'That's a lovely thought,' Helen said. 'And I promise I'll have milk when you come.'

'Let's go to bed now,' her mother said. 'I've said what I wanted to say.'

She stood up and brought her cup and saucer to the sink.

'We'd better be in good form when Hugh comes,' she said. 'And we'll go and see Declan later, but we'll sleep for a while first, we'll sleep for a while.'

Colm Tóibín

Colm Toibin was born in Ireland in 1955. He is the author of the novels The South, The Heather Blazing and The Story of the Night. He has also written the non-fiction books Bad Blood, Homage to Barcelona and The Sign of the Cross. The Blackwater Lightship was shortlisted for the 1999 Booker Prize. Colm Toibin lives in Dublin.