‘You silly sod, fancy not asking her out! She was a looker, that’s for sure,’ Roger said, then tossed a potato over to George as he added, ‘That’s you that is, a proper spud head.’

George caught the potato and laughed. Yes, when it came to women, Roger was right, he was a spud head, though he’d never heard anyone being called it before.

Sarah held Tommy’s hand as she marched determinedly to the local shop. She knew they had a notice board where people would pay a small weekly amount to advertise on a card, and she was hoping to find a cheap room to rent.

‘Are we going to see George today?’ Tommy asked.

‘Not today.’

‘Ow, why not?’ he said, sounding disappointed.

‘Because it’s more important to find somewhere to live,’ Sarah answered, though she was reluctant to spend her money before she knew when more would be coming in.

‘Are we going to live in a proper house then?’

‘I hope so, let’s see,’ Sarah answered as they arrived at the shop. ‘Wait here, I won’t be long.’ She knew there would be an array of sweets displayed in jars behind the counter, so, to avoid temptation, she thought it best to go in alone.

‘Good morning, Miss,’ the shopkeeper chirped, but Sarah noticed he hardly lifted his eyes from the magazine he was reading.

‘Good morning. Is it OK if I have a quick look at your notices?’

‘Yes, of course, just don’t go unpinning any off the board. You’d be amazed at the number of people who see something they fancy and take the card with them.’

‘I won’t, but do you have a pen and paper I could use?’

The shopkeeper looked up from his magazine and eyed her up and down. She knew she looked a mess, but she hoped her blue coat covered her scruffy clothes.

‘Here you go,’ he said, and took a pencil from behind his ear, handing it to her with a scrap of paper. ‘I shall want my pencil back when you’re done.’

Sarah thanked the man and scanned the notice board. There were plenty of adverts for rooms and flats, but most were too expensive. Then she spotted one that looked affordable. A ground-floor room in a shared house. It was unfurnished but at least it would be shelter from the cold, wet nights. She quickly scribbled down the telephone number before thanking the shopkeeper and returning his pencil.

The bell above the shop door rang as Sarah opened it to leave, but once outside, her stomach flipped as she realised her brother was nowhere to be seen. ‘Tommy,’ she frantically called, ‘Tommy …’ Her eyes darted up and down the deserted street, and she began to panic. It wasn’t like him to wander off alone, and she wondered what could have happened to him.