‘Night, boy. Oh, before you go, what does “French lessons” mean?’

The following day, Vinny felt sick to his stomach until he met up with Macca and had a few beers and a joint.

‘Feeling better?’ Macca asked. He knew Vinny was incredibly nervous.

‘Yeah. I am,’ Vinny grinned. He couldn’t actually think straight at present, which felt good. He was calm, the best he’d felt all week. ‘So, what do we do when we first get to your aunt’s?’

‘Mingle. I’ll introduce you to some of the women, then we’ll separate and chat with whoever takes our fancy.’

‘What am I gonna do if your aunt makes a move on me though?’

Macca smirked. ‘I was winding you up, ya nutter. You were so nervous, I thought I’d prepare you for the worst, then you’d feel better tonight.’

‘Thank God for that. Don’t get me wrong; she’s a nice-looking lady, your aunt. But she’s old like my mum and she scares me a bit.’

Macca laughed. ‘She scares me an’ all sometimes, trust me. I weren’t lying when I said Aunt Marnie thinks you’re a cracking-looking lad though. You are, especially with your hair greased back. It suits you. Aunt Marnie thinks her friends are gonna love you, and they will. You’re charming, funny, handsome, what’s not to like? You’re also fresh meat, which means if you play your cards right, you can make a bundle tonight. Some of the women are only in their late twenties, early thirties.’

Vinny took another gulp of beer. ‘Are they married?’

‘Some are, some aren’t. Most women are whores at heart, Vinny. Never forget that. A lot of these women you’ll be meeting got hitched to rich older men, who are pig ugly and they probably don’t want to fuck ’em. Some of the men probably can’t even get it up any more. There’s some widows amongst ’em, lost their husbands during the war. But I’d say the majority are married. Remember the rules though; they’re the same as at the club. Don’t be asking any awkward questions, eh?’

‘Nah. Course not. Can we have another joint before we go?’

‘No, mate. You look a bit stoned as it is. The drinks’ll be flowing there, so please don’t hammer ’em too much. Aunt Marnie’ll go mental if you get plastered. Just be yourself and enjoy it.’

‘OK.’

When Vinny stood up, Macca noticed he looked a bit dishevelled. Aunt Marnie had paid for his suit, shirt and tie. Her rich clientele didn’t like casual, they liked smart. ‘Come ’ere, your tie’s all wonky. Let me do it up properly for you.’

Vinny looked into the eyes of the man who looked so much like Elvis Presley and smiled as he sorted his tie. ‘Cheers for everything, mate. I’m gonna buy my mum new furniture with what I earn tonight.’

Macca held Vinny’s face in his hands and kissed him on the forehead. ‘Good lad. Right, time to make tracks.’

Albie had been grafting hard. He daren’t go home to Queenie with no money and thankfully it had been a busy day. Three trips he’d made to his butcher pal and two to his tobacco supplier.