‘After the news, so they are,’ said Paddy as he nodded towards them. ‘No one has a notion what will become of it all now he’s dead and there’s no one in the family with any interest in living here.’

Seamus had other things on his mind. ‘How long will we need to leave this to settle before we can tap it, Paddy?’

‘An hour. So we’ll go straight back and pull a few from the barrel in the bar, to keep us going.’

Seamus could not have been happier and called out to Mrs Doyle as she hurried past them, ‘Did you make your confession then, Mrs Doyle? I hope you didn’t confess to the burning passion you have in your loins for Paddy here. If the father tells Teresa Gallagher, she will be that jealous, she’ll run down here and belt you one with her shillelagh.’

He roared with laughter and she would normally have given Seamus back as good as he gave out, but not this evening. Instead, she mumbled, ‘You are getting as bad as your father was, it must be in the blood,’ and without any further word of greeting, she was gone. She was a woman on a mission.

Seamus removed his cap and scratched his head. ‘Well, what was all that about? She didn’t even crack a smile.’

Paddy had his hands on his hips and was also staring in surprise at Mrs Doyle’s retreating back. ‘I reckon someone has taken bad and she needs to open the post office and call the doctor’s house,’ he said.

And both men, satisfied with that as an explanation and without another thought, continued rolling the barrel.

Almost everyone was gathered in the Malones’ kitchen as Michael tucked the van in around the rear and his passengers spilled out. Captain Bob was up front and with some difficulty turned to Mary Kate in the back seat. ‘Are you all right now – this won’t be too much for ye?’

Michael bristled; he was, after all, her father. ‘She’ll be fine. It’s just what she needs. Peggy says there have been people in and out of the shop all day long asking after her. This way, it doesn’t look like she’s in hiding, does it. It’s a proper welcome home with nothing to conceal. We don’t want any suspicions raised.’

Mary Kate was now the one to bristle. But what did she expect, she asked herself. She knew her father was right. If the villagers had any notion of the life she had led in Liverpool, there would be no one calling into the shop to enquire about her, no one calling into the shop for anything at all. Michael’s business would be sorely affected. No one would pass their money over the counter of a place of sin. She dragged herself out of the van and felt Bee’s arms around her shoulders.

‘Are you up for this?’ asked Bee. ‘We can say you have a headache and are exhausted from the journey home and the work up at Angela’s cottage if you like. ’Twould be no trouble at all. You wouldn’t be the first or the last person not to attend a party thrown in their honour.’