That evening I read Jimmy my dragon story. He loved it and wanted more, but I had to admit that was as far as I’d got. I was heading for my room, fully intending to write the next chapter straight away, when I heard a crash in the kitchen, followed by a muttered oath, and went running downstairs to find Pa on his hands and knees, trying to sweep up shards of glass out of a puddle of brown liquid. The room smelled like a public house.

‘What on earth? Are you all right? Mind you don’t cut yourself.’

I fetched an old newspaper from the scullery and, between us, we managed to clear up the mess, wrapping the glass carefully before putting it into the dustbin, just as I’d seen Mum do long ago.

‘Thank you, my darling,’ he said, rinsing his hands under the tap. ‘I was only trying to find a bottle opener and I dropped the damn thing.’ As he reached for a tea towel, I noticed his hands were trembling.

‘Are you all right, Pa?’ I asked. ‘You look a bit shaken up.’

‘I’ll be fine as soon as I get a beer inside me,’ he said.

I went to the pantry, but the shelf was empty. ‘None left – sorry. Will this do instead?’ I said, bringing out a half-empty bottle of sherry. Pa had never been a big drinker, but he did like a tipple from time to time.

‘That’ll do perfectly.’ He poured a large glassful and swigged it back in a single gulp. ‘That’s better.’

‘What’s up?’

He demurred for a few moments, trying to put me off. ‘Nothing you need to trouble yourself with, my darling.’

‘I’m already troubled by what I see,’ I said.

‘It’s this church-window plan,’ he said. ‘The Waddingtons say they’ll pay for everything, but honestly, it’s hardly a priority, when the roof is leaking and the loose slabs in the aisle are a veritable death-trap. But I’m being steamrollered, I’m afraid. The wives have already been talking to each other, before I’ve even had a chance to take the idea to the diocese.’ He poured himself another glassful. ‘And, frankly, I could do without that, what with everything else.’

‘Everything else?’

‘It’s the church finances, my darling. Not to put too fine a point on it, they’re a complete mess. It’s worse than I expected.’

‘Hasn’t Mr Blackman been sorting them out?’

‘He’s trying to. But it seems the previous incumbent got in a terrible muddle. A substantial sum appears to have gone missing.’ He rubbed his temples, looking worn and weary.

‘Where’s it gone?’

‘If I knew that there wouldn’t be a problem, would there?’ he snapped.