Georgio stormed across the room and grabbed her arm. Twisting her round to face him, he hissed: ‘This is the real world, Donna. I’m a builder, a used-car dealer, I’m fucking Essex Man, love. I ain’t got to do nothing, I just need to be implicated. I ain’t no angel, never pretended I was, but this is over my head, darlin’. Way over my head. I’ve never so much as nicked a penny sweet, but Laughton wants me. Yeah, Donna, come down into the real world. Think of the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six. Think about the West Midlands Crime squad. Where do you suppose my black eye came from, eh? The dirt on my clothes? He’ll tell people I was trying to do a runner, or that I attacked them. It’s all part of the game, love. The filth fit people up all the time, and that’s why I’m so frightened, because on the big ones, they always get away with it.’

She swallowed back the fear that what he said was true. She said quietly, ‘But those people were released . . .’

Georgio hugged her to him, his laugh rich and deep and worried. ‘After how long, sweetheart? Think on that one. How long were they banged up in some stinking nick before they were earholed out, eh? That’s the frightener, love. That’s what frightens me.’

Looking up at her husband’s strained face, Donna felt the fight leaving her body. In his position she would be upset, she would be full of bitterness and agitation.

‘Oh, Georgio . . .’ The tears came then, hot and stinging, and she savoured her husband’s tight embrace and the words of love whispered in the stale confines of the interview room that smelt of cigarettes and urine.

Georgio stroked her silky hair and said softly, ‘You don’t understand this world, Donna - you never did, that’s why I picked you. You had a bit of class, a bit of savvy. But you have to be my girl now, my clever girl, because I’m going to need you, more than ever before.’

He stared into her face, holding her head between his large, rough hands. ‘I’m depending on you, Donna.’

He saw the depths of his wife’s eyes, saw the perfect bow of her lips and the perfect arch of her eyebrows. He drank in her beauty then, wondering how long it was since he had really looked at her. Suddenly he saw her as another man might and the pain in his chest was brutal.

‘I love you, girl. I’ve always loved you, and together we’ll beat that bastard at his own game.’

Donna nodded, her lips trembling, unsure that she could actually speak the words he wanted to hear.

‘See, darling, this is what I want. What I need. You and me against the world, eh?’