‘But tha didn’t tell me about this one.’

‘No. Like I said, I didn’t have much choice. Titus wants me out of the house.’

‘I thought tha were my friend, Hannah Chadwick, but tha’s played a dirty trick on me with this.’

Hannah was stunned by the anger on her friend’s face. She knew that Mary might be a bit upset about it, but she’d never thought she would glare at her with such animosity.

‘But there were only one job.’

‘Aye. And it could have been mine.’

‘I’ll tell thee if another one comes up.’

‘Will tha?’

They stared at one another, facing each other in the middle of the busy marketplace as the crowd thronged around them, pushing them this way and that in annoyance that their way was being blocked.

‘Tha’s not been much of a friend after all,’ said Mary at last and Hannah watched as she turned sharply away and began to walk towards Fleming Square. It was clear that she wanted nothing more to do with her – not at the moment anyway – and Hannah couldn’t blame her. She would probably have felt the same if she’d been in Mary’s position and she knew that the Star was not a fit place for her to be living. But once Mrs Feilden had told her that Mr Feilden knew Titus, she’d realised that she could never have gone home and pretended that she hadn’t got the job. She’d had no choice, and even if she’d told Mary, it wouldn’t have made a difference. Not that she’d ever be able to convince Mary of that. She’d seen the hatred in her friend’s eyes and it made her hate herself for what she’d done.

Mary was furious. Hannah could at least have told her about the job. She could have given her the chance to go for it as well. It would have been the fair thing to do and she was sure that Mrs Hall would have given her a character. What Hannah had done was selfish, and underhand, and she began to wonder how good a friend Hannah was after all. She would have loved that job, and she really needed it. She was running short of money and she feared that she would find herself out on the street before very long.

‘What’s tha lookin’ so glum about?’ asked Mrs Hall when she went in and began to stomp up the stairs to her bedroom.

‘My friend – well, I thought she were my friend – Hannah’s got herself a job as a maid at the Feildens’ house.’

‘And why’s that made thee so cross?’

Mary came slowly back down the stairs. It seemed as good an opportunity as any to be honest. ‘If I can’t get work I won’t be able to afford to stay here for much longer,’ she said.

‘Come in the back,’ said Mrs Hall. ‘Let’s put t’ kettle on and have a brew. Everything seems better with a brew. I’m sure as we can work summat out.’