Joey put a casual arm around his boyfriend’s shoulder. ‘You get off, Dom. I’ll stay here with Nan tonight. Perhaps pick me up tomorrow when you finish work. I’ll have to call in sick again, I’m afraid, but it can’t be helped.’

Eddie shook Dominic’s hand. ‘Thanks for being there for my Joey, mate. You’re a good lad.’

Joycie grinned. Sod Stanley’s sulks, Eddie had now fully accepted Joey and Dominic’s relationship and that was all that mattered.

In the lounge, Carol was still talking to Georgie and Harry. Both children had spoken candidly about why they had run away, and their love for their mother was clear to see. ‘So, has your daddy explained why your mummy had to go away for a while?’ she asked.

Remembering her grandfather’s words, Georgie nodded. ‘Daddy told us that Mummy was evil and Nanny Alice said that Mummy was in prison because she’s an old shitcunt.’

‘Nanny told me that, too,’ Harry chipped in. He was determined to do his bit for the cause.

Carol was horrified. She was used to dealing with children that came from deprived homes, but what sort of grandmother was Nanny Alice to use vile words like ‘shitcunt’ to children so young? Carol stood up; she had made plenty of notes of her conversation with the children and now it was her duty to call the police.

‘Can we see Mummy now?’ Harry asked her again.

Carol smiled and ruffled his hair. ‘Hopefully, you can see your mummy soon and I promise I’ll do my best to make sure that happens.’

Eddie looked at Carol with expectation as she walked into the kitchen. ‘Well, did they answer all your questions OK?’ he asked.

‘Yes, they did, and they have given me plenty of insight into the family they are currently living with. I am going to ring the police now and they will collect the children and take them back home. I shall then submit my report to my husband, who is in charge of this entire area.’

Joyce was gutted. Having the children at home had made her forget about all her other problems.

‘Do they have to go back to the O’Haras? They obviously aren’t happy living there and I’m willing to look after them,’ she pleaded.

‘I’m afraid the law says they do have to go back to their father, for now at least. I do understand how worried you are for their welfare, but these things take time. The one thing I am sure about is that I can arrange a regular visit for the children to see their mother. My husband, Phillip, is actually in charge of social services in this area, and I can make sure that definitely happens. As for the children being taken away from their father, with the circumstances of their mother’s plight, that might prove to be quite difficult.’

‘Go and sit with the kids,’ Eddie ordered Joey and Joyce. ‘Why is it so difficult to take them away from the scumbags they’re currently living with?’ he asked Carol. ‘I’m willing to look after them and even if my police record puts the kibosh on that, Joyce will have them until Frankie comes home.’