Sarah was pleased that George had explained the numbers to her, and she thought it seemed more than reasonable. ‘That sounds fair to me. Thing is though, George, I really need the money, so how quickly do you think you can sell it?’

‘I can’t make any promises, but I’ll give it my best shot and hopefully I’ll soon make a sale. Come on, let’s get back to my stall and you can help me work out the best way to display it.’

Sarah walked through the market with renewed vigour and self-esteem. She wasn’t a beggar or homeless, she was a businesswoman. Once she had the money from the sale, she’d find some half-decent furniture for their new home, and then set her mind on a plan to keep the cash coming in.

Then a light-bulb seemed to switch on in her head. If the watch sold for good money, maybe she could use some of it to buy stock for George to sell on commission. Yes, that could work, she thought, and remembered her mother’s warnings about keeping her legs shut. Whatever the future held, she knew she’d never sell her body like her mother did.

Chapter 12

The next morning, George was washed, dressed and ready to leave for work. As he ran down the stairs in the house he shared with his mother, he had a definite spring in his step. He knew Sarah would be coming by his stall today to see if the watch had been sold.

‘Morning, love,’ Lena said as George came into the modern kitchen. ‘There’s tea in the pot.’

‘Morning, Mum. Thanks, I’d love one,’ George replied as he sat opposite his mother at the kitchen table. He thought she looked very trendy in her close-fitting cream-coloured dress with her brown hair styled in mid-length waves. She’d always looked younger than her years, and didn’t have a grey strand on her head. Her smooth skin veiled her real age, and though she was over fifty, she could quite easily be mistaken for a woman in her early forties.

Lena poured a cup from the teapot. ‘What are you so happy about? You look like the cat that’s got the cream,’ she asked, as she eyed her son suspiciously.

‘Nothing. It’s just a nice sunny morning and I’ve got a feeling today is going to be a good day,’ George answered, taking a swig of his tea.

‘So how come you’re wearing your best shirt?’

George would have liked to have said to his mother that he’d met a beautiful girl and had fallen in love, but as Sarah had turned him down, there was nothing to tell. However, as his mother always said, he was the eternal optimist and he hadn’t given up hope yet. ‘Leave it out, will you? Can’t a fellow look good without getting interrogated?’