‘Whereas I,’ cooed Roz, happy in the knowledge that Callum was now glaring at his daughter, ‘ask them nicely. I tell them that whatever they give will be for me and me alone, and that’s why I get so much stuff, because I don’t threaten people.’

Suzie pointed an accusing finger at Roz. ‘She’s lyin’, it’s written all over her face!’ She looked beseechingly at her grandmother. ‘Tell him!’

The old woman subjected Roz to a long, calculating stare, and Roz prayed that the lighting in the room was too dim for anyone to notice the betraying blush that was sweeping her neckline.

‘I daresay she’s tryin’ to snare some poor soul, but who’s going to be interested in a scrawny little Jew? Hardly summat to boast about, is it? Take no notice of her.’

Far from being offended, Roz felt a wave of relief sweep over her. The last thing she needed was for Suzie to follow her around – and she could hardly take her to meet Felix. So she ignored Suzie’s sniggers and looked at Callum for approval.

‘Just get out there and do your duty,’ he said sullenly. ‘I don’t care how you get the goods, as long as you get ’em … only mind you don’t get yourself banged up, ’cos I ain’t havin’ no Jewish sprog in this house. One of you is bad enough.’

At first, Roz had thought Callum meant for her not to get arrested, but the mention of a sprog, which Roz knew to be Liverpudlian slang for a child, and hearing the shrieks of laughter coming from Suzie, she knew exactly what he was implying. If she were not so keen to go and meet Felix, Roz would have told Callum that, perhaps unlike the other women in his house, she was not the sort to sell herself for favours. But she knew that to say this now would only cause outrage from Suzie and Lilith and she would be delayed even longer, not to mention the fact that she would be saying it out of spite, as she didn’t think any man would consider bedding the other girl no matter how low the price.

Roz collected her string bag from behind the door and left without a word. As she climbed down the steps outside the warehouse, she could hear Suzie congratulating her father on how he had hit the nail on the head when it came to Roz’s character.