She does. So, while she was shunned, blanked on the streets, spending her days peering through shop windows across the river and pilfering by herself in order to eat, Billy – always as uncontrollable as a tomcat – had gone wandering. But to Edith Lennox! And Edith, who has always been sweet on him, would have happily allowed herself to be courted. She tries to banish the image of dainty little Edith lying in Billy’s muscular embrace. He’ll grow bored of her soon enough, like he did before. It won’t be long before he remembers the whining and the cajoling that goes with the fluttering eyelashes and the pouting. Anyone would grow tired of Edith after a while. Fuck Edith.

‘I’m going to see Daisy.’ She picks the coat up from the ground and flicks at the small amount of dirt that is on the collar.

‘What?’ Florrie, rubbing her sore arm, is even more dismayed now. ‘You can’t, Ruby. Annie… Maggs… The Forties… What will everybody say?’

‘Someone’s got to take care of her. And I’m not in the Forties anymore, am I? I can do what I want.’

‘But you might be in the Forties. You might be back. Annie was saying only the other day –’ She stops abruptly and claps a hand to her mouth with the comical melodrama of one who spends much of her time in the picture house. ‘Aw, no, I mustn’t say anything.’

‘Well, you have said something. What is it? Is Annie expecting me to come crawling back? Spit it out.’

‘She’s had her eye on another jeweller’s shop for a week or two – a really smart one. There’s no one else who could turn it over except you. You’re our best. Everyone knows it. Maggs would take you back in an instant. She said as much to Annie.’

Maggs had stood by when Annie blacked her eyes and had been just as hard-headed as the rest of them. ‘Only because Maggs wants to be part of the action. But her cell has fallen apart, hasn’t it? Alice is in Holloway, Daisy’s banging dockers, Edith’s banging Billy Walsh and I’m still the shit under everyone’s shoe, in case you’ve forgotten. All she’s got is Grace, who never goes out on raids, and you – and you’ve only done one or two stores and still jump about like an excited baby.’

‘No, I don’t.’