Her thoughts were broken when she saw something fall from the sky and heard it crack on a rock. Then a large seagull swooped down and picked it up with its beak before flying off again. Curious, Sarah carefully walked across the mud and shingle to the rock where it had landed. She looked around and found an empty mussel shell. ‘Well, I never,’ she said out loud as she realised the gull must have dropped the mussel onto the rock to crack open the shell to eat the creature inside. She’d never given it much thought before, but she’d seen stalls outside some of the pubs selling cockles and mussels, and wondered if they were fished from the Thames. She wasn’t having much luck finding anything else of value, but now she wondered if she was looking for the wrong sort of treasure.

She picked up the shell, and began to amble back towards the steps while her mind drifted into daydreams of the feasibility of becoming a fisherwoman, if only for a while until she secured a proper job. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something glimmering that instantly caught her attention. She looked down and saw a red object poking out of the mud. She bent down and pulled it from the dark gloop, then wiped it on the underside of her skirt. As the mud came away, her heart soared when she saw she was holding a gold ring set with a large ruby. This couldn’t be happening again, she thought in disbelief, and quickly shoved the ring into her coat pocket.

Feeling happier, she dashed back towards the steps, intent on getting to the market as soon as possible. She felt sure that George would have no problem selling the ring, and the money she would earn from the sale would keep them going until she could start work in the shop with his mum.

Once she reached the top step, Sarah stopped for a moment to catch her breath. Still in shock, she shook her head and looked to the skies. Thank you, Mr Sayers, she said in her head. Someone must be looking out for her, and she doubted it was her mother.

‘Sarah, fancy seeing you here again!’

Sarah almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of Jenny’s voice. She’d been so busy thinking that she hadn’t seen her friend on the bridge. ‘Oh, hi, Jenny. Are you on your way to work?’

‘Yes, but I think it might be my last day.’

‘Why is that?’ Sarah asked. She could see the disappointment in her friend’s eyes so was curious to know the reason Jenny would be leaving her job.