‘It wasn’t anything abusive. He didn’t hit us. I would have left him if he had. He was ex-army and hard. A bully, I suppose, looking back, although I didn’t think so at the time. He instilled fear in the girls. If they put a foot wrong, he’d scream at them. They were nervous wrecks around him. It’s no wonder Heather shot him by accident – I can just imagine his rage when he found her fiddling with that gun. She would have been nervous and her finger would have slipped.’ She sighs heavily. ‘He wasn’t like that when I first met him, or when the girls were really little. But he changed. I think he suffered from mental-health problems. Depression, maybe PTSD, but twenty years ago we weren’t so aware of these things.’ She doesn’t know why she’s telling Jess all of this.

She’s surprised when Jess reaches across the table and takes her hand. ‘I think you’re amazing.’

Margot’s cheeks flame. ‘Amazing? I’m anything but.’

‘I always thought you were an excellent mum. And the way you coped with what happened to Flora. Now this … and I didn’t even know about what you went through with Keith.’

Margot chews her lip. She’s not used to someone being so kind to her and she’s annoyed with herself when tears sting her eyes. ‘Oh, shush,’ she says. ‘There’s nothing I can do but carry on, is there? I need to be there for Heather when she wakes.’

Jess nods and removes her hand.

‘Are you okay here with me on a Friday night? Shouldn’t you be with your fella?’ says Margot.

Jess toys with the stem of her glass. ‘He wants to get married and have kids,’ she blurts out, ‘and I’m not ready. I feel like the worst person ever because I love him. He’s so good, you know. I’m realizing how hard that is to find …’

‘There’s no rush. You’re still young.’

Jess smiles stiffly. ‘Yes.’

Margot studies her. ‘Are you worried about your career?’

Jess shakes her head. ‘No. Not really. To be honest, since I’ve moved away from London I’ve been a bit disenchanted with the whole journalism thing.’