Briony, watching the proceedings, felt her heart sink down to her boots. Trust her father to botch it up with a drink in him. He was actually believing what he was saying now. Briony was cute enough to know that her father would sell his grandmother if he thought he could get money for her. Getting up from the table, she went to her mother.

‘I’ll go to Mr Dumas, Ma. Think what you could do with three pounds a week. I wouldn’t mind what I had to do. And ... and our Eileen would be back home like.’

Molly put her hand on to Briony’s head. ‘This family has been shamed enough, child.’

Briony started gabbling: ‘But, Mum, you don’t understand. I don’t mind going... Really I don’t! I think I’d be good at it, what Mr Dumas wants like, and the girls can carry on at school, and you can get the drum in Oxlow Lane, and Mr Dumas said last night...’

Molly gripped Briony’s ear hard and cracked the wooden spoon over her head.

‘What did Mr Dumas say last night, child? Come on then, enlighten us.’

Briony was aware she had made a fatal error and looked at her father, her eyes beseeching him to help her.

Molly twisted her ear and Briony screamed out: ‘He said that he liked me, Ma, that I could take over from Eileen because she hated it there. That I could earn more money because I was a bit more lively like.’

Molly threw her from her across the dirt floor. Briony lay still staring up at her mother. Whatever happened, she was going to Mr Dumas tonight.

‘My God, you want to go, don’t you? You actually want to go. You know exactly what you’re letting yourself in for and you want to go.’ Molly’s voice was incredulous.

Briony stood up. Facing her mother full on, she shouted at her: ‘Well, Eileen went and she didn’t want to go but you still took the two quid every week! I want to go. I can’t wait to go, and get nice clobber and decent food and sleep in a proper bedroom. I bleeding well happen to like Mr Dumas, and nothing he could do to me can be any worse than being cold and hungry and dirty and poor!’

The room was deathly silent and Briony was frightened by her own outburst, but her mother was not stopping her from going to that house tonight. She was determined. She wanted some of what Mr Dumas had on offer. She wanted regular food and warmth, and if that meant she had to touch Mr Dumas and he had to touch her, then that was fine as far as she was concerned.

‘If the child wants to go, let her.’