She picked up her shawl and stood up. ‘Our Hannah’s a good girl,’ she told James again. She’d never forgive that man if he’d sown any doubts in the schoolmaster’s mind about her sister. She would like nothing more than to see Hannah well married and provided for so that she would never have to set foot in a mill or be in service to the gentry ever again.

‘How is she?’ she asked Mrs Hall about Mary before she went up.

‘Stronger,’ said the woman. ‘She’s eaten a bit and the bleeding’s much less now. She’s young and resilient. I think she’ll come through.’

Jennet went up the steps and tapped on Mary’s door. She was still lying in bed, but she was awake and didn’t look so deathly as she had earlier. Jennet pulled up the little chair and sat down.

‘Was Hannah here?’ asked Mary. ‘I’m not sure if I dreamt it.’

‘Aye, she was here,’ said Jennet. ‘It was Hannah as made them go for Dr Barlow.’

‘She’s not come again.’

‘She’s busy at the Feildens. They’re back from the country house. I’m sure she’ll come to see thee again when she can get away.’

‘Aye. I’d like that,’ said Mary. ‘I didn’t want to fall out with her.’

‘I’m glad,’ Jennet told her. ‘Thee and Hannah were always such good friends. It would be a shame if summat spoiled that.’

‘Aye. I were just upset, that’s all.’

‘About our Titus not lettin’ thee stay?’ asked Jennet.

‘No. About her gettin’ that job and me being stuck here. It didn’t seem fair. She never told me about it and I had no chance to enquire until it were too late. Not that it would have done me any good, I suppose, because I only had Mrs Hall to write me a character.’

‘What dost tha mean?’ asked Jennet.

‘A character letter to say that I’m honest and hard-working. No one’ll take a maid on now without one. I should have had one from Mr Sudell, but he never give us one.’

Jennet tried to make sense of what Mary was telling her. ‘So Mr Sudell never wrote one for Hannah either?’

‘No. If tha’d not been so friendly with Mrs Whittaker and got her to speak for her then Hannah would never have got that position. But I had no one to speak for me. That’s why I ended up like this.’

‘I never asked Mrs Whittaker,’ said Jennet, puzzled by what Mary was telling her. ‘But I’m right sorry tha didn’t get chance of a proper job. I wish that I’d tried harder to persuade Titus to let thee stay on with us.’

‘I don’t suppose it would have made much difference. I couldn’t have imposed on thee when I couldn’t find work,’ Mary said. ‘And I suppose it could be worse. I have a roof over my head and Mrs Hall is kindly, in her way, and Mr Starkie has paid for the doctor and suchlike.’