‘Just a small Guinness then. Your aunt’s waving at us. I think she’s saved us a table.’

‘You sit down, Mary. I’ll bring the drinks over.’

Aunt Edna liked Mrs O’Leary and greeted her warmly. ‘Happy birthday, Mary.’ Edna handed her a card and a small gift.

‘Oh you shouldn’t have. You are silly.’

‘You’re my Queenie’s inspiration. She adores you and I for one am so pleased she has you in her life,’ beamed Edna.

Mary’s eyes welled up. She knew Queenie’s mum disliked her, so Edna’s approval touched her deeply. ‘Thanks, Edna. That truly means a lot.’

Queenie returned with the drinks, which included a pint of bitter for her aunt. When Aunt Edna was singing and playing the piano, she drank pints like they were going out of style. Not once had Queenie ever seen her drunk though. Unlike her father, Aunt Edna was a happy drinker, not a monster.

Mary took her coat off and Queenie gushed over the present she’d bought her. Green was very popular at present and the pretty frilly blouse she’d purchased from Cohen’s not only suited Mary, it was the same colour as her piercing green eyes.

‘I love it, Queenie. But you should never have spent all that money on me. You are naughty.’

Queenie squeezed Mary’s hand. ‘You’re worth every penny. I don’t know how I would’ve coped without your support and advice. You know, after what happened in Lincolnshire.’

Mary locked eyes with Queenie. ‘You’re a survivor, like me, sweetheart.’

Queenie smiled. Only Mary truly understood her. Both victims of rape, their bond was unique.

The evening was brilliant. Aunt Edna sang all her classics – ‘When Father Painted the Parlour’, ‘Knees Up Mother Brown’, ‘Sunny Side of the Street’, ‘The Lambeth Walk’ – then she called Queenie up.

Thanks to her aunt, Mary and her new job, Queenie now had much more confidence. She calmly took the mike, announced it was Mary’s birthday, sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and the whole pub joined in with her. ‘I would also like to sing my favourite song for my dear friend. Listen to the words, Mary. They were written for you.’

Queenie sang ‘You Are My Sunshine’ beautifully. Mary watched her with pride, tears streaming down her cheeks. Queenie was such a different person from that scared young girl who’d been raped. She was her own person now. A beautiful, confident, young lady with hopefully a wonderful, happy life ahead of her.

Patrick and Daniel arrived at the Albion just after ten. Both looked immaculate, as always. There was no sign of Bridie, Daniel’s girlfriend, and that pleased Queenie too.

It took the lads a while to reach their table as lots of men wanted to greet them. Their importance and aura stood out a mile.

As Patrick greeted his mother, Queenie’s heart leapt at the way Daniel looked at her. She’d made a special effort tonight, was wearing her new classy black frock from Cohen’s. ‘Bloody hell, Queenie! I didn’t recognize you at first. You look, erm, beautiful. Blonde hair suits you,’ Daniel grinned, not taking his eyes off her.