The Ha'penny Steps. Book 1. Maruska's Story

Set against the background of the London Blitz, Peter Porteous lives over the Ha'penny Steps in Kensal Town. He has a day job as a factory supervisor, and he volunteers as an Air Raid Precautions warden. He spends a lot of time fire watching during the height of the bombing in 1940. He is also a black marketeer. In these times of shortages and rationing, he will trade in anything that turns a profit, but mostly women's nylon stockings, cigarettes and alcohol. As far as one can during the height of the London Blitz, he has a relatively comfortable existence, dodging both the bombs and the attentions of the police.

Porteous has a small group of ladies around him. Nancy Keeling is an upmarket prostitute working for an organised gang in London's West End. She is shining a light for Porteous. Edith Bell is the landlady of the local public house. She has a friendly magistrate as a part-time lover as well as the occasional paying customer. Shira Adelman, a Polish...