As briefly as he could, Gus outlined the story of his adventures: how he had stowed away and found himself on board the Shenandoah; the year-long voyage and the return to Liverpool. He glossed over his time working on the docks and his narrow escape from a prison sentence and told instead how he had found a job with the White Star Line. ‘I knew I didn’t want to stay in that job for ever, and I’d liked the look of Melbourne when the Shenandoah was in port here, so I signed on as purser’s assistant for the voyage out here. I’d met Mr Croft when I was here before, so I came to see him and he offered me a job. So here I am.’

‘And your sister, May?’

‘She’s all right. She had to go into service, for a while, but then she got an apprenticeship as a milliner. She’s really good at it. I reckon she’ll have her own business one day.’

There was a knock at the door. The boot boy, who doubled as a messenger and general servant, was outside with two bottles of cold beer. ‘Mr Croft said he reckoned you could both do with a drink – on the house.’

Gus thanked him and carried the beer out onto the balcony. They clinked the bottles together and his father said, ‘Here’s to healing the past and a bright future.’

Gus nodded and drank. ‘You haven’t said what you did after you were released. From the way you’re dressed, I guess you’ve done all right.’

His father took a long pull at his beer. ‘You might say that. You might well say that. It’s quite a story …’

Sixteen

Nan’s drinking was getting out of hand. One day May had to send someone to fetch her after she fell down on the way back from the pub and was taken into someone’s house, more or less incapable.

Next morning she was sent for by Mr Freeman.

‘May, it has been brought to my notice than Nan is drinking far too much. I realise that you have been concealing the problem for some time. I applaud your loyalty but you really should have spoken to me sooner.’

May dropped her eyes. ‘I’m sorry. I suppose I should, have but I didn’t want to see her getting the sack.’

‘I understand that. But the fact is she has become a liability. One of our best customers heard what happened yesterday and reported it to me.’

‘So what do you want me to do?’