‘I quite fancy doing shop work,’ Holly said thoughtfully. ‘Yes, perhaps in a dress shop.’

Ivy yawned and Holly felt guilty. ‘Why don’t we get washed and have an early night so as we can get an early start in the morning?’ she suggested.

Ivy nodded in agreement. ‘That ain’t a bad idea, I’m filthy,’ she said ruefully as she stared down at the state of her clothes. ‘We’ll have to find a way to wash these.’

‘Oh, I already worked that out when I went to use the toilet in the yard,’ Holly assured her. ‘There’s a wash house out there where we can rub things through. We’ll have to dry them in here by the fire though. Meanwhile I can lend you an outfit for tomorrow. My clothes might be a bit big on you but at least you’ll be neat and tidy for looking for a job.’

The girls made sandwiches with the bread and the ham hock that Ivy had bought and after having a thorough wash at the sink they sank into bed, exhausted. They had only been away from home for two days yet already to Holly it felt like two years and she missed her mother dreadfully. But not enough to go back with my tail between my legs and be forced to marry Mr Dolby, she told herself.

Already Ivy was snoring softly and soon after Holly fell into an exhausted sleep too.

The next morning they were up bright and early and Ivy made toast for them in front of the fire with the remaining bread. This was washed down with two strong cups of tea and then Holly sorted out an outfit for Ivy to borrow.

As Holly had thought, the skirt and blouse she lent her were a little large for her but even so, as Ivy stared at herself in the cracked mirror that hung above the fireplace, her face was so animated that she looked almost pretty.

‘Why, I feel like a real toff,’ she chuckled. ‘Trouble is, soon as I open me mouth I’ll let meself down, won’t I?’

Holly smiled at her indulgently. Strangely, since they had left home, Ivy’s confidence seemed to have grown and Holly wondered if it was because she didn’t have to worry about visits from her violent father any more.

‘Right,’ Ivy said as she dragged her old coat on, wishing that she didn’t need it. ‘I reckon we’d be best to split up then meet again at lunchtime. We’re not goin’ to be lookin’ for the same sorts o’ jobs so we’d probably do best on our own.’

Feeling slightly nervous, Holly nodded, thinking how strange it was that since their arrival she had come to rely on Ivy rather than the other way around.

As they stepped out onto the landing together they were confronted by a small girl sitting against the wall with her arms wrapped about her knees and tears streaming down her face. She looked to be no older than four or five years old and from the door next to her they could hear the sounds of a violent argument going on. The clothes she wore were little more than rags and as Holly looked sympathetically down on her she noticed that her hair was crawling with lice.