Roz gave a hollow laugh. As far as she and her family were concerned, it was most definitely not a free world. ‘What time would be best?’

He pursed his lips in thought. ‘They’re normally gone at the crack of dawn and not back until after dark. So before or after, it’s up to you.’

‘How about if I call back around teatime? Say sometime after six?’

‘Right you are …’ He hesitated. ‘Who should I say came calling?’

Roz smiled. ‘Tell him Roz, and this is my friend Mabel.’

He gave them a cheeky wink. ‘He’s a handsome feller, that’s for sure. I can see why he’s such a hit with the ladies.’ He chuckled to himself softly. ‘I wish I’d had half his luck, back in the day!’

Roz and Mabel thanked him for his help before bidding him goodbye.

‘Thanks for coming with me,’ said Roz. ‘I would never have found the address on my own.’

Mabel waved a dismissive hand. ‘Happy to help. It can’t be easy moving here from a foreign country, especially on your own. I think you’ve done marvellously, all things considered.’

‘I haven’t had much choice,’ said Roz truthfully, ‘and if I’m to have any hope of getting away from the Haggartys there’s only me that can do it.’

‘Does that mean you’ll think about coming to work at the laundry?’ said Mabel, smiling brightly. ‘You’d be making your own money; you’d be free!’

Roz knew that Mabel meant well, but she hadn’t thought her proposal through. ‘I won’t be welcome at the Haggartys’ if I stop working for them. And would Mr Woo really pay me enough to afford rent elsewhere?’

Mabel’s face fell. ‘Oh drat, I hadn’t thought of that.’

Roz gave her a friendly nudge. ‘It’s a nice thought, and with Felix here maybe it’s possible. He always seems to find a way around things.’

Mabel gave her a wry smile. ‘You’re lucky to have found a friend like Felix, especially one who’s a boy, and handsome too according to that old feller. Is he right, is Felix handsome?’

Roz lowered her face to hide her blush. ‘What’s that got to do with anything?’

Mabel looked at her in astonishment. ‘Everything! For a start it makes the difference between a friend and a boyfriend.’

‘I don’t know about that. Just because he’s handsome, that doesn’t mean he’s my boyfriend.’

Grinning, Mabel tapped the side of her nose. ‘Just a matter of time. Trust me, I’ve five sisters and—’

‘Five?’ gasped Roz. ‘How many are there of you altogether?’

‘Eight, including my two older brothers.’ She began ticking their names off on the tips of her fingers. ‘Robin, Richard, Nicky, Karen, Kerry, Heather, and Louise.’

Roz gaped at her. ‘How big is your house?’

‘Two rooms, and it’s not exactly a house – we live in the courts.’

Aware that she was staring, Roz tore her gaze away from Mabel, who continued to grin. ‘They must be big rooms.’