Peggy couldn’t reply; she could not share her secret or her shame. She looked at their faces, their worried frowns; she couldn’t tell them about the letter. It was the final humiliation. No one had ever been evicted on Nelson Street, but then, no one else had dirty nets or a fat lazy oaf for a husband who lay in his bed all day long, inventing any excuse not to work. The faces of the women she had known almost all of her life appeared distant to Peggy. She could have told Maura – she could tell Maura anything – but not Kathleen who would be disappointed with her. Not Deirdre – she would be straight down to Cindy’s and have it all over the street – and not Maggie, she would expect it.

‘Is Biddy coming?’ she asked and her voice sounded light, strange, even to her. She could tell Biddy who was kind and wise as Kathleen.

Maggie Trott was the first to answer her. ‘I doubt it. I saw her nipping into the betting shop on the parade with Ena not ten minutes since. Come on, Peggy, it’s not that bad. We will put that one in her place as soon as she arrives, won’t we, Kathleen? And anyway, how can she be moving into Maura’s? Maura has the rent book and she said she would keep it going for a year in case Tommy has made a mistake.’

Deirdre sniffed as she picked up her teacup. ‘All right for some, isn’t it? I’m surprised Maura doesn’t keep a set of rooms in the Grand Hotel and let a family who needs that house have it. I mean, she’s that la di da now since they came into money.’

Kathleen pulled out a kitchen chair and sat herself down. ‘Hush your mouth, Deirdre, you have no idea how much money Maura and Tommy have or what their plans are. Peggy, sit down again; eat your toast and stop your worrying, we will sort this.’

‘Is there no toast in your own house?’ asked Deirdre, who was silenced by an icy glare from Kathleen.

‘Come on Peggy, we’ll have a gas,’ said Maggie, but Peggy shook her head. ‘I’m all right now, and I have the copper on,’ she said and walked out of the back door, leaving them all open-mouthed. They all knew that was a lie, because Peggy had her washing line full on Monday, along with the rest of them, and Peggy just about remembered to do the wash then. She would never do one twice in a week.

*