Mariah smiled then. A real smile. She had heard what she wanted to hear. This little woman was a madam of the old sort. No milkwater sop who would run at the first sign of trouble. Mariah decided she could even get to like the skinny little bitch, given time. She stood up and, going to her drinks table, poured out two generous measures of brandy. Giving one to Briony, she resumed her seat and said: ‘Bolger’s been here, offering me the earth and other things besides. I don’t like him but that’s neither here nor there, I don’t like a lot of people I do business with, but worst of all I don’t trust him. He’s a two-faced ponce, a violent two-faced ponce. He cut Ginelle up, and I won’t forgive him that one. The girl was nothing to do with anything. Then he came here and offered me your houses. He wants me and my muscle on his side. Personally, I don’t want to get involved, but I have to. Because otherwise eventually he’ll want what’s mine. I think I can find out who’s backing him, then together we can wipe them out. Now, what do you have to say?’

Briony smiled at Mariah.

‘I think, Mariah Jurgens, between us we could frighten the life out of the little shit!’

That was exactly what Mariah wanted to hear.

‘I’m going to tell Bolger that I want to meet the man behind him, otherwise no deal. Bolger is a showman, a show off. He’ll enjoy setting up the meet and letting me see how much he’s come up in the world. I’ll relay the information to you and Tommy. Then we decide what to do next. How’s that?’

‘That will suit me fine. Tommy is as anxious to sort this out as I am. We’ve got some pretty impressive muscle on our side.’

This was a threat to Mariah who took it how it was intended. But she didn’t say anything. Briony was giving her fair warning, exactly what she would have done herself.

Raising her glass she said to Briony: ‘I don’t know, girl, what the fuck are we breeding these days? People like Bolger are getting thicker on the ground. Sometimes I hanker back to the good old days when you worked your girls, you took the money, and all the house owners met socially. There’s a new breed out there now and we’ve got to stick together to fight the fuckers at their own game.’

Briony raised her own glass and said, ‘My sentiments exactly.’

The two women sipped their brandy for a while, lost in their own thoughts. The groundwork was done. They had called a truce, felt each other out, and now they would work together to find a solution to all their problems.