Then she added flatly, ‘You don’t have to have them tied to your apron strings all of ’time, you know. You need your independence, as do they; they must learn that you have a life too and cope without you. It’ll make them stronger.’

Ellen was lost for words. Lizzie made it sound so easy. ‘I don’t know any young girls,’ she said weakly.

Lizzie looked at her. ‘There’s one living at ’cottage right opposite. I’ve seen her twice when I’ve been coming back from work.’

‘Have you?’ Ellen was astonished. Apart from the two sisters who lived at the bottom of the terrace, she hadn’t seen anyone else. When she went out in a morning and when she arrived back, most of the windows had their curtains closed.

‘Yes,’ Lizzie said. ‘She’s generally looking out of ’window as if she’s waiting for someone.’

Filip drew up outside the terrace and he and Harry came to hand the family down from the back of the trap. Harry took a sleeping Thomas from Ellen and gave her his hand. She turned to Filip and asked diffidently, ‘Would it be much of a bother for you to take a look at the ovens, Filip? Then if they’re in too bad a state I can forget about it.’

‘I will of course look at it for you,’ he said. ‘And you do not have to forget about it, Ellen, if it is what you want to do. Anna would have wanted to help you, but,’ he gave a happy grin, ‘soon we have four children.’

True to his word, he went to look at the range the very next day, and told Mr Foster that apart from surface cleaning and having the chimney swept, it was in excellent condition. ‘It will make good bread,’ he said. ‘And keep your house upstairs warm.’

‘It will,’ Mr Foster agreed, rubbing his chin. ‘At least, it always did. Well, we’ll see if the little lady still wants it.’

Ellen told him of her predicament. How Anna couldn’t come after all and how she would need to find someone to look after the children. He then suggested that she might look for someone to help her, not with the baking but with the washing up of the utensils and crockery.

‘I’ve an errand lad,’ he said. ‘He delivers groceries locally, and he’s got a sister who keeps asking me if I need an assistant in the shop. I don’t have enough trade to warrant taking on anyone else, but she might be willing to come and help you.’

Ellen drew in a breath. Was this all getting out of hand? It made sense, but … ‘I don’t think I could afford to pay anybody, Mr Foster,’ she said. ‘Whole point of doing this is to raise some much-needed money for essentials.’