‘My, er … escort loves me in bright colours,’ she gushed, glancing surreptitiously towards the car parked outside where they could see a young man sitting in the back seat.

‘It is indeed a very fine fabric,’ Miss May agreed as Lady Hamilton stroked it. ‘And we still have all your measurements so there is no need for you to be measured again. Could you perhaps call in for your first fitting towards the end of next week? Shall we say Thursday afternoon about three o’clock?’

‘Perfect, my dear Miss May. Good day, ladies.’

They stood primly side by side as Lady Hamilton waddled from the shop and watched until the chauffeur pulled the car away from the kerb then, unable to hold it back any longer, Holly broke into a fit of the giggles. ‘Oh dear, she’s going to look like a big daffodil in that,’ she commented.

‘A giant dandelion more like,’ Miss May sighed. ‘And did you see the young man in the car? He was young enough to be her son at least!’ But then seeing the funny side of it she too started to laugh until the tears ran down her cheeks.

Holly told Ivy about the incident that evening when she got back from the office but Ivy was in no mood for light-heartedness. She hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Jeremy for almost a week now and she was missing him dreadfully.

‘Look, you know where he lives, why don’t you just go round there and see what’s going on?’ Holly suggested.

‘I suppose I could.’ Ivy pushed her food half-heartedly round her plate but then making a decision she suddenly scraped her chair back from the table and said, ‘In fact, I reckon I’ll go round there right now. There ain’t no time like the present, is there? An’ he’d better have a good excuse fer staying away an’ all, else he’ll feel the length o’ me tongue!’

Holly grinned as her friend hurried away to fetch her hat and coat. Ivy never failed to make her smile.

When Ivy arrived at the house where Jeremy lived she had to step past a gaggle of snotty-nosed children who were playing with some glass marbles in the dusty gutter. They were all painfully thin, their clothes little more than rags and Ivy’s heart went out to them. Fumbling in her purse she extracted some coins and tossed them onto the cobbles and there was a mad scramble to claim them. ‘Go and treat yourselves to some sweeties,’ she told them and smiled as they raced away, their faces glowing with anticipation at the treat ahead. Once she had reached the top of the house she tapped on Jeremy’s door but there was no reply. She was just about to tap again when another door opened further along the narrow passageway and a thin woman swathed in a threadbare shawl with a howling baby in her arms appeared.