Alan nodded. ‘That’s the ticket, girl. You do the recruiting. The only stipulation is, they must be able to keep their traps shut, before the jump and after. Especially after.’

‘Understood. Now, who wants more tea? I have a nice bit of ham in. I’ll make a few sandwiches then you and Jonnie can go through the names and their specialities and we can work from there. Would you like to give me a hand?’ She smiled at Donna for the first time.

Donna stood up uncertainly and followed her out into the small kitchen.

‘The bread’s in there and the butter’s in the fridge. Get buttering.’

Donna did as she was told, swallowing down her annoyance at the woman’s attitude.

‘So how’s Georgio these days? We haven’t seen him for a while. Jonnie H. was a good friend of his years back.’

Donna licked some butter off her thumb. ‘Georgio’s fine, thank you, Annie. I’ll give him your best, shall I?’ Her tone was hard.

Annie laughed. ‘You do that. Tell him Annie asked after him. Just that.’

Donna smiled tightly. ‘He’ll know who you are, then?’

Annie rested her arms on her huge stomach. ‘Oh, he’ll know who I am, all right, don’t you worry about that.’

They worked in silence for a while, the atmosphere thick in the small confined space of the kitchen.

Annie spoke again. ‘How come you’re with Alan? Georgio wouldn’t like to know you were out and about together, would he? Especially while he’s away. I remember when my Jonnie was banged up in Barlinnie, I nearly went out of my mind. Have you any wee ones?’

Donna shook her head. ‘Georgio knows I’m here, Annie. As for children, we don’t have any.’

Annie sneered at her. ‘You don’t look the type to get pregnant, not the way you dress.’

Donna slammed down the knife she was cutting the sandwiches with.

‘And what would you know about that, eh? What are you, some kind of bloody oracle, you know everything suddenly? ’

Annie grinned annoyingly. ‘Calm down, Donna. I was only making a statement of fact. I bet you wouldn’t be seen dead looking like I do.’

Donna felt the fight leave her body. What with Alan and now this Madonna of the Scottish Slums, she was finding it hard to cope.

‘Then that just shows you how much you know, doesn’t it? I had two miscarriages and a dead boy, if you must know. I wasn’t very lucky where children were concerned. Satisfied? ’

Annie was about to answer when Alan walked into the room.

‘Everything all right, girls?’ His voice was artificially bright. ‘Jonnie H. has gone down the offie for a bottle of scotch. Can I give you two a hand?’