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locking up! Mad as hatters, the lot of you!’
    Then, as Thomas took a step forward, he ran like a crazy man, stumbling wildly in his panic to get away. From a safe distance he shook his fist. ‘I’ll not forget this in a hurry!’ he yelled, though when Thomas started after him, he fled down the street, never to be seen again.

Chapter Three
    A FTER WAITING UNTIL the unwelcome visitor was out of sight, Thomas went back to find Libby trying to calm her mother, who had been deeply disturbed by the entire episode. Seated at the table, Eileen was rocking back and forth. ‘It was all my fault,’ she sobbed. ‘I brought him here, but he wasn’t the one.’ She glanced up, her misty eyes looking from one to the other. ‘Y’see, I thought he were my Ian. I’m sorry I caused all this trouble.’
    ‘It’s all right, Eileen, love.’ Seeing how Libby was too choked to speak, Thomas came forward. ‘He’s gone now, and by the way he shot round that corner, he’ll not bother you again.’
    Calmed by his quiet voice and gentle manner, Eileen looked up with tearful eyes. ‘You’re a good man, Thomas.’ Taking his work-worn hand into hers, she gently kissed it. ‘And I’m a silly old woman. They should put me away for what I’ve done to my Libby.’ Eileen had fleeting moments of lucidity, and this was one of them.
    Glancing to where her daughter was making a pot of fresh tea and some scrambled eggs, she gave an almighty sigh: ‘My lovely girl!’ When she wiped her eyes, Thomas felt her sorrow. ‘She never married, you know. And it’s all because of me.’
    Thomas gently quietened her fears: ‘I’m sure she’ll find the right man one of these days,’ he promised. ‘Besides, she’s only thirty, so there’s time enough yet.’
    Eileen was amazed. ‘Oh dear! Is she thirty already?’
    ‘I believe so, yes.’
    ‘So, she really is wasting her life, then?’
    ‘No.’ Thomas had a special fondness for these two women. ‘Libby loves taking care of you. You know yourself, she would have it no other way.’
    In her mind, Eileen was beginning to drift again. ‘Thirty isn’t old, but it’s not young either, is it, Thomas?’ When she looked away, he felt her pain. ‘It was me who brought that bad man home. I didn’t mean to. I was looking for my Ian. I need him, and Libby needs a father.’ She gave a little sigh. ‘My little girl is thirty, and all these years she’s been without a daddy.’ Her voice broke. ‘And I’ve been without a husband.’ She added gratefully, ‘Oh, I know you’ve been kind to Libby and me, but you’re not her father, are you, Thomas? And she’s thirty already.’ She looked at him curiously. ‘You do know that, don’t you?’
    Thomas smiled. ‘Oh, my! What I wouldn’t give, to be thirty again!’
    ‘You and me . . .’ Eileen stroked the back of his hand, ‘we’re old, aren’t we, Thomas?’
    He laughed out loud. ‘Aw, I don’t know about that.’ While he was well into his late sixties, Eileen was only just sixty. And though at times her mind was broken, she was still an attractive woman, with her high cheekbones and sparkly brown eyes. She had a kind heart and, when her intelligence was not overshadowed, she displayed a bright, appealing sense of humour.
    ‘D’you really think Libby will find her man? I mean, you’re not just trying to pacify a silly old woman, are you?’
    He shook his head. ‘You’re not to worry, sweetheart. Libby will be all right. And you mustn’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve had a lot to contend with.’
    She smiled up at him. ‘ You know, don’t you?’ she murmured. ‘ You understand the way it is.’
    ‘I do, yes,’ he replied softly. ‘I understand, because I’ve been there.’ He reflected a moment, before going on: ‘Sometimes, when you can’t bear to think about the cruelty of life, you hide inside yourself.’
    Eileen was amazed at how Thomas always managed to say the right thing. ‘Is that what I do – hide inside