Of course, a fair amount of ducking and diving also went on with him. When you’d had little in the way of real education – and Connor had never been a big one for school – the only way to earn really big was to be that much smarter and sharper than anyone else. And Connor was sharp. More so than Josh had ever been. Far too sharp to ever step into the ring himself, even though he did have the build for it. She didn’t ask questions when he fetched home lavish items or bought himself a black Porsche to zip around the lanes in. It was always cash on the nail, a practice learned in the cradle. He was her boy and in her eyes he could do no wrong.

‘Christmas lunch will be at two o’clock on the day,’ she told him. ‘As usual.’

‘I know. You’ve told me,’ he said, but he was smiling. He hauled himself back to his feet. ‘Got some stuff to sort out. Benedict’s going off his head over this millennium bug business. Thinks on the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve every computer system we’ve got is going to crash. So I’ll see you later. Oh.’ He stopped and turned back to her. ‘OK if I bring Kylie on Christmas Day? Her folks are away.’

Shauna felt her face stiffen. No, it fucking isn’t. Then she got her smile back in place. ‘Sure. OK.’

As Connor left the room, Shauna’s smile vanished. Christmas was strictly a family time. There should be her, Josh, Connor and Aysha at the meal, and she wasn’t getting outside caterers in like Tanya and Chloe would. Catch either of those two cooking a roast – they might break a nail! Shauna liked to cook the meal herself, because that was the only way it was done absolutely right. She would do turkey and all the trimmings. The Guinness-soaked home-made Christmas pudding was already prepared – it had been ready since October, along with the Christmas cake – and it was stuffed with silver coins to bring luck.

Not that they needed luck, not now. Josh was earning a huge wedge from the promo work and the fight game, and Connor was earning well too. Aysha just flitted from job to job, but maybe one day she’d settle.

Through the big picture window she watched her son climbing into his car. Shauna waved and Connor waved back. Well, that was Christmas fucking ruined. She didn’t want that little cow Kylie there, it would spoil the day. Kylie had been over to the house a couple of times already, whispering in Connor’s ear, giggling, clinging on to him. She got on Shauna’s tits. Just get shot of her, and they could all get back to normal, her family and her; that was all she needed, all she had ever needed. Just the family, at home here, together.