To ease the tension she offered to wash up, and when that was done and all the crockery and cutlery put away she touched her hostess’s arm and flicked a glance towards Mo, curled up in an old basket chair, eyelids drooping. ‘She’s had a long day,’ she murmured. ‘Is there a bed made up? I appreciate that you didn’t know you were going to have guests, but if we could settle her down with a pillow and some blankets in your own room so that she wouldn’t wake and find herself apparently abandoned she should have her sleep out. Tomorrow things won’t seem quite so daunting, and she’ll accept that I’m no longer around. Can that be arranged?’

Her hostess nodded. ‘Of course it can, but I think it would be best if she shared the attic room with Jimmy for the time being. She’s been through more than a little’un should have to cope with these last few weeks, and she’ll want to know her brother’s close by. Will you wake her?’

Glenys shook her head. ‘I’ll carry her up; she’s not heavy . . .’ she was beginning, and was actually taking the child in her arms when Sam crossed the room in a couple of strides and scooped his daughter up.

‘She’s too heavy for you to cart all the way upstairs,’ he said gruffly. He marched off, and Jimmy ran over to have a private word with Glenys.

‘I do understand you want to leave now,’ he said earnestly. ‘But Mo and me want you to promise you’ll send us your new address just as soon as you’ve got one. I’m sorry our dad wasn’t very nice to you and I can’t explain why because I don’t understand it myself. Will you promise, Auntie Glenys?’

Glenys hesitated. ‘It would be better if we went our separate ways, Jimmy,’ she said. ‘You are starting a new and exciting life, the sort of life you deserve, and so is Mo, of course. You’ll be going to a new school, meeting new people, even learning a new language, and now that you’ve found your own family you can forget all about Cyril and his horrible old mother. They’ll never learn where you are, and even if they did your grandparents would see that you were kept safe.’

‘Oh, them,’ Jimmy said disdainfully. ‘I’m not worrying about them! I’m pretty strong, you know, Auntie Glenys, so if they were to turn up here tomorrow I’d punch the pair of them on the nose, tie their wrists with strong rope and send for the local scuffers to throw them into prison. I could do it, honest to God I could, especially if we have lots more good meals like the one we had tonight.’

Glenys laughed. ‘I’m sure you could; or you could tie their bootlaces together and push them down the stairs,’ she said. ‘But if it will make you happy, dear Jimmy, I’ll send you my address, and that’s a promise. Only it may not be for a while because I really do need to find a job of some sort just to keep myself.’