Marilyn turned to face him, eyes flashing, mouth tightening, and Snowy thought irreverently that one of these days she was going to look the image of her mother; not an attractive thought. Mrs Thomas ran her small shop with an iron hand, and Snowy had frequently thought that, when annoyed or overstretched, her mouth tightened into a positive rat trap, but now he smiled down at Marilyn as though he could not imagine why she was looking so annoyed.

Marilyn, however, enlightened him. ‘You bastard!’ she hissed. ‘You bloody stood me up, you – you . . .’ There followed a string of swear words which had Snowy blinking in disbelief. Everyone can swear, but Marilyn, it seemed, had taken a course in foul language, and had passed with flying colours.

But Snowy pretended puzzlement. ‘What’s the matter?’ he asked. ‘Have I done something to annoy you?’

Marilyn gasped, choked, and then started to giggle. ‘You bloody stood me up, you bastard,’ she repeated, but the fury had gone out of her voice. ‘It were a mean trick, ’cos I were lookin’ forward to catchin’ up with all the latest gossip. And you an’ me were good pals once, until that little snake in the grass—’

‘Are you referring to the woman I love?’ Snowy said flippantly. ‘Because if you are, you’re way out. And anyway, I’ve not heard yet why you’re so annoyed with me. What can I have done to get up your nose?’

But this, it seemed, was too much. Marilyn clapped a hand to her mouth, but the giggles escaped and it was several moments before she could remind him again of his conduct. ‘You stood me up,’ she repeated. ‘I were walkin’ up and down the pavement outside Mam’s house, a perishin’ laughin’ stock, until I give up at about eight o’clock. So where were you, Mr Desmond bloody White?’

Snowy spread his hands. ‘I don’t understand,’ he said untruthfully. ‘I made it quite clear that I was taking Tess out last night. Surely you couldn’t have misunderstood what I was saying? But look, we can’t stand here nattering, or you’ll miss the church service. Though how you dare go into church with the awful language you’ve been using still hot on your lips I don’t know.’

‘You liar. It wasn’t that way at all,’ Marilyn said, but she no longer sounded angry or amused, merely sulky. ‘You’re rotten through and through, Snowy White, and I’m glad I found out in time.’ Rather spoiling the effect, she looked at him hopefully. ‘Why don’t we meet after church? The weather’s fine enough; we could go out to Princes Park, have a row on the lake . . .’

Snowy pretended to consider, then shook his head regretfully. ‘Impossible, I’m afraid. Me and my girlfriend are taking a river trip; I’m on my way down to the Pier Head now.’

Marilyn used an ugly word, but they were now opposite the church, so Snowy seized her hand and shook it vigorously, making sure that he squeezed tightly enough to hurt. ‘Nice to see you, Miss Thomas,’ he said, retaining her fingers in a cruel grip whilst she tried in vain to pull away. ‘No doubt we’ll meet again one of these days.’