Her laugh goaded him. She was the cause of all his trouble. The reason for his wife’s mutiny; for his father-in-law’s happiness, that must therefore be Henry’s apparent happiness. Here was the mother of the child he hated and despised because he had fathered it, because it had sprung from his loins and been birthed by the slut standing before him, laughing. Laughing at him. Well, he’d soon put a stop to that. He swung back his arm to strike her and she picked up one of the heavy inkwells.

‘I’ll split your head open without a second’s thought, Henry Dumas! You think long and hard before you ever threaten me because I don’t frighten so easily these days.’

Tommy grabbed at Henry and put his arm up behind his back.

‘Come on, you, out! I don’t think we want your sort in here.’

As he was pulled to the door, Henry faced Briony once more.

‘I’ll finish you, Briony Cavanagh. You and that bastard you saddled me with!’

She laughed again, louder this time, and it was as if the sound sent him into a frenzy. He threw Tommy from him and made to run at Briony. She stepped sideways and he hit the corner of the desk with all his weight behind him, sending him to his knees.

Grabbing his hair, Briony looked down into his face. ‘You get out of here, you hear me? You get out of here because you don’t know what I’m capable of where you’re concerned.’

She looked at Tommy and waved her hand at the man on his knees before her.

‘Take him away.’

Tommy did as she bade him. Dumas was quiet now. Tommy walked him out of the house and put him in his cab.

‘You’re not welcome here, keep that in mind. If I ever hear that you’ve tried to cause any trouble for her, or anyone to do with her, I’ll see you dead. As rich as you are, as influential as you are, don’t ever make an enemy of me, mate. You’ll regret it to your dying day.’

Later that night, Tommy tossed and turned in his lonely bed. He knew that Briony had needed to face Dumas, it was something that had to happen eventually, and now it was over and done with. The rest of the night had gone well; they had pulled in over two hundred pounds. He shook his head in the darkness as he thought about it. The place was a success. All they had to do now was save up enough money to open another.

Briony had a natural talent for figures which amazed him. She had taken over the ledgers and the financial side of the business. Kerry too had been offered a regular job, her innocent little act having gone down very well with the men.