‘Thanks, Mrs Horlock, she’ll be very grateful to you.’

The woman waved her hand at Briony. ‘’Tis nothing. There’s a screw of tea on the table to go in and some sugar and butter.’

Briony put these in the hamper and then went to the housekeeper and hugged her, pushing her face, straw hat and all, into the floury-smelling apron. Mrs Horlock looked down on the flame-coloured hair that spiralled out under the hat and felt a rush of affection for the child. She hugged her back.

Mother Jones was ensconced by her fire with Rosalee on her lap. She stroked the downy hair and shook her head. This was a child meant for the angels if ever she saw one. Abel watched her and smiled.

‘Poor little thing. Must be hard for that Molly like, Mum. Having one like her. She’ll never be able to earn.’

Mother Jones sniffed. ‘No, true, but she’ll never leave home either, so she’ll never be lonely if she loses her man.’

Abel nodded and looked towards the dividing wall. He had taken a fancy to Molly Cavanagh.

On the other side of the wall, she was busy scrubbing the floor and watching Bernadette and Kerry at their task of cleaning the windows. She had eaten two slices of bread pudding and drunk two cups of hot sweet black tea and it had fortified her for the job in hand. Mother Jones had sent Abel in to show her how to get the fire going in the range, and now she had steaming hot water as often as she wanted it. This thrilled her to bits, though coal was being burnt like nobody’s business. Still, it was only for today.

‘Mum, our Briony’s arrived in a cab!’

Molly sighed and opened the front door. Briony got out of the cab and the driver took down a small hamper and placed it beside her on the dirt road. Molly watched her pay the man and gritted her teeth. As the horse set off, clip-clopping down the lane, Molly walked out of the cottage.

‘Hello, Mum. Mrs Horlock sent you a hamper, to help you get settled like.’

Briony’s voice was wary as she spoke and Molly felt a moment’s sorrow for her coldness towards the child.

‘Come away in, Briony, it’s freezing out here.’

She smiled and followed her mother inside the cottage. Kerry and Bernadette crowded around her as she opened the hamper and showed them what was inside.

‘Where’s Rosalee then?’

‘Oh, she’s with the lady next-door. She’s really nice and gave us bread pudding and a cup of char, and her house smells really funny and she ain’t got no teeth...’

‘Shut up now, Kerry.’

Briony laughed. Trust Kerry to go too far!

She took off her coat and hat, rolled up her sleeves and, taking the chamois leather from Kerry, set about the windows.