They sat down together and tucked in, chatting easily and very soon the conversation turned to Jeremy.

‘I don’t think even now she’s ready to leave him,’ she told her mother over dinner and Emma nodded in agreement.

‘I know. When I went to see her she barely took her eyes off the door to the ward watching for him. It’s as if he’s put a spell on her. But then love is a funny thing. I should know; I once felt that way about your father,’ she confided sadly. ‘Even when he left me I was convinced he’d come back, but he never did and eventually I had to face up to the fact that he wasn’t the man I’d thought he was.’

‘So what do you think we should do?’

Emma shrugged. ‘I suppose we could give it one more day, then if he doesn’t come here we’ll have to go round to his place and tell him where she is if that’s what she wants. But if it comes to that we’ll go together. I’m not letting you go round there on your own.’

Jeremy didn’t arrive and so on Tuesday evening after dinner, Emma and Holly set off for Whitechapel. A thick smog had settled over London making the drab streets they passed through look even more sinister.

The gas lights they passed cast yellow pools of light into the swirling mist and Emma was clearly nervous. ‘I can barely see a hand in front of me,’ she commented. ‘I hope you know where you’re going. Perhaps we should leave it for tonight and try again tomorrow?’

‘It’s all right, we’re almost there now,’ Holly assured her and, sure enough, minutes later they arrived at the house where Ivy had been living.

Once inside they began the long climb to the attic rooms and as they reached the landing a small boy who was crouched there with his arms wrapped about his knees watched them curiously from eyes that had deep, dark circles beneath them.

‘If you’re lookin’ fer the mister what lived there yer wastin’ yer time,’ he informed them. ‘He scarpered an’ took all his stuff wi’ him a couple o’ nights ago. There were a big to-do an’ his missus come runnin’ out all covered in blood. Don’t know where she went though. He left the next day, probably scared that the coppers were after him.’

‘I see, thank you.’ Holly tried the handle of the door and it opened. The sight that met her eyes made her gasp with dismay. The room had been emptied of every stick of furniture and it looked as if a pack of scavengers had rampaged through it. It hadn’t been up to much before, but now with every stick of furniture and home comfort removed it looked even worse; no doubt the people who had robbed it had sold the lot by now. Unfortunately a quick glance into the bedroom showed that everything Ivy had possessed was gone too, even her clothes.