Kate was delighted at the promise of ginger beer bought for her by her brother. She almost forgave him for the years away. Almost.

She was about to answer his questions, when he continued and her face fell. She too was nervous about her father's reaction, but she reached out and put a small hand on his arm. "Mam and dad haven been very worried about everything going on with Ruth and Joe. But they love you. Tell dad you're sorry for what's happened in the past and show him you're here to help them, to make life easier now, not harder."

She hoped that would be enough. Her father had always been quicker to forgive her and Ruth than Joe and John, and John seemed to evoke a particular amount of his wrath