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the television off.
    There is a rare silence for a second or two, then Mavis says, ‘Well, look what the cat dragged in. If it’s not the little mother herself.’
    â€˜Goodness me , darling.’ The tourist lady’seyes bulge, nearly pop out of their sockets. A lot of people stare like that when they see Mavis.
    Martin comes back from the loo. ‘How’s life, Aunty Eva?’ he says. ‘Long time, no see.’
    Eva has stopped her staring. She’s stretching her lips in a fake smile, offering her hand to Martin but not wanting him to take it, while Henry starts listing names – as if she’s going to remember who is who.As if she’s interested, even. He says Lorraine, and Lori gets pushed in almost close enough to shake Eva’s hand. She’s wearing a huge diamond ring that is probably the one Henry bought in England. It probably cost as much as a new roof and a new fence, and even someone to paint the house.
    Eva’s eyes fix on Lori’s face; she frowns. She’s going to dob. Now. She’s going to say, ‘Didn’t I see youdown at the tourist centre?’ Lori steps back fast, behind Martin, steps back again and keeps going until she’s outside the back door. She’s learned a lot from listening at open doors. That’s how she knows Mavis and Henry ran away together and that’s the reason Mavis got written out of the will. Eva got everything when her mother died. That’s how she knows that when the twins needed an operationand needed a place to stay between hospital visits, Henry went to see Eva and ended up making peace with her and making a deal. Eva said she’d look after the twins until the doctors had fixed up their hearts and then she’d give them back.
    Only one problem with that plan. Eva married Henry so she could be a respectable married lady and have his baby, so now she had two of them. She reneged onthe deal, and since about two years ago, when she sent money to soften Mavis up, she’s been begging to adopt those twins, which, due to her and Henry never getting divorced, would only be a formality – or that’s what Eva’s solicitor wrote in the letter that came with the cheque.
    As if Mavis would ever agree to that!
    â€˜Put the little ones to bed, boys, then go outside,’ Henry says, wanting someprivacy now that the small talk is over. That’s funny. As if anything is private around this place.
    Lori, already outside, gets the best listening spot, below the open window on the west side, close to the table. When Donny and Martin come, they crouch down low behind her. Greg hasn’t come back since he went out to get the wood, but Vinnie, the moron, tries listening at the louvres, which aren’teven close to the action. He won’t learn much over there.
    â€˜What’s she doing up here?’ Martin whispers.
    â€˜It’s about the twins again,’ Lori says. ‘She’s talking about her solicitor. Shush.’
    Then Mavis shocks everyone. ‘Of course Henry and I have no desire to disrupt the twins’ lives. What do you think we are, Eva? Thanks to you, we’re strangers to our own sons.’
    â€˜Christ,’ Donny says. ‘She’sgoing to sign.’ Now Martin shushes him.
    â€˜You’ll allow me to adopt the boys? You’ll sign the papers, darling?’
    â€˜Did you bring them with you?’
    â€˜The twins?’ Eva says. ‘No. No. No.’
    Liar. She did so. Not that Lori can tell anyone. She was supposed to be at school.
    â€˜I’m talking about the adoption papers, Eva.’
    â€˜You’ll sign, darling?’
    â€˜What’s the alternative? We’ve got nothing to offer themup here. You got all the old bitch’s money.’
    â€˜Oh, darling, darling, darling. Thank you . How can I ever thank you?’
    â€˜Oh, I could think of a few thousand ways – if I put my head to it.’
    Eva ignores