Classic Bestsellers from Josephine Cox: Bumper Collection. Josephine Cox

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      Intending to have a word with him about not being around when he’d searched for him earlier, Jack merely acknowledged him for now and made his way to the main doors, where Luke was already in sight.

      ‘Morning, Mr Hammond.’

      ‘Morning, Jack. The men briefed, are they?’

      ‘They are, sir. They’re well aware of how important this new order is and, if you don’t mind me saying so, I think you’ll find they’ve done you proud.’

      Luke smiled. ‘It sounds as though you’ve already inspected the order.’

      ‘I have, and I think it’s a fine batch of brushes.’

      Luke nodded appreciatively. ‘Good! Right, let’s have a look, shall we?’

      With Jack following, he walked along the line of brush machines, talking to each of the twelve operators as he went.

      His first stop was the broom-heads, where he dipped at random into the stacks, to check both quality and bristle quantity. Next the scrubbing brushes and miscellaneous, then the small hand brushes, and finally the large yard broom-heads.

      With each one he turned the brush over, checking for bristle quality, possible missed holes, and that the bristle bunches were driven deep into the holes. When that was done he turned the broom-head sideways to check the straightness of the cut, and that none was misshapen.

      Finally he thanked the work hands and returned to the office with Jack, where he told Jack that he needed a word with the supervisor.

      ‘I’m not happy with him,’ Luke said. ‘He’s turned out to be shifty and lazy, and he’s never on time. The men see it all and it isn’t good. He’s already had too many chances and doesn’t seem to take a blind bit of notice.’

      In a matter of minutes, Jack tracked down the thin, sour-faced individual.

      Luke outlined the man’s lack of enthusiasm for his work, and his inability to take instruction, either from Luke or Jack. ‘The men are aware of what’s going on,’ Luke continued, ‘and it’s not acceptable. You’ll be paid a week’s wages and leave straight away. There’s no reason for you to serve out your notice, especially not when you haven’t the slightest interest in what you’re doing.’

      The man swore and cursed and made many a threat, and even as Jack escorted him to the main doors, he was struggling, making it necessary for Jack to manhandle him roughly out of the building.

      ‘You’d best keep an eye out for that one,’ Luke told Jack. ‘He can be a nasty piece of work.’

      He also asked Jack to search out a new supervisor.

      ‘I think we should look in the ranks of men we’ve already got,’ Jack suggested and, trusting him to make the best choice, Luke told him to use his own judgement.

      After Luke had gone, Jack had a brief idea that he might train Roy as supervisor, but his better instinct told him that Roy was not yet ready, and that one of the older, more experienced men would serve the firm better.

      Later, during tea-break, he told Roy how he had been half tempted to train him up.

      Roy replied exactly as Jack might have expected. ‘I’m not ready. And besides, like you say, it wouldn’t go down well with the other men.’

      ‘That was my thinking,’ Jack admitted. His first concern was always the company, and both men knew that. ‘Your time will come, though,’ he promised Roy, and Roy’s confidence swelled a mile.

      ‘I’ll wait until you get your own firm,’ he told Jack with a wink. ‘I’ve a feeling it won’t be too long afore we see you as yer own boss.’

      ‘That’s a long way down the road yet,’ Jack answered. Though, in his heart it was all he wanted: to be his own boss, with his own business, and – the idea shot fully formed into his head – the lovely Amy to come home to every night.

      That was his dream and he would settle for nothing else.

      At six p.m. a whistle signalled the end of another working day. Roy lingered to wait for Jack, and they walked part-way home together.

      ‘I’m seeing Daisy tomorrow,’ Roy revealed with a confident little grin. ‘I think she really likes me.’

      ‘If that’s true, try not to mess it up this time,’ was Jack’s friendly advice. ‘She’s a decent lass.’

      ‘I know that now,’ Roy said. ‘She’s better than I deserve, and I’ll try never to let her down again.’

      ‘Oh no, that won’t do!’ Jack cautioned him. ‘If you want to keep her, you’ll need to do more than “try”.’

      For a while, the two of them walked along, their heavy boots clattering against the flagstones and their minds filled with private thoughts.

      ‘What about Amy?’ Roy asked presently. ‘It looked to me as though you were making a good impression there.’ He grinned mischievously. ‘Fond of her, are yer?’

      ‘More than fond,’ Jack replied, his voice dropping to a whisper. ‘To tell you the truth, I reckon I’m falling in love.’

      Roy whistled. ‘Bloody hell, Jack. Steady on!’

      Reluctant to discuss Amy any further, Jack skilfully changed the subject. ‘So? You really want to make a go of it with Daisy then?’

      ‘Yes, I’m hoping so. What’s wrong with that, eh?’

      ‘So you’re determined to mend your ways, are you?’

      Taking offence at Jack’s comment, Roy brought himself and Jack to a halt. ‘What’s the matter with you? What are you getting at?’ Though he already had an idea of what Jack was referring to.

      ‘You’ve some shady friends, that’s all,’ he said.

      ‘What about ’em?’

      ‘D’you intend to carry on seeing them?’

      ‘Not all of ’em, no. I’ll admit I’ve met some devious devils,’ he confessed, ‘and I know they got me in more trouble than I could handle, but they’re long gone. I don’t hear from them, and I don’t want to.’

      ‘But what about the one who lives down your street?’ Jack persisted.

      ‘Y’mean Don Carson?’

      Jack nodded. ‘Will you go on seeing him?’ Roy almost always confided in him, so he knew Roy still paid him a visit now and then. He also knew that the fella was a close pal of Arnold Stratton, the man who had been gaoled for badly beating Luke Hammond’s wife.

      ‘I know what yer thinking: that I might get Daisy involved in summat bad, and that Don Carson is every bit as evil as Stratton. Well, he’s not all bad. He’s a rough diamond, sure enough, with an eye for dodgy deals and fast women, but he’s tried to go straight so many times. Trouble is, he’s easily tempted. One time he was even going to settle down and get married. I don’t know what went wrong, but I reckon Don just couldn’t manage the responsibility. But he’s been a good friend to me, helped me when I was down, and I’ll not snub him now.’

      The irony of mentioning Don’s former fiancée to Jack in this way did not escape Roy, but it wasn’t Amy he was defending.

      Always wary, Jack warned, ‘I know it’s none of my business, Roy, but if you’re as serious about Daisy as you claim, then you need to think long and hard about this: the truth is, the company you keep might well turn out to be the company Daisy will keep. Don’t forget that.’

      Given food for thought, Roy remained silent until he and Jack parted company at the bottom of Penny Street. ‘Are you seeing Amy tonight?’ he asked of Jack.

      ‘I’d like to,’ Jack answered, ‘but she and Daisy are doing “girlie” things – and don’t ask me