Tania could feel her face burning; she was mortified at her mother’s astuteness. Lena went to her daughter and hugged her tightly. ‘Did you think I didn’t know? Darling, all girls go through it, but he’s your cousin, and that is a big part of how you’re feeling. All young girls set their sights on an older man – someone they can trust not to take advantage of them. It’s like a rite of passage. Then, one day, you will meet a nice lad, and it will disappear.’

Tania felt like she could cheerfully drop through the floor with embarrassment.

Lena knew that it had never occurred to Tania that anyone might suss out her little crush. ‘Don’t worry, love, no one else has worked it out. I only know because I’m your mum, that’s all. It’s my job to know these things.’

Tania buried her face in her mother’s chest, loving the familiar smell of her. She had always had the same scent – Estée Lauder perfume, Benson & Hedges cigarettes, and Palmolive soap. It was a comforting aroma, and she loved that it had never changed. She was also surprised to find that her mother knowing her secret made her feel a bit better somehow; it just proved to her once more how close they really were.

‘Does Auntie Ria know?’

Lena hugged her daughter even tighter. ‘If she does, she ain’t said anything to me about it, and you know Ria, she was never one for keeping things to herself.’

It was exactly what Tania wanted to hear, and Lena knew that.

Chapter Ninety-Nine

Danny was so drunk he could barely stand up, and Davey, Noel and Jamsie were aware that they would have to keep an eye on him. It was unusual for him; he was not known for heavy drinking. They were at the Electric Lady, the lap dancing club they had acquired in King’s Cross and, as it was early in the evening, the place was half empty.

The head bouncer, an Arab lad from North London, was not pleased with Danny’s antics, as they were aware.

‘For fuck’s sake! He’s only had a couple. He came in with Petey about three o’clock. Now he is fucking rat-arsed. You’ll have to take him out – we’re expecting a private party in at eight.’

A record came on and two semi-naked girls walked on to the stage. They began to gyrate around their poles, neither of them bothering to make much effort; there were no real customers to impress – that would come much later.

Davey was annoyed. ‘All right, keep your fucking hair on.’

He checked his mobile for messages from Petey and there was nothing. ‘Where did Petey go? Did he say?’