‘You think I’m sad because of the Mortimer boy?’ He stared at her. ‘No, no, Heather!’ He shook his head. ‘I’m furious because of him, bloody furious at him and his bloody mother with her airs and graces, but I’m sad because my little girl is far away. And I don’t like it one bit! It don’t feel right to me and it never will. She belongs here, at home in Port Charles. And I wouldn’t mind if she’d gone off to pursue something wonderful or because she’d fallen in love or was travelling the world, or for a million other reasons’ – he slipped his arms into his old yellow oilskin jacket – ‘but it’s none of those things. It’s like she was chased out by what he did to her. He made her feel stupid and like she couldn’t hold her head up, and that’s what I can’t get over, that’s what I’m furious about! She felt like she had no choice! All because he led her in a deceitful dance and folk can’t keep their tongues still in their empty heads. Who does she know over that way? No one!’

He chose not to voice the destructive thoughts that disturbed his sleep, nightmares of his little girl living an unhappy life, painting on a smile while wondering what her family were up to in the place she loved. He thought of his loneliness sometimes when he was at sea. It often felt like there was a party going on at home to which he wasn’t invited, like he was forgotten, and it tore him up inside. He hated to think of Merrin suffering similarly.

‘You think I like it?’ Heather’s bottom lip trembled and his heart sank; how he hated causing her a moment of upset. Instantly, he regretted speaking so freely. ‘You think I like living with the heart ripped out of my home? And with you skulking off every five minutes to that damned boat shed to sit with Jarv and Robin like three daft idiots all staring at the water, brooding over what they can’t bloody have?’

‘What can’t Robin have?’ He scratched his scalp; Robin the confirmed bachelor had it all, as far as he could tell. He lived a carefree life, the money in his pocket was his to do with as he pleased, he had a decent roof over his head, friends aplenty and a regular seat at the bar of their local.