She walked unannounced into the large main lounge and surveyed the room and the girls in it while she pulled off her gloves. The room had once been beautiful, if overdone. The crystal chandeliers were now hung with cobwebs, and the floor covering was bare in places. Around the room were girls and women, smoking and chatting. They glanced at her and resumed their talking. Briony breathed in the foetid stench of unwashed bodies and lavender water. Nellie’s establishment had gone down even further than she had anticipated. The girls sprawled around this room would have been long gone from one of her own houses. She guessed they were lice-ridden and shuddered inwardly.

‘Where can I find Nellie?’ Her voice was loud and all the girls turned to face her with raised eyebrows.

‘You a new girl?’ This from a thin whore with non-existent breasts.

All the occupants of the room were taking in Briony’s pale green dress and coat and costing it in their minds.

‘What’s your name, girl?’ Briony’s voice travelled across the room and hit the skinny one full on.

‘You what?’ The voice was belligerent now.

‘I said, what’s your name? Not too difficult a question, is it? I presume you know the answer.’

The others laughed and this put the girl in a terrible dilemma. She either fronted the red-headed cow in front of her, who though small looked like she could handle herself, or she answered the question and lost face in front of her friends.

‘I’m Jinny Collins. And who are you?’ It was said without any respect whatsoever and Jinny was pleased with herself. She had answered the question and asked one. To Jinny this showed considerable wit.

Briony let her eyes travel the length of the girl’s body before she said: ‘I am Briony Cavanagh, and you, Jinny Collins, had better start talking to me with a bit of respect!’

Briony nearly smiled at the different expressions on the girls’ faces. They ranged from fear to a healthy curiosity which she noted with pleasure.

‘I am here to see Nellie, and one thing I’ll say to all you girls before one of you kindly shows me where she is, is this. You stink! All of you stink, and you’re lousy. You’re also ignorant. I could have been anyone coming in here, and you let me. If one of my girls did that, I’d scalp the bitch. My advice to you lot if you want to carry on working here is this: get washed and get your miserable little lives sorted.’ She pointed to the skinny girl.

‘You, Jinny, show me where I can find Nellie. Now!’

She practically jumped from her seat.

‘Yes, miss.’