The three of them parted company at the tram stop. Bridget and Flo had arranged to meet the rest of the crowd they hung about with and they invited Ruby along, ‘to take you out of yourself’ as Bridget put it. But all Ruby wanted to do was to get back to her lodgings. She felt as desolate as when she’d found out about Adam and Olive, but, as she told herself as the tram rattled along, she’d had Ellie then . . .

‘I didn’t know she was coming.’ As Daniel closed the bedroom door and stood staring at her, Ellie was frozen with fear. ‘I swear it, I had no idea. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I haven’t seen her since I came here, you know that. I wouldn’t, Daniel.’

He continued to stare at her, enjoying the scent of her fear. Without speaking he crooked his finger, beckoning her forward, and when she was standing trembling in front of him he raised his eyebrows. ‘That the truth, Ellie?’

‘Yes, aye, I swear it.’

‘Then you’ve nowt to worry about.’

‘You – you believe me?’

‘You might be stupid, Ellie –’ he paused, then lifted her chin with one finger – ‘you know you’re stupid, right?’ and at her nod he smiled. ‘But stupid as you are, I don’t think you’re dim enough to go against what I’ve told you. Bad things happen to people who do that as I’ve told you before, but we won’t go into that now.’

‘No, Daniel.’

‘And although you’re none too bright and nowt to look at, I love you, don’t I?’

She nodded.

‘And I look after you, don’t I?’

She nodded again.

‘Aye, that’s right. But for me you’d still be slaving away in that workhouse laundry but now you have this nice comfortable room and plenty to eat and drink, and we have fun, you an’ me. I took you to the picture theatre in Westgate Road the other day, didn’t I? You enjoyed that.’

Ellie stared at him. They’d left the theatre to go to a pub where Daniel had arranged to meet some ‘pals’, and these same pals had subjected her to two hours of rape and buggery in a room upstairs. She had found it difficult to walk or sit down for days afterwards, but when she’d cried and said she couldn’t accommodate any customers for a while, he had drugged her and still let men come to the house. She said none of this, however, merely bowing her head and drawing her lip between her teeth.

‘Look at me when I’m talking to you. Did you enjoy it?’

Her head shot up at his changed tone and she gabbled, ‘Yes, aye, I did.’

‘Aye.’ He softened his voice again. ‘That’s a good girl.’