Snow on the Cobbles. Maggie Sullivan

know that.’

      ‘You mean what I don’t know can’t hurt me, eh? Is that what you’re saying?’

      ‘Something like that.’

      ‘Like I don’t know what you get up to now that you’re back on your feet!’

      ‘Well, you don’t, do you?’

      ‘True enough. No more than I ever knew.’ She sighed. ‘And right embarrassing that could be. I lost count of the times a young lassie’s mother would come up to me in the street saying how thrilled she was her young ’un were courting my lad. And me, I knew nowt about it so I couldn’t say yay or nay.’

      ‘Go on with you. You didn’t really want to know all the ins and outs every time I went out with someone, now did you?’

      ‘No, there were too many of them for me to keep track.’ She gave a rueful smile. ‘You were not like your sister. The only thing I can say is that at least none of them got up the duff. Not so far as I know, at any rate.’

      Steve gave a loud guffaw. ‘Oh, Mam, that’s why I love you so much. You come right out with it. There’s no beating about the bush with you, is there? And that’s why I think it’s far better that I live my own life. Can you imagine if I’d have told you about all the girls I’ve been out with over the years, not to mention those who I didn’t go out with even though they said I did. You’d never have got a wink of sleep for worrying. So I’ll do you a favour and this time I’ll move far enough away so you can’t bump into any young lassie’s mother. Though I promise to tell you if I hit the jackpot.’

      ‘What? You get wed?’ Now his mother laughed with a throaty laugh that ended in a choking splutter. ‘Never!’

      ‘You know what they say, never say never. But for now how about lending me a few bob?’