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Billy sobbed into his handkerchief.

Tina patted him on the back. ‘Calm yourself, Billy.’

‘I can’t, it’s just …’

‘I know, love, it’s unbelievable.’

‘How could she –’ A sob prevented Billy finishing his sentence.

‘She’s something else,’ Tina said.

Jenny came in, hair tousled, wearing her pyjamas. One look at her father stopped her dead in her tracks. ‘Oh, God, what’s going on? I can’t takeany more drama in this family. What has Lucy done now? Gone to Vegas and got married? Got a tattoo? Pierced her tongue? What?’

Tina grinned. ‘Your sister’s just called us. She went in to get her results this morning. She’s only gone and got herself a first. She’s top of the whole class.’

‘A first in law. My daughter!’ Billy’s eyes shone. ‘Billy Murphy from the inner city, who left school atfourteen, has a daughter who got a first in her third-year exams in law in Trinity College – no one would believe it.Ican’t believe it.’

Jenny put a slice of bread in the toaster and turned to her parents, arms folded. ‘Great. Bloody brilliant. Now I’m going to look thick and useless no matter what I do. Why does she have to be an Einstein?’

‘She deserves every bit of it,’ Tina said. ‘I neversaw her study so hard. And to think she did it with everything that’s going on. She really is incredible.’

Jenny turned to get the butter out of the fridge. She washappy for Lucy, of course she was. God knew she deserved a lift after the last few months. But did she have to get a first? Now anything Jenny achieved would look rubbish compared to that.

Still, it was brilliant news for Lucy. Jennydidn’t know how her sister had done it. The last few months had been so horrendous that she was amazed Lucy could concentrate on anything. Her strength had amazed them all.

‘She sounded so happy,’ Billy said. ‘Like the old Lucy, happy and young. I told her to stay out for the day and night and have fun with her pals.’

Jenny snorted. Lucy’s classmates would be throwing drinks down their necksand getting sloshed. They’d probably be drunk by lunchtime. What was Lucy going to do – sit in the pub beside them with her enormous bump, sipping lemonade?

‘It’ll give her a great lift. She needs the confidence boost,’ Tina said.

‘If I ever get my hands on that spineless little –’

‘Don’t go getting yourself all het up, Billy. It’s bad for your heart,’ Tina reminded him. ‘We all feel the sameway, but it is what it is and we need to deal with the situation ourselves.’

Jenny cut her toast with the breadknife and imagined sticking it into Tom’s head. He was a useless fucker. How could he just leave her like that?

When Tom had left, Jenny had been worried that Lucy might do something mad like slit her wrists or something. She’d often heard her crying herself to sleep, and it made hersick to her bones to hear her brave sister so upset. Jenny was determined never, ever, ever to have unprotected sex with anyone, not even Joshua Jackson fromDawson’s Creek, whom she was obsessed with. Nothing and no one was worth this.

Billy went into the shop to serve a customer. Tina was at the sink while Jenny finished her toast.

‘Do you think she’ll be able to cope, Mum?’

Tina stoppedwashing a cup. She had her back to Jenny. ‘She has to, love. She doesn’t have any choice. She’ll have to muddle through and we’ll all have to help. It’s not going to be easy. One was going to be difficult, but two … Well, it makes things more complicated. But children are such a blessing and a joy too. Honestly, they are the greatest thing in the world.’

‘We should have known it was twins – shegot so huge so quickly,’ Jenny said.

‘All women have different bumps but, yes, she was very big very early on. Poor Lucy, if only … Well, no point in wishing for what isn’t.’

‘Do you think she’ll be able to go back to college? Will you and Dad really be able to cope with twins and the shop?’

Tina faced her younger daughter. ‘She has to, Jenny. She can’t let this stop her achieving her dream.We all have to help her get there. That’s what family’s for, to help each other out in times of trouble. We’ll find a way somehow.’

Jenny hoped her mum’s plan didn’t involve her having to change nappies or babysit on a Saturday night. Jenny didn’t want to have zero social life and become an outcast just because her sister had got pregnant.

Tina sat down and put her hand on Jenny’s arm. Uh-oh,a serious chat was coming.

‘What’s happened to Lucy is a lesson to you to be very careful when you meet boys and they want to take things to another level. You have to look after your own body and not trust them to. Do you understand?’

‘You’re telling me I should go on the pill if I’m having sex?’

Tina laughed. ‘Yes, I suppose I am.’

‘Don’t worry, Mum. There’s no way in hell that I’m goingto end up pregnant.’ And if I ever do, Jenny thought, I’ll be on the first plane to England.