‘No, for the King Street house. The lass who’s there now is gettin’ wed next month. Why doesn’t tha go and enquire after it?’ he asked her.

‘Because I don’t have a character reference,’ she told him. ‘Nobody’ll take a maid on now without a letter of recommendation and because Sudell went off like he did, I don’t have one.’

‘What sort of thing would it need to say?’ asked Titus.

‘That I’m honest, hardworking, that I wasn’t dismissed for any reason. I don’t know really.’

‘I don’t suppose anyone does. I suppose as long as tha has a letter then they’ll be happy with it.’ He sat down and pulled a clean sheet of paper towards him.

‘What’s tha thinking? Tha can’t write it!’ protested Hannah.

‘Why not?’ he asked. ‘I can say as tha’s a hard worker and honest and goes to church every Sunday.’

‘But it has to be from Mr Sudell because he was my last employer.’

‘And that’s impossible.’

‘I know! That’s why I’ll never get another job as a maid. It isn’t fair.’

‘Things are rarely fair, our Hannah,’ said Titus. ‘I found that out the hard way. But some good came of me being sent to that place. I had the chance to learn to read and write. So maybe now it’s time for me to use that learnin’ to make sure that tha doesn’t get dragged down by what’s not fair.’

‘But it’s dishonest,’ she said, surprised at him. He was always harping on about fairness and what was right and wrong so why was he so keen to do this – except that if she got the job she would be living in, and she’d be out from under his feet. Was he that desperate to get rid of her?

‘It’s not entirely dishonest,’ he said as he took the pen and dipped into the inkwell. ‘I’m not sayin’ anything that’s not true.’

‘But it needs to be signed by Mr Sudell.’

‘Well, I’ll just write his name. It’s not as if he’s here to do owt about it and it’s worth a try. If they sends thee away then tha’s no worse off,’ he reasoned.

Hannah watched as he began to write, following the words as he read them out loud:

To whom it may concern:

I can recommend Miss Hannah Chadwick as an honest and hardworking maid who has left my employment as my house at Woodfold Hall has been closed up and her services are no longer required there.

Henry Sudell

Titus signed it off with a flourish and blotted the ink dry before handing it to Hannah. ‘Go and show them that,’ he said.

‘But tha might get sent back to prison if anyone finds out.’

‘No one’ll find out. Go tomorrow and get the employment,’ he told her, leaving her in no doubt that it was what he expected her to do.

Next morning, Hannah wondered whether she dared do what Titus had told her. She also wondered whether she should go down to the Star and tell Mary that there was a job going. The trouble was there was only one job and they would be in competition for it – and Mary would want to know where she’d got a character reference from. If she told her that Titus had written it, she might ask if he would write one for her as well. Hannah knew that he would refuse and it would make things awkward. Better to say nowt, she thought. Besides, if she told Mary and Mary got the job instead of her, Titus would be livid. She felt guilty though. Mary had always been a good friend to her and she didn’t like going behind her back. She half hoped that she wouldn’t get the job, even though she would be glad to get out of Water Street.