The train came to a stop, and the bleeping as the doors opened brought Kendall out of her thoughts. She joined the queue of departing passengers. In flinging her rucksack over her shoulder, she deliberately managed to catch the woman with the sweaty armpits in the face.

‘Careful, young lady!’ she hissed, to which Kendall turned and smiled – devilishly.

Opposite the taxi rank and through the hordes of people, Kendall could just make out a black BMW. She hurried over with a genuine smile; it was the first one in a long time.

The blacked-out window slowly opened and there with mirrored sunglasses and a dazzling smile was her father. ‘Quick, Kenny!’

She had no sooner sat on the cool leather seat than he pulled away. ‘Ease up, Dad, will you? I haven’t even shut the bleeding door!’

‘Shut ya whining and buckle up. I can’t get pulled over by the Ol’ Bill.’

Kendall threw her rucksack behind her and put her seatbelt on.

‘Right, I just need to pop in the pub. It’s not far from here. I’ll only be two minutes, and then we can have a chat.’

Kendall felt her heart sink. Typical. Why could he never drop everything just once for her? She wondered who was best at being indifferent to her. Was it her mother or her father? She noticed him look her way and shake his head in disapproval. She wasn’t sure if that look of disdain was because of what she looked like or whether he was into telepathy. He had an uncanny ability of getting inside her mind.

‘What?’ she snapped as she sensed her father’s dismay.

‘How old are you now? What? Twenty-one?’ The smoky edge to his voice, implying he was annoyed, left an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. She hated the tension when he was moody. And he had a knack of being unpredictable with his temperament.

‘Twenty, but shouldn’t you know that? I thought you were there at the birth?’

‘Oi, don’t get fucking lippy!’ he growled. ‘What’s with the fucking rebel T-shirt and studs in ya ears? Are you some kinda biker, or are you still acting like a kid? What’s that fucking Meat Loaf bollocks spread across ya chest?’

Kendall laughed. ‘Aw, this? This little number? I only wear it just to get right up Mother’s nose.’

She sensed his mood lift.

‘Still got her big bugle stuck in the air or up her arse, has she?’

‘She slapped me one today.’ Her voice was a mere whisper.

‘No doubt you deserved it, Kendall. Anyway, what was it for?’

‘I told her Alastair was a creep!’