Holly’s face stretched into a radiant smile. ‘Oh, yes please,’ she gushed, and so Miss May hurried away to return minutes later with a key.

‘The flat is accessed from a door next to the shop,’ she informed Holly as she led her outside the shop and directed her through another door and up a narrow staircase. ‘There’s a light at the top of the stairs,’ Miss May informed her. ‘And when that’s on you’ll be able to take a look around.’

There was electric lighting in the flat as well? Holly could hardly wait. Surely anywhere would be better than where she and Ivy were living now? They were kept awake constantly by little Sally’s parents having blazing rows and the sound of children crying. So much so that sometimes when it was time to get up she felt as if she hadn’t been to bed.

At the top of the stairs the kindly woman opened the door and beckoned Holly into what was clearly a decent-sized living room. Cobwebs adorned the corners and it looked neglected but Holly could imagine how lovely it would be with some tender loving care. There was a large sash window overlooking the street below and a fireplace that was full of dead ashes. A settee stood in front of it and although it was dusty, Holly could just imagine it with some pretty cushions on after having a good clean. There was also a dark wood table and chairs and a long sideboard along one wall. Another door led into a small but adequate kitchen and yet two more doors led to small bedrooms, both with brass bedsteads and an assortment of drawers. There was even a wardrobe in one of them and after living in the room they were in now it appeared luxurious to Holly.

‘Oh, it’s beautiful,’ she breathed, but then practicality kicked in and she frowned. ‘But how much would the rent be? This is a much nicer area than where we live now so I’m not sure that we could afford it.’

‘How much are you paying for your room now?’

‘Six shillings a week.’

‘Hmm, quite expensive for sharing one room, I would think,’ Miss May commented. ‘How about eight shillings a week?’

Holly stared at her dumbfounded. She knew this was not nearly enough from the flats that she and Ivy had viewed before taking their room, which had been all they could afford at the time. But they could comfortably manage the extra now that they were both working.

‘That’s very cheap for a flat,’ she answered, and Miss May shrugged.

‘Well, the way I look at it is it’s a shame for it to stand empty. It’s only going to get damp.’

Again Holly hesitated. It just seemed too good to be true. ‘But why would you do this for me?’ she asked softly. ‘You hardly know me.’

‘Let’s just say that what you told me struck a chord.’ Miss May sighed. ‘I once found myself in a very similar position, believe it or not. My parents had high hopes of me marrying a friend of the family, but I had already fallen in love with my husband who had barely a penny to his name. Eventually they put so much pressure on me to give him up and things became so bad at home that we ran off to get married, and I don’t mind telling you I’ve never regretted it for a single second. Unfortunately, he suffers with ill health now and needs nursing so one of the perks of you living above the shop might be that I could spend a little more time at home with him once you’ve learned all the ropes and feel comfortable running the shop alone. I wouldn’t have to come in so early in the morning to open up and let the seamstresses in for a start, so you see you living here could be advantageous to us both. What do you think?’