Although Pilkington’s was quiet, it didn’t take long for the word to spill out to the wider world. A journalist made a few phone calls. Another reporter turned up in the village. Despite her departure from the spotlight, Tess still sold papers. She decided she’d have to take control of the story, so with the help of some contacts from her former life, she set up an interview with an English Sunday supplement. A pale young journalist called Jemima travelled to Willowthorpe. The pictures were taken by an old photographer friend. The magazine agreed not to name Noel O’Grady. Almost everybody thought the article was tasteful. This didn’t stop the tabloids and websites from putting their own spin on it. A torrent of stories appeared with headlines like Tess: My Mum’s Rape Hell and Why Famous Beauty Won’t Forgive Her Rapist Father. She also had to try to explain it all to Daisy. ‘I want you to understand,’ she said, to her solemn-faced daughter, ‘what a brave woman your grandmother in Ireland is.’ When the initial fuss died down, several charities asked Tess if she’d be interested in working with them. She was now on the board of an organisation that provided counselling to rape victims.

For a while, the four sat at the top of the hill. They kicked off their sandals and savoured the feeling of grass between their toes. Mostly, their conversation was light. Below them, the woods shimmered in the sun. In the near distance, Kilmitten was a series of white and grey smudges. A horseshoe of yellow houses marked the place where Tom’s family home had once stood.

Tom said little. He just wanted to enjoy this sliver of time with his friends, the three people who knew him at his most basic.

Tess was first to move. ‘Come on, Detective Superintendent Varley,’ she said, with a wink. ‘We’d better head home. If we’re late, we’ll be in serious trouble.’ She got to her feet. ‘Mam’s having a special promotion tea for Conor.’

Conor put on his sandals and rose to join her. ‘We’ve almost a full contingent: Dad, Ginny, Sharon, Miles, Daisy and Lauren.’

They didn’t mention Paula. Relations between Conor’s sister and the rest of the family were difficult. She’d been more upset than most by the revelations about her late father-in-law. In particular, she’d been annoyed by Tess’s interview. ‘That’s my children’s grandfather you’re talking about,’ she said, glossing over two important facts: she’d never liked Noel O’Grady and her children were almost thirty years old.

It was another reminder of how old crimes continued to mould their lives, the consequences rippling on and on.