‘I still can’t understand why you never said anything, Ma, we could have dealt with it.’ Handing her the glass he sits back down beside her.

‘I know, I know, I should have but…’

‘But what, Ellen?’ I’m finding her story hard to believe, there has be more to it. ‘Ellen, why didn’t you ask for proof that Tom was the father before you paid the money.’

‘I should have. I know but…’

I’m getting annoyed now, the woman is not stupid, there something she’s not telling us.

Ellen shakes her head slowly from side to side. Tom stares at the cards on the table. This is going nowhere. I move closer to the table, anger directing me, lifting one of the cards I read out loud. ‘Lots of love, Ellen. How could you do this to us, Ellen? How could you lie – year in year out, sit at our table with our kids and all the time you were keeping this from us. Did you not know it would eventually come out?’

‘I did, I worried about it every day. I wanted to tell you but the longer it went on the harder it became. I was afraid.’

‘Afraid of what, Ellen? We’re family, we could have dealt with it.’

‘Afraid of her!’ she shouts.

Tom looks at his mother, takes her hand in his. ‘Why were you afraid of her?’ Rubbing her eyes with a tissue, she takes a deep breath. ‘She threatened to say you raped her.’

Silence. After a few minutes Ellen sniffles into her tissue. ‘I knew it wasn’t true, Tom, but I also knew that all she had to do was say it.’

My heart sinks, Ellen has been paying for peace.

‘So where did you get the money? How much did you give her?’ Tom wants answers.

‘Two thousand pounds.’ Ellen’s voice is getting quieter like she doesn’t want us to hear.

‘Two thousand pounds. Where did you get that sort of money?’

Ellen is clenching her teeth. She doesn’t want to say but Tom won’t let up.

‘Ma, where did you get the money?’

Sniffling into a tissue, she moves her head slowly from side to side before lifting her gaze to look at me. Why me? What’s going on? Oh no.

‘I had no choice, Sally, I had to tell him. I knew he wouldn’t want his daughter’s wedding destroyed…’

I feel weak. Leaning against the counter, the room spins, I’m going to be sick.

‘He wanted to help, he offered, he said he was glad I told him.’ She’s rambling on but all I can hear is muffle.

I can’t believe my father knew about this child. No wonder he’s been showing up lately. Ellen must have alerted him to what was going on. Claire McCarthy must have warned her that Tom knew.