‘Open this damn door. You hear me, Ellie. You open it right now or I’ll flay you alive.’

‘It’s him.’ Ellie’s face was chalk white and her eyes were wide with terror, like those of a trapped animal. ‘You should never have come, he’ll blame me.’

The thumping came again. He must be using both his fists, Ruby thought, as the door rattled and groaned on its hinges.

‘I’ll break it down, you hear me?’

There followed a spate of such vile obscenities that Ruby’s face screwed up against them. When he paused to take breath, she swallowed deeply and willed her voice to be steady and strong. ‘Mr Bell? This is Ruby Morgan, Ellie’s friend.’

There was silence for a split second and then his voice came deep, like a growl. ‘Aye, I know who you are, all right.’

‘Then you will understand why I came to visit Ellie.’ There was no point in beating about the bush. ‘I came to beg her to come back home with me but she didn’t know I was coming. This is all down to me, Mr Bell.’

‘I don’t doubt that for a second, Miss Morgan.’ His voice was scathingly mocking now, with a dark edge of intimidation. ‘And I suggest you get the hell out of my house and take them two trollops downstairs with you.’

As he finished speaking Ruby heard Flo call, ‘We’re here, lass, don’t fret, and I’ve told him we’re going nowhere without you.’

‘Ellie, please.’ She had to try once more, because one thing was for sure, she would never be able to come back here, not after this. ‘Please come away with me now.’

Ellie bowed her head, drawing her bottom lip into her mouth. It was a habit of hers in moments of deep distress and one Ruby recognized from old. After beatings from her father or some other trauma it was as if Ellie was trying to make herself as small as possible, to shut the world out. ‘I can’t,’ she said after a moment.

There was a finality in the two words Ruby couldn’t fail to be aware of. ‘Ellie, I’ll go now but you know where I am and any time, any time at all you can come to me. Everything I’ve said holds true. We’ll disappear, do anything, all right? I mean it.’ Ellie didn’t raise her head or look at her, and as Daniel banged on the door again, Ruby said, ‘I love you, lass. You know that, don’t you? You’ve always been like a sister to me, a proper sister, not like Olive. I’ll do anything for you.’

Ellie took in a shuddering breath. ‘Then go now. Go, Ruby.’