Nina sent a look of distress to her friend, then did as she was told.

‘See you tomorrow,’ Tess called after her.

As Nina climbed into the BMW, she heard Ginny asking her father what the problem was.

‘I’ll leave Tess to fill you in,’ he said. ‘She can tell you what their little gang was up to on Friday night.’

Nina watched the candlelight flicker across her parents’ faces. The only other light came from the glow of logs in the grate. She was glad the electricity was off. By now, her own face must be a mottled mess. Tears ran down her cheeks, and her eyes felt sticky and raw.

Conor had told his dad about their evening in the shed, and Sergeant Varley had informed Nina’s parents. ‘And I’m glad he did,’ said her father, a slight vibration in his voice, like he was trying to control his anger. ‘Otherwise we would never have known what you and Tess were up to. Have you no sense?’

Plainly, this was one of those questions that didn’t require an answer because he continued his lecture with warnings about what happened to young girls who were foolish enough to go smoking and drinking with boys. Very bad things, apparently. Things that led to shame and misery and ruined lives. Nina tried to explain that the evening had been harmless, but she stumbled over the words. Neither parent wanted to listen.

For ten minutes or more, she sobbed and whimpered while her dad reminded her of all the advantages she had in life. She didn’t need a reminder: she knew she was lucky. Lucky to have two parents who loved her. Lucky to live in a big warm house. Lucky to wear expensive clothes.

All the while, her mam played with her gold chain. ‘And think how fortunate you were to get into Millmount Abbey,’ she said. ‘One of the finest schools in Ireland.’

Nina couldn’t let this pass. ‘I’d prefer to be at home with you and Dad and Hugh. Why can’t I go to St Ursula’s with everybody else? There’s no reason why I wouldn’t do well there.’

‘What’s brought this on?’ asked her dad.

‘What do you mean?’

‘I thought you were keen to go to Millmount. Don’t all girls love boarding school?’

‘I never wanted to go there, but now … now I hate it.’

‘Oh, Nina,’ said her mam, her voice softening, ‘why didn’t you mention this before?’

‘Because I didn’t know what to say.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ She rubbed her necklace. ‘I know it’s hard for you to grasp, love, but Millmount will give you opportunities you’d never have here. You’ve got to give it time. When I was there, it took me a while to adjust, but when I did, I adored it. What is it that you hate?’

‘They’re mean to me.’