Albie leaned across the table and held Queenie’s hands. ‘Don’t say that, Queen. We get on smashing and we do want the same things. I just feel we should get to know one another better before signing up for any serious shit.’

Queenie snatched her hands away and stood up. ‘I’m sorry, Albie. My mind’s made up. I wish you well for the future.’

Albie Butler was stunned as Queenie stomped out of the pub.

Queenie contacted Freddie, but decided to be fairly straight with him. She was using him, therefore didn’t want to build his hopes up. He deserved better.

‘I’m so pleased you rang me, Queenie,’ Freddie grinned, as he kissed her on the cheek outside the Blind Beggar.

‘This isn’t exactly a date, Freddie. I have broken up with my ex, but it’s too soon for me to jump straight into another relationship. I do hope that’s OK with you?’

‘Of course. Where would you like to go? There’s a good film on at the cinema.’

‘I so enjoyed our chat the other night, I thought we might go to a pub. The Hoop and Grapes have a woman on the piano tonight. Let’s go there.’

Micky One Ear looked at Queenie with a bemused expression on his face. ‘All right, sweetheart? No Albie tonight?’

Queenie had known Albie wouldn’t be in the Hoop and Grapes this evening – he was singing at a wedding reception – but she was certain she could rely on Micky One Ear to inform him that she’d been in there with another man. ‘No. We’ve split up. This is Freddie. We went to school together.’

‘Oh, right,’ replied Micky. He was shocked Albie hadn’t told him. He’d been in on Sunday, singing.

Freddie felt a bit of a fool. ‘No wonder you wanted to bring me ’ere, Queen. You hoping to make your ex jealous, or what?’

‘No,’ Queenie lied. ‘I just like watching the woman sing and play piano. She reminds me of Aunt Edna.’

Queenie had a nice time catching up with Freddie, but as they said goodnight, she knew she wouldn’t bother going out with him again. He really liked her, she could tell, so to string him along was wrong.

Albie Butler missed Queenie and his mother was on his case too. ‘That poor girl has an awful home life with that father of hers. You’ll have a struggle finding a better woman than Queenie, let me tell ya. She knocks spots of all your exes, especially that up-her-arse Suzanne you proposed to,’ ranted Ida Butler. ‘None of your other girlfriends have ever given me the time of day, apart from Queenie. She’s got a heart of gold and will make a wonderful wife and mother. She’s caring, considerate and reliable.’

‘But what’s the rush to get hitched, Mum?’ argued Albie. ‘We’ve not even been together six months.’

Albie wasn’t sure what was making him have cold feet about it all, but something in his waters felt wrong.