‘Tommy, it’s a ghost ship, it doesn’t exist. I set it up to give you time to get everything off and up the steps.’

Tommy looked over at Jerry, who said, ‘Right, we need to get to work. Tommy, you and Seamus can get the word round that it’s all hands on deck, but this deck up at the top. I’ll ask Seamus to start knocking on with you and get the fellas out. If we can get a strong line going from the dock up the steps to the top, and then have some of the older lads on Nelson Street ready to act as runners to get it into your wash house, then in the morning the women can start to dish it out around the streets.’

At that moment there was a timid knock on the door and they all turned to see big Paddy pop his head around the door.

‘Jerry, your mam is here; she says our Peggy is missing.’

‘Tell her I’m coming,’ said Jerry, ‘and you go home to your kids, Paddy.’

Paddy did not look pleased. ‘Behave, Jerry, I can’t go now; Reg has just bought me a pint,’ and without waiting for a reply, he closed the door.

‘The useless lump of shite,’ said Tommy. ‘He’s gone backwards since I left.’

‘They all have; Mam says Peggy’s in a right mess,’ said Jerry. ‘I’ll go and see what Mam wants and Tommy, you go and tell Seamus to start knocking on – Eugene can help him. We’ll need at least fifteen strong men to form the chain up the steps and as many lads at the top. We’d better act fast.’

Jerry placed his pint on the table and, as he turned, Conor looked embarrassed as he said, ‘Jerry, I don’t think Peggy is missing, I saw her not an hour since.’ Even with his tanned and weather-beaten skin, Jerry could see Conor was blushing. ‘She was, er, down on the docks, with the whores. I was going to ask her was she all right, like, but then I thought that if she saw me it might shame her and so I left it.’

A look of utter disbelief crossed the faces of Tommy and Jerry. ‘No, Conor, you’ve got that wrong,’ said Tommy. ‘Peggy? Never.’

‘Well, she’s not the usual sort, I’ll give you that, but the thing about sailors is, they go that long without and, well, it’s any port in a storm so to speak…’

*