‘She’s mine too,’ Ed countered. ‘And she’s not going anywhere!’

‘Stop it, all of you!’ Morgan shouted, her face fixed in determination. ‘Listen to me.’ Uncurling her feet from beneath her, she stood before her mum. ‘Get yourself off the gear and stop depending on everyone else.’ She turned to Naomi. ‘You’ve got to stop being such a doormat. I gave you some serious shit and you’ve just put up with it.’ She glared at her father. ‘You’ve only just got married. Your place is with your wife.’ She returned her attention to Harmony. ‘I’m not going anywhere. I’m not being your carer any more. I told you Joel was a loser, but you wouldn’t listen. Go home. Sort your shit out. You’re not taking me down with you. Not this time.’

‘Baby . . .’ Harmony extended her arms. ‘You don’t mean it.’

But Morgan’s stance was firm. ‘Mum, I’m so angry at you, I could smack you in the face.’

Naomi was at a loss for words. All this time, Morgan’s only wish had been to return to her mother in Scotland. She had done a lot of growing up lately. Now she was a young woman who saw the world for what it was.

‘But I came here for you . . .’ Harmony whined, her arms dropping as Morgan side-stepped her hug.

‘You came here for yourself! All my life, I’ve covered for you. Cleaned up your sick. Gone hungry when you left me to fend for myself. Where were you when I needed you? Where were you when . . . when . . .’ Tears formed in Morgan’s eyes as a sob choked in her throat.

Naomi stepped in. ‘Hey, it’s OK.’ She put an arm around her stepdaughter. ‘We can fix this. There’s no reason we can’t all get along.’ She turned to Harmony. ‘But Morgan’s right. You need help. I don’t want to come between you, but our home is the best place for her.’

‘But . . .’

‘Is that clear enough for you?’ Ed stood before his ex-wife. Arms folded. An immovable force. ‘Her place is with us.’

‘I guess that’s me told,’ Harmony said in a low voice. She looked at her watch, her eyes moist.

Naomi wanted Harmony to fight for her daughter. To declare that she was going to get help. To say she would sort her life out and come back for her. But Harmony didn’t say any of this. The only pity she had was for herself.

Harmony looked to the window. ‘Have you got the number of a cab?’

Naomi sighed. She couldn’t allow her to travel on her own. ‘Ed will drop you back to the B&B.’

‘Aye,’ Harmony said, her words barely a whisper. ‘I’ll get the train back to Scotland in the morning.’ She slid out a cigarette tin from her pocket and put a joint behind her ear.