‘No, I won’t, Mother. I’m sick of you. You’ve blamed everyone, even your own brother for not doing his job, but the fact of the matter is, she left because of you. I’m surprised she even lasted as long as she did. You have no idea about any of us, have you? And I’d also be surprised if you even know yourself. All you are is the fucking MP.’

Rebecca was open-mouthed and shocked to the core. Never had she heard her daughter raise her voice, let alone swear. Once again, she said the wrong thing. ‘Don’t you use language like that in front of me, young lady!’

‘See, there you go again. It’s all about fucking appearances with you, isn’t it?’

Rebecca spun around to face Alastair. ‘Will you bloody say something? Tell her, will you!’

Alastair sighed. ‘Leave it, Poppy, yeah?’

She shot him a hostile glance. ‘Why the hell should I stop? We all know that Kendall hated her . . . and with good reason.’

Suddenly, Rebecca threw her coffee mug into the sink, smashing it into a thousand pieces. ‘What good reason, eh? Tell me why you think my daughter hated me?’

Poppy’s eyes flicked towards her father to find a shift in his composure. A wry smile lifted the corners of his mouth, and she knew he was about to use his sarcasm mixed with empathetic words in such a passive-aggressive way, it made her feel sick.

‘Oh, come on, Rebecca, love. Let’s not kid ourselves. It’s probably time to face the truth, if we’re going to be honest with ourselves. Kendall never wanted to leave her father’s home. It’s not your fault. You probably thought you were doing what was right, but we have to face the truth, darling. She wasn’t happy here, she never really was. Can’t you remember, sweetheart, how she begged night after night to go back? I know it must be hard for you because you expected her to fall into your arms and be the doting daughter. Perhaps Kendall believed you only took her back because it wouldn’t look good for the press.’

Totally stunned by this somewhat cryptic self-analysis, it took Rebecca several moments to absorb the waspish words coming out of her husband’s mouth. So much for husband and wife loyalty, she thought. She gawped at Alastair and then at her daughter. ‘So, what’s this all about, then? Are you all blaming me?’

‘No!’ sighed Alastair, now wishing he’d stayed at work.

Poppy let out an explosive sigh and shook her head in exasperation.