Felix beamed. As a small boy he’d always wanted a pet, but his parents wouldn’t allow it. Coconut might not be a pet but he was the next best thing, and truth be told, Felix was smitten. He loved everything about his new life. Looking after Coconut was very important to him, and he was proud of the praise he got from his fellow carters about how he handled the gelding. He leaned back as Bill placed the bowl of scouse in front of him, taking a moment to savour the wonderful smell of stewed lamb and vegetables before digging in. ‘Great scran as always, Bill.’

Bill grinned an almost toothless smile. ‘Got you talkin’ like a native already.’ He indicated Felix with his spoon whilst addressing his son. ‘This one’s been holding out on us, Alan.’

Felix looked confused. ‘I have?’

Beaming, Bill wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. ‘You never told us you was a hit with the lasses.’

Felix smiled uncertainly. ‘I thought lasses were women?’

Bill nodded. ‘You had a couple of callers this afternoon. I hope you ain’t got neither of them into trouble.’ He chuckled.

Felix paused, a spoonful of stew poised before his lips. ‘You must have got it wrong. I don’t know any women in Liverpool.’

Bill took a slice of bread and tore the crust off and dipped it into his stew. ‘No mistake, the taller one asked for you by name …’ he paused, deep in thought, ‘… only I can’t remember her name for love nor money!’

‘What did she look like?’ asked Felix curiously.

‘Bit smaller than you, long dark hair, big brown eyes, and a smile what could light up the Adelphi.’

Felix looked up sharply. ‘Roz!’

‘That’s her!’ confirmed Bill. ‘So you do know her then!’

‘She was on the train with me from Berlin,’ said Felix, ‘only the people that took her in gave the wrong address, so I hadn’t a clue where she was – until now.’

‘Ah …’ said Bill, ‘you still don’t. She never gave an address, just said she’d call back tomorrer, sometime after six.’

Felix looked hopefully at Alan. ‘Will we be back in time?’

Alan, who had been spooning down stew with one hand whilst holding a copy of the Liverpool Echo with the other, peered at Felix from over the top of the pages. ‘Looks like we’ll have to be ’cos I can see that wild horses ain’t goin’ to stand in your way, only we’ve still a full day’s work to do, so it’ll mean an earlier start than usual.’

‘Fine by me,’ said Felix, enthusiastically scooping the scouse onto his spoon and wolfing it down.

Alan winked at Bill as he folded the paper and placed it on the table. ‘I’d like to see this Roz for myself – she must be a real beaut to get this boy out of his pit before time.’

Blushing to his roots, Felix tried to hide his smile behind a piece of bread. ‘She’s just a friend.’