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Given the way the whole system was stacked against them because of where they came from, Gabriella had never thought less of them for whatever it was they got up to. There was literally no way for them to get ahead any other way.

They cared for their community, and they had certainly helped her on more than one occasion.

“Do you think there’ll be repercussions?” she asked George, walking beside him behind the other three.

“Maybe,” George conceded. “Jerome will keep watch. Solomon is going to contact that friend of yours, the lawyer, and see if there’s something legal we can do about it.”

Solomon had definitely made some kind of arrangement with her friend Ben a month or so earlier. Gabriella had guessed he was laying the groundwork for having a lawyer to hand in case he was ever in trouble for what he got up to on the side, and Ben hadn’t shared what had been said between them. As was proper.

“I thought I might ask around at work about whether there’s an organization we can reach out to.” She had a vague feeling there was a government-run body in Melbourne people could complain to. She needed to find out if there was one in London.

“Good luck with that,” George said. “Although you might get somewhere, given you’re a white girl, and a lady, an’ all.”

“The lady part of things isn’t official yet,” she told him, but didn’t contradict him on the white girl comment. He was probably right. “I’ll see what can be done.”

“Talking about your work, you know that Liz girl who’s soft on Melvin, don’t you?” George tried to sound casual.

“Yes. It’s all right. Melvin told her that them stepping out together would be a bad idea. She’s very sad about it, but she’s not going to make things difficult for him. She’s going to stop going round to the night club.”

“That so?” George sounded surprised.

“She says she cares about him, so she’s going to respect his wishes.” Gabriella thought it sucked all round.

“That’s interesting. I know Melvin wishes it could be another way.”

“Yes.” Gabriella wished that, too.

They went straight to the alley, and Solomon opened the wooden door set into the high brick wall that enclosed the back of the house, with its washing line and the few pot plants various tenants had set out over the years.

Mr. Rodney stepped through first, and Gabriella thought he’d fallen on an uneven paver as he seemed to tumble to the ground with a sound of pain and surprise.

Solomon reached down to help him up and the light shining out of Mrs. Besson’s room was the only reason Gabriella saw the wooden stick lifting up to hit him in the head.

Solomon must have sensed the attack, because he twisted away, so the blow landed on his shoulder, rather than his head, and he shoved whoever had made the attack deeper into the yard.

George and Jerome were spookily silent as they leaped over Mr. Rodney, following Solomon into the darkness, and Gabriella moved forward, crouching beside Mr. Rodney where he was lying half in and half out of the entrance.

She got her arm around him and sat him up.

“It’s not too bad,” he told her. “I’m just shook up, is all. Took me by surprise.”

“Can you stand so we can get out of the way?” she murmured.

She could hear the fight, but she couldn’t really tell what was happening as the door had swung closed and Mr. Rodney being in the doorway was the only reason it couldn’t shut completely.

Mr. Rodney inched out of the way on his behind, and then used the wall to help himself stand.

Gabriella managed to get him over to the side, so that if anyone came out of the door, they wouldn’t slam it into him, and just as she had him leaning against the wall, a figure all in black came flying out, and ran away down the alley.

Solomon emerged, breathing heavily. “Uncle Eric?”

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” Mr. Rodney sounded perfectly calm.

“Was that Ashe?” Gabriella asked. “He changed clothes if it was.”

“I don’t think so. It was someone shorter. I bet Ashe sent him, though.” Solomon winced and rubbed his shoulder. “There was another one. He ran inside. George and Jerome have gone after him.”

He was trapped if he’d gone inside. There was no escape out the front door.