondering why.’

‘There’s a question. I …’

Although Nina knew an honest answer might have implications for Tom, she would be happy to see the O’Grady theory debunked. To this day, Julian was proud of his documentary. How he loved puffing himself up and recalling his glory years when Irish television had been a ‘serious medium run by serious people, before the light entertainment morons took over’. Oh, wouldn’t it be sweet if his proudest achievement turned out to be flawed.