‘Your heart sounds fine, but it is a bit fast and your blood pressure is too high. Your nerves are in a bad way, Peggy,’ he said, as Peggy fastened her blouse. ‘Are you feeling OK back on your feet? Maybe I should just give you an internal and check those fibroids. Did you go back to the clinic? Are you bleeding heavily at your time of the month?’ he asked, wondering if bleeding from the fibroids had caused an anaemia that had brought on the faint.

‘I’m going to have them out, when I’ve got time,’ she said, trying to remember when exactly it was she had had her last period. ‘But I’ve no bleeding to speak of; the tablets they gave me worked a treat so there’s no need for an internal.’

Reassured, Dr Cole smiled. ‘Sit yourself down next to Kathleen,’ he said in a voice that was loaded with the sympathy he felt for all the women who lived around the docks and were married to underpaid stevedores.

‘I have a lot on my plate, doctor,’ said Peggy, as she flopped onto the chair, which creaked loudly in protest, ‘haven’t I, Kathleen?’

‘She has, you’ve no idea, Brendan – sorry, doctor,’ said Kathleen taking hold of Peggy’s trembling hand, and holding it tight.

Kathleen had been rolling pastry when Alice ran into the kitchen. ‘Oh, Holy Mother of God, what is it?’ Kathleen had asked as she flaked the pastry from her fingers and rubbed her hands on her apron.

‘Peggy must have been paying the rent and fainted in the dock administration offices. She’s outside in Mr Keeble’s car and he’ll take us to the doctor’s.’

Katheen slipped her arms into the coat Alice held out for her. ‘Paying her rent, today? She must have missed Mr Keeble when he called on Friday night. I’ve never said a word to anyone about the number of times we feed those kids, Alice, and Maggie Trott hasn’t either, because we know that if we’re feeding the kids, then Peggy is paying the rent to keep a roof over their heads which is what matters. Even Peggy isn’t stupid enough not to pay the rent. Right, I’ll go with her and you go and check on the kids. They’ll be up on the wasteland, so make sure Malachi isn’t beating the living daylights out of any of them.’

‘Kathleen, I’m supposed to be having my hair done…’

But Kathleen wasn’t listening. ‘I’ve kept all the fatty bits from the meat and the rind from the rashers for Scamp.’ They were already alongside the car. ‘Hello, Mr Keeble, thank you so much for this and for waiting, it’s very kind of you.’