‘I’ve no doubt you have but try not to think about it for now and get some sleep. Things won’t look quite so bad when you’ve had a good rest.’ Kathy reached out to stroke his arm and was surprised as a little shock rippled through her fingers. She still couldn’t believe how thrilled she was to see him, and it struck her then, like a blow between the eyes, just how much she had missed him. She turned quickly and hurried away, her emotions all over the place. What’s wrong with me? she asked herself. I love Ben. I’ve always loved Ben and he’s the father of my children so why am I so pleased to see David? And yet, she was aware that it was becoming harder to picture Ben’s face now. With a shake of her head she went back downstairs to make David a hot-water bottle.

It was very dark when David woke and for a moment he was disorientated as his eyes adjusted to the gloom in the unfamiliar surroundings. But then, remembering where he was, he stretched luxuriously and narrowing his eyes he peered at the wristwatch on his wrist, shocked to see it was after seven o’clock at night. Hurriedly, he rose and got dressed. What must Kathy and her mother think of him? he fretted. He’d turned up out of the blue and then promptly slept the day away. However, he needn’t have worried. When he walked into the cosy kitchen-cum-sitting room the twins ran to him and Kathy gave him a dazzling smile.

‘Ah, here you are. We’ve kept your dinner warm for you on a pan of water on the stove. We didn’t want it to dry up in the oven.’

‘I’m so sorry, you should have woken me,’ he mumbled apolo­getically as she ushered him to the table.

‘You looked so comfortable I didn’t have the heart to.’

He noticed that the twins were in their pyjamas, washed and ready for bed and once she had fetched his meal they began to protest as she tried to get them upstairs.

‘No, Mammy, we want to stay with Uncle David,’ they protested loudly.

David grinned at her. ‘Can’t you just let them have another half an hour? They can tell me all they’ve been up to since I last saw them.’

‘We got lots to tell you,’ Daisy told him importantly as she scrambled up onto the chair next to him. ‘They came an’ took all the horses away ’cept two an’ Mammy an’ Uncle George cried!’

‘Yes, they did,’ Thomas agreed with a solemn nod of his head.