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stormed out of the office, brushing past Bob as he headed for his car. He needed to think, to clear his head. He started the engine and drove off, not caring where he was heading.
    ‘What's up with Dad?’ Bob asked as he went into the office.
    Danny was behind the desk now, lounging back on the chair, feet up and hands linked behind his head. ‘He didn't like one of my suggestions.’
    ‘What suggestion was that?’
    ‘He vetoed it, so there's no point in talking about it.’
    ‘I'd still like to know.’
    ‘Tough. Now bugger off. I need to think.’
    Just because Danny was the eldest, he thought he could give out orders, but Bob wasn't ready to give up yet. It gave him some satisfaction to know that Danny had fallen out with their father – a rare occurrence – yet he was still curious to know why. ‘Was it to do with this new idea of yours?’
    ‘I don't want to talk about it. Ain't that a customer?’
    Bob's lips tightened. He was only fifteen months younger than Danny and was sick of being treated like an underling. All right, he didn't have his brother's brains or looks but he wasn't an idiot. The trade counter bell rang again but he ignored it.
    ‘Is Dad coming back for the meeting?’
    ‘Yeah, I expect so.’
    ‘Why don't you run your idea by me? If I like it, maybe between the two of us we can talk him round.’
    ‘He'll do his nut if I suggest it again.’
    ‘Maybe, but this is a family business and we're all entitled to a vote.’ Bob watched as Danny's eyes narrowed speculatively, and hid a smirk. He would never go against his father, but Danny didn't know that. This might turn out to be the ideal opportunity to score a few brownie points with the old man.
    ‘All right,’ Danny said, ‘see to that customer and then I'll fill you in.’

Chapter Four
     
    Norma Draper tutted with impatience when there was a knock on the door of number four, where she lived with her husband, Maurice. Norma fixed a smile on her face as Sue walked in with her two sons.
    ‘Hello, Sue, I'm surprised to see you so early. Maurice hasn't left for the yard yet,’ she added, hoping that her sister-in-law would take the hint and come back later.
    ‘Yeah, but the meeting starts at eleven so no doubt he'll be off soon. Do you know what it's about?’
    ‘I've no idea.’
    ‘Old face-ache said the same,
and
she had the cheek to pick me up about my doorstep.’
    Norma smiled, knowing that ‘face-ache’ referred to their mother-in-law. She had to agree with Sue. Since the day she'd met Maurice, Joan Draper had made it obvious she disapproved of their relationship. All right, she was eight years older thanMaurice, but she hadn't meant to get pregnant, despite what the woman thought. In fact, Norma was deeply ashamed and had hated giving birth to Oliver six months after their marriage. Not only that, she had lost contact with her parents in the process. They had been appalled by her pregnancy and also disapproved of the Drapers – a family they'd decided were as common as muck.
    She looked at Sue and said sympathetically, ‘Don't let Joan upset you.’
    ‘Where's Oliver, Auntie Norma?’
    ‘He's in the back yard feeding his rabbit,’ she told Paul.
    ‘I'm going out there to see him,’ Robby said.
    Norma liked Sue's youngest lad, Paul, but couldn't feel the same about Robby and tensed nervously as the two boys made for the yard. She was worried that Robby would upset Oliver and wanted to follow them, but as Maurice came downstairs she looked at him worriedly. His eyes were still thick with conjunctivitis, his face wan. Maurice wasn't robust, unlike his brothers, and she worried constantly about his health. If anyone had a cold, Maurice would catch it, then nine times out of ten it went to his chest. If stressed, he suffered with bouts of asthma, the attacks leaving him weak and exhausted. Over time she had learned how to deal with them, and thankfully how to calm him down.
    ‘Are you off to this meeting now?’ she