He drove west under what Sharon liked to call a Turkish Delight sky: here a wash of lemon, there a streak of pink. On the road, he prepared a speech. He was conscious that Ginny was mourning the sudden loss of Mercedes. He also knew that his father wouldn’t be around. Flan was in Limerick helping Lauren move into a new apartment. Conor’s task would be altogether easier without the old man’s presence.

Ginny’s greeting was guarded. ‘Is something wrong?’ she said, before quickly adding, ‘I’m sorry, Conor. I don’t know where my head is. Come in, come in. It’s good to see you.’

‘Everything’s grand,’ he said, as he removed his coat and unwound his scarf. ‘It’s just … there’s something I’ve got to talk about.’

‘You do know your father’s not here?’

‘That’s no bother. I can talk to him later, if needs be.’

‘I was about to make a coffee. Do you—’

‘Coffee would be brilliant,’ he replied. ‘Honestly, Ginny, there’s no reason to fret.’

‘It’s unusual, though, you turning up in the middle of the week like this.’

‘I would have called but … it’s a long story. I’ve learned something new about Father Galvin and I want to run it by you.’

‘It’s as well your father isn’t here, so,’ she said, filling the kettle and spooning coffee into two flower-patterned mugs. In Kennedy Crescent, coffee was resolutely old-fashioned. There would never be a fancy machine in this house.

While Ginny cut thick slices of fruitcake, they talked about the funeral. And about Tess.

‘I know she’s a grown woman and can do whatever she wants,’ said Ginny, ‘but she had far too much to drink yesterday. I don’t know what possessed her. Tom was the same. You’d think he’d have more sense. When we left Pilkington’s, they were outside, smoking cigarettes like a pair of teenagers.’

Conor thought he detected envy as well as disapproval in her voice, but he let that pass. ‘Do you know what they were talking about?’

‘Something and nothing, I’m sure. If you’d been here, you could’ve joined them. I don’t want to sound like an old woman, but you’ve got to take care of your friends. Mercedes would have said that.’ Ginny paused. ‘Actually, now that I think about it, she wouldn’t have been so sentimental. She’d have said, “I may as well pal around with you because no one else will have either of us.”’

‘Poor Mercedes,’ said Conor, his mind elsewhere. He worried that Tom and Tess had been talking about him.