When Reggie Jones had told Felix he had found him a job and somewhere to live, he had been delighted. That was until he heard that the job included a horse. Felix had never had anything to do with horses but knew that they could be dangerous and unpredictable after having witnessed a Percheron bolt through Berlin, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. From that day on Felix had vowed to keep his distance whenever he saw a horse, so to be told he would have to work with one had unsettled him somewhat. Finding out that the horse also lived with them in a stable just at the back of their house didn’t improve matters, especially when he learned he had to lead the large gelding through a very small opening, which nearly touched the horse’s sides, in order to access the stable. The only good news was that he would be working as a carter in Liverpool, not far from the Liver Building. When he first laid eyes on Coconut, he had approached him as though he were a ticking bomb, ready to explode at any moment, but he quickly learned that he was docile, with no greater goal in life than to do his work, plodding from one place to another before heading home for a bucket of mash, a freshly laid bed of barley straw, and a warm stable to shelter from the wind and rain.

Alan, Felix’s employer, had been impressed with how quickly Felix had overcome his fears.

‘You’d never know you hadn’t grown up around horses,’ he said, watching Felix as he deftly removed the harness and handed it over.

Bending down, Felix grabbed a handful of straw and began to rub the horse down. ‘Coconut knows his job inside out; it wouldn’t surprise me if he could tack himself up.’

Alan laughed. ‘You’re not wrong there. I suppose you could say he taught you everything he knows.’

Felix nodded. ‘He’s certainly shown me that not all horses are wild and reckless.’

Alan passed Felix a bucket of warm mash. ‘Too bloody lazy, that’s why,’ he said, closing the stable door behind them and sliding the bolts into place.

‘Far better that way,’ said Felix as he followed Alan into the kitchen where they received a cheery greeting from Alan’s father, Bill, who was sitting by the table.

Bill got to his feet and grabbed a ladle. ‘Ready for your supper?’

Yawning, Felix sat in the chair opposite Bill’s. ‘I was ready hours ago.’

Bill grinned as he ladled the stew into three bowls. ‘A carter’s life ain’t an easy one, that’s for sure.’ Taking a loaf, he began cutting thick slices of bread. ‘You’ve taken to it like a duck to water, mind you.’