‘Try your patience?’ Part of her couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. He was acting as though he was the wronged one. ‘Just leave me alone, I mean it. And for the record, Alexander knows everything there is to know about me and I wouldn’t be responsible for his actions if he met you.’

‘I don’t believe you.’

‘I don’t care what you believe, Nathaniel. Can’t you understand that? I don’t have to answer to you. You were Davey’s friend and for that reason I tolerated you because he thought a lot about you, but even then, before the accident, I didn’t think you were worthy to lick his boots. You always looked down on Davey in your heart of hearts, didn’t you. You were the big I am, able to get any lass you wanted at a click of the fingers because of your looks and the way you acted, but inside you’re ugly, dirty.’

He was staring at her with a look on his face she could only describe to herself as demonic, and she turned from him, holding Betsy’s hand tightly as she began to walk away. She half-expected that he would call to her or even try to grab her but nothing happened. Betsy was saying, ‘That man, Mam? Who’s that man? Did he really know me da? Was he being nasty to you?’ but she didn’t answer her, not until they had reached the corner of the street and were out of sight.

She stopped, breathing hard and still holding Betsy’s hand so tightly that her daughter wriggled and said, ‘Mam, you’re hurting me.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry, hinny.’ She forced a smile. ‘Don’t know my own strength, do I. As for that man, he was never really a friend of your da’s. Not a good friend, anyway. He’s – he’s not very nice and if you ever see him again I don’t want you talking to him, all right?’

Betsy nodded. ‘Are we going to Auntie Amy’s now?’

‘We are, and if you ask her nicely she’ll show you all the baby clothes again, I dare say, and the little crib with the lace round it.’

Betsy forgot about Nathaniel in a moment and for the rest of the walk she bounced along at her mother’s side, talking non-stop about Amy’s baby and content with only monosyllabic replies. Rose glanced behind her a few times before she reached Amy and Frank’s little house but she could see no sign of a tall figure following them, although she felt his presence and it made her skin crawl.