By the time they had finished it was almost eight o’clock and Holly knew that it was time to leave so she hurried to her room to fetch her bag.

The vicar’s wife became quite emotional when she said goodbye. She had known Holly since she was a little girl and was very concerned about what might become of her out in the big bad world.

‘Promise me that you’ll write and take good care of yourself.’

Holly nodded numbly as the kindly woman kissed her cheek. ‘Thank you for the kindness you have shown me, Mrs Lockett, I shall be forever grateful.’ Then she turned in the direction of the train station. She took the short cut from Coton across the Pingle Fields where a fair was in the process of setting up and memories came flooding back. She could remember her mother taking her there once when she was a little girl and she had thought it was magical. Thinking about it, she could still taste the sticky toffee apple her mother had bought her and remember the thrill of riding on the gaily painted horses of the carousel. They had gone to the hall of mirrors, where Holly had giggled at the sight of their distorted reflection, and then had a go on the hoopla stall where she had won a goldfish in a bag. She pushed the memories away and went through the tunnel that led into Riversley Park. The River Anchor ran right through the centre of it and as she walked along its banks it struck her that the leafless weeping willows that were trailing their branches in the sluggish water looked about as miserable as she felt.

Soon she was walking through the marketplace where the traders were setting up their stalls. It wouldn’t be long before the stalls would be full of everything from fresh fish to ribbons and buckets and Holly had always loved to wander amongst them. It felt strange to know that she might never do so again, and as she passed through Bond Gate and Trent Valley Railway Station came into view, she was in a very sombre mood indeed. Part of her wanted to run home, but the other part of her baulked at the thought of marrying Walter Dolby, so she forced herself to move on. Seconds later she spotted Ivy standing outside the ticket office anxiously looking this way and that. As soon as the girl spotted her, her face broke into a wide smile and she raced towards her. Though she was dressed in her Sunday best, Holly couldn’t help but notice that her clothes were very old and worn, no doubt purchased from the rag stall in the market.

‘Was everything all right back at home when you left?’ Holly questioned.

Ivy shrugged. ‘Not really, miss. Yer mam an’ yer gran’father had a hell of a row after yer’d gone last night. Yer could hear ’em all over the house an’ it ended wi’ yer poor mam goin’ upstairs in tears. Yer gran’father were off out to the mill first thing this mornin’ wi’out a bite o’ breakfast in his belly an’ when he’d gone yer mam came down to see me off. She said to tell yer she loves yer an’ to take care. I told her, don’t you worry now, I’ll see as she’s all right.’