Dolly grinned snidely. ‘I wish to fuck one of the others had got him. Sally Lancaster was so jealous when I married him she never spoke to me again. She married an insurance salesman after the war, and moved to Penge. I used to think that was the epitome of sophistication. Penge! Always looked nice she did, her kids was always immaculate. In those days that was your yardstick.’

Donna refilled Dolly’s glass.

‘You’re happy now though, aren’t you?’

Dolly nodded. ‘Take no notice of me, love, I’m just missing the big fella. You and him have always treated me decent, like. I’ve got a little niche here, something I never thought I’d have. There’s me little flat, me work, and you two. It’s more than I ever thought I’d get and I often think it’s more than I deserve.’

Donna looked into Dolly’s eyes and felt a great rush of love for her.

‘We were the lucky ones, Dolly. We were lucky to get you.’

‘Lucky? Well, perhaps you were, girl. If you knew the number of women who have to live lives similar to the one I lived with my old man, you’d be really shocked. At least Georgio loves you - you can see it in him. It shines from him. I envy you that, in a nice way of course, but it’s envy all the same.’

Donna looked into her glass and sighed heavily.

‘I miss him so much, Dolly. Since he’s been gone everything seems to have gone to pot. I miss him so much.’

Dolly heard the loneliness in Donna’s voice.

‘Once your man’s home, we can all get back to normal, eh?’ she said gently.

Donna sat back in her chair and pushed her heavy hair off her face.

‘Do you think Georgio is guilty? Honestly now. Do you think he deserved what he got?’

Dolly shook her head vigorously.

‘What the hell are you asking me that for? Of course he didn’t deserve it! He’s innocent as a newborn babe. What’s come over you, Donna Brunos, to be asking me a thing like that? I can’t believe I heard right.’

‘Oh Dolly, calm down. I’m asking you this in private. I want to know if you think my Georgio was involved in any of the things he was accused of?’

Dolly shook her head once more vehemently.

‘No way. Never. He had his faults, but at the end of the day, he wasn’t bad, not at rock bottom. He wouldn’t have ordered those men to kill the guards or anything like that. He cried when the dog died. Can you really imagine him planning something like that? He might have supplied the cars, I wouldn’t be surprised about that, but the other? Never, not in a million years.’