‘Nice to meet you,’ Agnieska said back, then put her hand over her mouth and gave a little laugh at herself, which Katie found infectious. Then she saw Michael. ‘Your boy?’ she asked Katie, who nodded. ‘Ah – hello!’

‘And this is Miss Routh,’ Marek went on. Sybil had come limping through from the back, and the greetings were repeated.

‘Welcome to Birmingham,’ Sybil said. ‘We hope you will be comfortable here. Has your brother explained that your room is next door?’

Agnieska, at a loss, looked to Marek and he translated.

‘Oh!’ She lit up. ‘Yes – thank you!’

‘Maybe,’ Marek said, ‘we go round there now, to meet them.’

‘Oh, have a cup of tea first,’ Sybil said, turning towards the kitchen again. ‘You must both be frozen, and there’s no hurry, is there? Now do tell me: does she mind dogs?’

‘Dog?’ Agnieska wrinkled her nose.

‘Ah,’ Sybil said. ‘Well, not to worry. Once Archie’s been introduced, he’ll just ignore you.’

The Arbuckles were delighted to have Agnieska in their house. Marek said she had a nice little room looking out over the garden, with a cheerful pair of butter-yellow curtains. Agnieska found the mother and daughter a bit confusing at first, because she couldn’t understand a word they were saying. They tried talking louder to compensate, but it didn’t help. Marek and Piotr went round quite frequently that week to translate, which made the Arbuckles even happier.

‘I was asking her, DOES SHE LIKE EGGS?’ Edna enquired at full volume.

‘Do you like eggs?’ Marek asked her in Polish.

‘Yes,’ Agnieska replied. ‘But why is she shouting? Have I done something wrong?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t think so. Just answer the question.’

‘Yes – I like eggs. You know I do.’

‘WHAT ABOUT BACON?’

‘Yes – this I like too.’

‘ONLY WE WEREN’T SURE IF SHE WAS JEWISH?’

‘Why does she think I’m Jewish? Yes, I like these things – but please tell her she does not need to shout . . .’

And so it went on. It was going to take time for everyone to get used to each other, and for Agnieska’s English to develop.

‘She’s very thin,’ they said to Marek, frowning in concern. ‘She’ll need feeding up.’

‘Yes, but she has to eat small, small meals,’ he explained. ‘Her health is better, but there is still a little problem with digestion . . .’

Or, as Sybil pointed out, to the Arbuckles, best not overdo the suet puddings.

‘Oh dear,’ they said. ‘Oh dear – we must be very careful.’

And careful they were. They treated Agnieska as if she was a delicate china doll, cooking little meals, checking on her health.

‘They are very kind,’ she reported, when she was round at Sybil’s.

‘Yes,’ Sybil agreed, ‘I believe they are, bless their hearts.’