‘Here we are then, home sweet home,’ the woman said as the carriage pulled away. Ruby eyed the frontage and wasn’t overly impressed with what she saw. Mrs Bamber seemed so grand that Ruby had expected her to live in a mansion at least but this house was in a terrace of houses with little to distinguish one from another. The woman approached the door and taking a key from her bag she quickly unlocked it and ushered Ruby ahead of her. Ruby had taken no more than a few steps into the place when she stopped dead in her tracks and stared about her in amazement. If she had been somewhat disappointed with the outside of the house, the inside certainly made up for it. She found herself in a spacious hallway with highly polished black and white tiles on the floor and flocked velvet wallpaper in a rich crimson colour on the walls. There were heavy gilt-framed mirrors and beautiful paintings spaced along the walls and doors leading off either side of it. But she didn’t have long to admire it for suddenly a door at the far end opened and a portly little woman with silver-grey hair bustled towards them.

‘Eeh, me wench, I’ve been that worried about you, so I have. What took the ti—’ Her voice trailed away as she caught sight of Ruby and for a moment she looked stunned but then, after looking her up and down, she stared at Mrs Bamber. ‘An’ who is this then?’

‘This is Ruby, Petty dear, and she’s going to be staying with us for a while. That’s all right, isn’t it?’

Ruby saw the older woman frown but she turned to her and said, ‘Go an’ wait in the kitchen for me, bab. I’ll not be a minute. You can get warm by the fire.’

Ruby had never heard an accent like Mrs Petty’s before and yet she had the strangest feeling that she had seen her before, but she nodded and went to do as she was told.