Annie considers it. ‘We could pull a couple of the cells together,’ she says, puffing on her smoke. ‘Make up the numbers. Your girls, Maggs, and Scotch Mary’s. That’ll take us to eight girls. We’ll put six hoisters in the store – no one will notice you among the crowds. You can jostle and hustle and pack half the store into your coats. Gert, we’ll need some new expandable bags to fit inside blouses and under skirts. There’ll be a lot of merchandise.’

Gert nods. ‘I can do that.’

‘There’s Scotch Mary.’ Grace waves and a tall woman with a halo of bright red hair wanders over. She’s not Scottish, nor is her name always Mary.

‘We’re discussing Whiteleys, Scotch,’ Maggs says, pulling out a seat. ‘Annie thinks we should put our girls together next week. They’ve got a sale on.’

Mary’s eyes light up. She places her whisky on the table and eases her lanky body into the chair. ‘Sounds good to me. I can bring my three.’

‘We’ll put six inside and keep two bolsters on Queen’s Road, ready to catch the goods that are in hand and run for the cars,’ says Annie. ‘I’ll bring the Chrysler and Ronnie’ll be around, too. Ruby, you’re nippy, so you can bolster, and we’ll put little Florrie outside as well.’

‘I want to be inside,’ says Ruby. ‘I can pack a pile inside my coat.’ She hates standing on the street, turning blue in the cold, waiting to take the goods from the others and quickly carry them away. She prefers to be part of the crush inside when there’s a sale. You can swipe a lot in a crowd.

Annie shakes her head. ‘You’ll do as I say and stay outside. You’re too small for this kind of operation. You’ll be better suited to receiving anything brought out and bolstering it to the cars.’

Ruby chews her lip, saying nothing. It’s Annie’s quiet way of keeping her down. She’s stepped out of line once or twice recently, so now she’s being given a lower responsibility – relegated to the same role as Florrie, who is only thirteen and still learning.

The chatter continues over Ruby’s head. Outwardly, she laughs and jokes, but she’s still seething at Annie’s insult. She, Ruby Mills, can pick up priceless watches, go to bed with nightclub owners, find diamonds and pearls that others would miss. And Annie won’t let her inside Whiteleys during a sale.