‘I’ve made me mind up on this so there’s no use arguin’,’ she told him. ‘I’ll tell Holly we’re arrangin’ the weddin’. There’s no need to tell anyone yet about the baby an’ by the time I’m showin’ we’ll be wed. We can say the baby came early when it’s born.’

He gulped, feeling like a rat caught in a trap. ‘But look at this place, it’s a pit.’ He spread his hands as if to prove his point. ‘At least wait while I find somewhere nicer for us to live.’

Ivy shook her head. ‘I don’t care about that, I’d live in a shed wi’ you, if need be,’ she said as she tried to snuggle into him, but he held her at arm’s length.

‘Look, Ivy, I have to go out. We’ll talk about this another time,’ he said desperately. ‘Tomorrow, I’ll meet you out of work and we’ll go for something to eat.’

Her shoulders sagged but she turned slowly and headed for the door all the same. ‘All right, tomorrer then, just be sure you’re there.’ And with a heavy heart she left the room and slowly began the steep descent to the ground floor.

Luckily Holly had gone to bed by the time she got home and Ivy sat staring into the flames of the fire long into the night. Of course she’d expected Jeremy to be shocked when she told him the news but she hadn’t expected him to be quite as horrified as he had been. This was his baby she was carrying, his own flesh and blood, after all. Her hand dropped protectively to her stomach as the tears started again. And now she would have to tell Holly that she was leaving. How would she take it?

The next day Holly received two surprises. The first was when Miss May entered the shop. Holly had already opened up and was tidying away the underwear she had just shown to a customer.

She glanced up to see Miss May looking very flustered.

‘Oh my dear, I’ve had some very bad news,’ she told Holly, removing a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbing at her eyes. ‘My dear brother-in-law passed away over the weekend so I need to take a few days off to go to my sister. Do you think you can manage here on your own? I’ve arranged for someone to care for my husband and I shouldn’t be gone for more than a couple of days.’

‘Of course I can manage,’ Holly told her sympathetically. ‘You can go straight away if you wish to.’

‘Well, I would like to, if you’re quite sure,’ Miss May sniffed. ‘He was such a dear man and they were very happy together but they were never blessed with children so I’m all she has left. They lived in Whitby so she’s going to feel very isolated now that Frederick has gone. I’ll probably bring her to live with me and my husband after the funeral, if she wants to, of course.’