‘Stay here?’ Enid put the teapot down and looked closely at her. ‘What d’yer mean? Oh, you are in a state – what’s happened, bab?’

It was no good pretending and making up some excuse. Enid would find out sooner or later, and Katie was desperate for her help.

‘Mom’s told me not to come home. She’s, well, she’s thrown me out. Truth is, Enid’ – she lowered her head, her face burning with shame – ‘I’m . . . I’m expecting a baby.’

Enid sank onto the chair by the table.

‘You? You’re expecting . . . ?’ Seconds passed as she tried to absorb the shock of it, her mouth open. No – not you, Katie, surely not? A babby? You’re not that sort of girl!’

‘Well, it seems I am, doesn’t it?’ Katie retorted bitterly.

It took some time to convince Enid that she was sure, and Enid eventually said, ‘Oh, my word, Katie – I’d never, ever’ve thought it of you, the way you look so smart and nice and all your books and reading . . . Oh my goodness.’ She brought her hands up to her face. ‘You poor, poor thing.’ At last she remembered to attend to the teapot, her instinct immediately motherly and kind, despite her shock. ‘Have you had your tea? Are you hungry?’

‘Yes – no, I’m not hungry, thanks.’ Katie had been to a cafe and had sat eating a meagre mutton stew in a corner, glad to be somewhere where no one knew her. She hadn’t wanted to put Enid out any more than she had to. She knew Enid got into a tizzy easily.

Enid looked carefully at her, and Katie was full of gratitude. Now that she was getting over her shock – one of the many shocks life had thrown at her – Enid was squaring up to what needed to be done. And it was such a relief to tell someone who was kind and might help.

‘Whatever are you going to do, love? Who is he? Is he going to marry yer?’

Katie shook her head. ‘No. It doesn’t matter who he is. But he gave me money. And I’ll be able to work for quite a time yet. After that – I don’t know.’

She’d gone to Collinge’s that day, handed in her notice and walked into a job in a typing pool at another machine-tools firm, a job where she could be part of a crowd and not stand out. She already had good references from the Commercial School and didn’t stoop to ask for the glowing recommendations that Simon had promised. So far as she was concerned, she never wanted to set eyes on him again, the slimy bastard. She had to close the door on him. He was no help. He was nothing. As the day passed, she felt herself develop a hard shell of protection around herself. To her surprise, she wanted to wrap protection around the child. After all, it was all she had in the world now.