George turned abruptly and walked out, leaving her unfinished sentence hanging in the air. Sarah quickly locked up then hurried home, where she tucked the still wrapped jewellery in a drawer under her underwear. She didn’t feel relaxed about having the items in her home, but it would only be until Saturday when she had a day off and could go to see Jenny. She was grateful to George for returning them, and was determined that one day, somehow, she would pay him back the money he had paid her for them.

Tommy was coughing again. The thick pea-soupers that plagued London didn’t help his chest, and though she was constantly scrubbing the walls, she thought the mould added to the problem. Now that she was earning money regularly, Sarah had thought about moving into something nicer, but she enjoyed sharing the house with Mo and Samuel. Tommy’s best friend lived three doors down and she didn’t think he’d want to leave either, so though the room wasn’t ideal, she’d stay put, knowing that at least with the cheap rent she’d be able to save a bit each week to pay George back.

Later that evening, with Tommy tucked up in bed, Sarah picked up her book from the coffee table. She was going to read for half an hour before going to bed herself, but her eyes were tired and she was having difficulty focusing on the small print in the dim light of her table lamp. The street outside was quiet, and she couldn’t hear any noise from her upstairs neighbours. Then her peace was suddenly disturbed when the window shattered, and something landed on the floor with a loud thump.

Sarah stifled a scream and jumped from her chair. She looked at the shattered window, then her eyes followed the broken glass to a large brick.

‘You fucking slag,’ she heard a man’s voice shout from outside. She wanted to run to the window to see who had thrown the brick, but fear stopped her, and instead she checked on Tommy. He had stirred, but she was relieved to see him still asleep. Her heart was in her mouth when she heard a bang on her door and froze on the spot, unable to move.

‘Sarah, it’s me,’ she heard Mo say, and felt instant relief when she realised it wasn’t the man from outside. She dashed to the door, grateful to see her friend.

Mo walked in and looked stunned at the scene. ‘I’m so sorry, Sarah, it was my brother. I heard his voice. This was obviously meant for me. Are you both all right?’

Sarah was shaking and on the verge of tears. It had all happened so quickly and had been a shock. ‘Yes … Tommy slept through it. Bloody hell, it made me jump though. I can still feel my heart pounding.’