What set Scattergood apart from the herd was that he kept much of what he’d stolen and took care to hide it in a variety of places. Whenever he needed money, he could drop in on one of what he liked to call his private banks. Evading capture was his forte. He kept out of reach of the Runners by having a number of bolt-holes, each one equipped with several modes of exit in case he’d been tracked there. One of them had been a brothel where the talents of a beautiful young woman were reserved for his exclusive usage. It was with Welsh Mary that he was now lying naked on a bed. They were in the well-appointed lodging he’d bought when he decided to transform himself into a gentleman.

Welsh Mary had also undergone a complete transformation. Instead of the tawdry apparel of a prostitute, she now wore fine clothes and expensive jewellery. He had schooled her in speech, manners and deportment. Whenever she left the building on his arm, she looked the gracious wife that she was intended to be. If they needed to speak to anyone, Scattergood did all the talking, eager to hide the musical Welsh cadences of his lover. In private, however, he loved to hear them.

‘How long are we going to stay here, Harry?’ she wondered.

‘We’ll soon be moving to somewhere more suitable, my love.’

‘But I like it here.’

‘You deserve something better.’

She giggled. ‘I’ve got everything I want.’

‘I’ve explained to you before,’ he said, stroking her cheek absent-mindedly. ‘We can’t stay anywhere too long. It gets us noticed. People ask questions.’

‘I like to be talked about. It makes me feel important.’

‘You are important, Mary – to me.’

She giggled again. He rolled over and kissed her full on the lips. Leaning on his elbows, he looked down at her with a fond smile.

‘Something very big is in the offing,’ he confided.

‘What are you going to steal this time?’

‘It’s not really a case of stealing, my love. I’m merely helping myself to some reward money for capturing a murderer.’

She shivered involuntarily. ‘Don’t put yourself in any danger.’

‘He’s not a real murderer so there’s no danger.’

‘Tell me more.’

‘No,’ he said, pushing her hair back gently from her forehead. ‘The less you know, the less you’ll fret about my safety. All I will say is this. If everything goes as planned, I’ll have the biggest haul of my career.’

‘I love you, Harry,’ she said, staring into his eyes. ‘Shall I tell you why?’

‘Afterwards,’ he whispered.

Then he mounted her with his customary zeal.