Kathleen tutted. ‘We’re just going to walk along here and see if we can find her; Alice can hear a dog barking.’

‘Be careful,’ said Blinks, ‘it’s dark now. You only have the moon and that suits us, but don’t you go slipping. Watch out for the ropes.’

‘I will,’ said Kathleen. ‘I can’t swim, but who can?’

Blinks laughed. ‘Me! So good job I can then – I’ll dive in and pull you out if I have to.’

Kathleen and Alice hurried along the dock edge, following the sound of the barking.

‘Look, there she is!’ Alice exclaimed and from the light of the moon on the water, they could see Peggy sitting on the edge, Scamp dragging her backwards by her cardigan, barking between tugs.

‘Alice, go back and fetch Blinks,’ said Kathleen. ‘Go on! I’ll go to Peggy but we will need his help. And tell him to bring one of those trolleys he uses for unloading.’

Alice turned and ran back to the Morry as Kathleen edged closer to Peggy. ‘Peggy love, what are you doing there?’ she asked.

Peggy didn’t answer Kathleen; she appeared to be unaware that she was even there.

‘Peggy, Peggy love…’ Kathleen stepped closer and this time Peggy turned.

‘Go away, Kathleen,’ she said. ‘Leave me alone.’ She was shaking violently and her teeth chattered as she spoke.

‘I can’t do that, Peggy, I’ve got to take you back up – the kids need you and even that lazy oaf of a husband of yours needs you too.’

As Kathleen drew nearer she was stunned to see that Peggy’s feet were in the Mersey and that she was sitting on the very edge of the dock, inches away from the water. It would take just one move, one lunge, and she would be in. One of her slippers floated on the surface of the water while the other had sunk and was visible just below the waterline. Kathleen’s heart beat hard against her chest wall as she edged closer until she was behind Peggy, intending to hold on to the back of her blouse and thinking to herself, what use would that be?

Peggy was rambling incoherently; Kathleen tried again. ‘Peggy, Peggy love, come on, what are you doing down here? Little Paddy says your chips are cold and we’ve Maura and Tommy home. I’ll open a bottle of the Golden Knight sherry to celebrate – you love a glass of that, don’t you? Come on now, lift your legs up out of that water and let’s go and see Maura.’

Bending as best she could, Kathleen placed a hand on one shoulder and with her other grabbed a handful of fabric. This would be her leverage, all she had to help her if Peggy should slip over the edge – and if she wasn’t careful, take Kathleen with her into the Mersey.