Mrs Petty glanced nervously towards the door to make sure they were alone before saying quietly, ‘She came from a very well-to-do family who live not a million miles away from where we’re sittin’ right now – not that they ever acknowledge her. An’ then somethin’ happened an’ they disowned her. She could have died for all they cared, poor ducks. So from then on, she had to make her way as best she could. Trouble was she’d been brought up as a lady an’ her family expected her to make a good marriage so she wasn’t trained to do anything. Luckily, she had a small inheritance that her grandmother left her and she moved in here. I’ve lived here with her ever since.’ Mrs Petty suddenly sat up straighter and her expression hardened as if she regretted what she had just said, but Ruby was more curious than ever now.

‘So what exactly did happen to her?’ Ruby persisted.

‘Nothin’ that you need to know about.’ Mrs Petty stood up and lifting the cups she carried them to the sink and began to wash them.

‘So have you been with her for a long time?’

Mrs Petty shrugged. ‘Oh, it must be for about fifteen or sixteen years or so now.’

Ruby bit her lip as her mind whirled. That would tie in with the time she had been born so could she have been right? Could it be possible that Maddie was her true mother? But somehow, she sensed that Mrs Petty was not going to tell her a lot more about Maddie this evening. It was obvious that she regretted telling her what she had.

‘And what about Nell?’ She carefully changed the subject. ‘Has she lived here for long?’

Mrs Petty scowled at her. ‘What’s all these questions, eh? You’re a right little nosy parker, but if you must know, Nell has been here for about five years or so now. Trouble is she’d got too big for . . .’ She clamped her lips shut again as she realised that she had been about to confide yet more information. Ruby would find out what was expected of her when Maddie was good and ready to tell her herself, it wasn’t her place to do so. ‘Look, it’s gettin’ late. Why don’t you get yerself off to bed?’ she suggested and sensing that the conversation was now well and truly at an end Ruby did as she was told.

*

Maddie went out the next morning and when she came home, she found Nell waiting for her and they both disappeared into the drawing room, closing the door firmly behind them.

It was after lunch when Maddie told Ruby, ‘I need to speak to you, dear. I have another little job I want you to do for me.’