He put his hand to his chin as he thought about it. ‘It could be set up as a regular apprenticeship – the Smith and Dent apprenticeship scheme.’ His voice trembled as he spoke, and Lizzie, who was back at her own desk, looked up at the two men who were so obviously emotionally affected.

‘I’ll look into it, shall I?’ she said softly. ‘I’ll write and make an appointment for you to meet ’workhouse governors.’

Tannerson nodded. ‘Please, Lizzie. If you will. For both of us,’ he added hoarsely. ‘Harry too. It’s his idea.’ He put out his hand to shake Harry’s. ‘We’re going to make a good team.’

When Harry left the office he offered Lizzie a ride home but she said she still had odds and ends to finish off. The office had been cleaned and painted, Karl Kidman had made and fitted new cupboards and drawers exactly as Lizzie had specified, and she was organizing a new filing system.

Karl had told her that he and Edyta had booked the register office for their wedding ceremony with only her mother, her brother and his wife present, but there would be a party afterwards in a local hotel when all their friends would be invited.

She said she was very happy for him, but didn’t mention her own forthcoming marriage. So far she had only told Ellen and Harry and had yet to tell her parents that Roland Tannerson had proposed and been accepted. Seeing his response to a suggestion that might put it in his power to improve someone else’s life, she knew without a doubt that here was a man with love in his heart who could undoubtedly love her too, and he’d vowed that he would.

‘Billy’s coming tomorrow,’ Ellen said, excited as a schoolgirl when Harry arrived home, ‘and he’s bringing my ma and da, and Florence too. I think it must be serious, Harry; I’ve never known him court a young woman for so long. As soon as he thought they had their eyes on marriage, he always backed away.’

Harry knew that that was because of Billy’s plan to emigrate to Canada, but he’d never told Ellen, because somehow he’d thought that Billy wouldn’t carry the plan through. He was convinced that Billy wouldn’t want to leave his family. But he’s in a dead end job, he’d thought; he’ll never improve his position in the work he’s doing. Harry hadn’t realized either just how many opportunities there were, until he’d been forced into a position where he had to open his eyes to other prospects.

They all came the next day, Billy having borrowed the wagon again, and Ellen’s father, who hadn’t seen the previous room in Wincomlee, exclaimed in astonishment at the pretty cottage and its situation.