Ruby crawled onto the bed and curled into a foetal position and as the horror of her situation came home to her and all hope slipped away, she sobbed as if her heart would break.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five

‘I might as well turn this off now, it’s dry as a bone.’ Mrs B sighed as the light faded from the day. She had been keeping Ruby’s dinner warm over a pan of hot water on the range but it was beyond saving now.

‘She’ll be back when she’s good and ready,’ Hermione answered, pretending to concentrate on the newspaper, but she was beginning to feel a little worried too. She had never known Ruby to stay out so late before without telling them – although she was quite entitled to as she had pointed out to Mrs B earlier in the evening. It was now well after nine o’clock at night, almost her bedtime, although she knew she wouldn’t sleep a wink until she knew that Ruby was safely home.

Mrs B scraped the ruined dinner into the bin and stifled a yawn.

‘Why don’t you go up if you’re tired?’ Hermione suggested. ‘I can wait up for Ruby.’

Mrs B looked uncertain. ‘Are you sure?’

Hermione nodded. ‘Of course. Go on, there’s no point in both of us sitting down here.’

Mrs B nodded and after wishing Hermione goodnight she made her way upstairs.

As soon as she was gone Hermione laid the newspaper aside and crossing to the window that looked out onto the street, she twitched the lace curtain aside and peered up and down. The road was deserted, the street lights throwing small puddles of light onto the ground. It was then with a little shock that she realised how much the girl had come to mean to her. She had never married or had children of her own but she knew that had she been fortunate enough to have a daughter, she would have wished for one just like Ruby. The girl had had a hard life up until she had arrived on her doorstep and she had felt an instant affinity with her. She wasn’t sure why; she wasn’t a sentimental sort of person and yet something in Ruby had appealed to her maternal instinct. Since then their closeness had grown and now the thought of anything happening to her was terrifying. She admired the girl enormously. After all, how many would have gone through what she had in her young life and not have a chip on their shoulder? But rather than let her past grind her down, Ruby had fastidiously worked at her new career and Hermione knew without doubt that if she so wished, Ruby’s designs could take her a long way and her future would be secured. But where was she? She yawned and stretched. She was exhausted, but still she sat by the window waiting.

*