Her mam laughed. ‘Oh, there’s plenty of that too. I spent an age in Mangan’s listening to chatter about still waters running deep.’

Nina had told her parents about Flan and Ginny when she’d got back from the pub. Although he’d tried to pretend otherwise, her dad had been as stunned as everyone else. Initially, she’d been surprised by this. Shouldn’t he have known about Ginny’s pregnancy? Then she remembered how Tess’s mam had transferred her custom to a doctor in Templemorris. Nina could understand. Why trust your health – or give your money – to a man who’d been mean to your daughter?

Nina listened while her mother ran through what she’d heard in the shop. According to Breege O’Grady, Flan had been seen earlier, sauntering up the street like nothing had happened. Lourda Ryan insisted she’d known that something was up with Ginny. ‘Not a word of a lie,’ she said. ‘I just knew.’ Liesl revealed that Tess had called in to buy a pint of low-fat milk and a bunch of bananas. She was delighted with the news, she’d said, and was looking forward to becoming a very big sister.

‘I reckon she’s less pleased than she’s making out,’ said Nina.

‘Well, if you ask me, it’s wonderful news,’ replied her mother. ‘Flan’s spent more than enough time on his own. If he’s happy, and Ginny’s happy, that’s all that matters.’

Nina recalled her efforts to uncover the truth about Tess’s father. Every attempt had proved fruitless and, in the end, she’d given up. Despite this, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that her mam and dad knew more than they were saying.

‘It’s a shame Tom couldn’t come down for the weekend,’ said her mother.

‘He had to work … or so he said.’

‘Are things all right between the two of you?’

Thrown off balance, Nina burbled a few lines about everything being fine. The honest answer was, she didn’t know. She loved Tom, but increasingly she felt they were out of sync. Like he was holding back on her. She considered confiding in her mother, then decided against. Compared to many of her friends, Nina was quite open with her mam. This was different, though. She didn’t want to stir up unnecessary worry.