Bridget was in the middle of telling her about a family that had been admitted to the workhouse the day before who had been riddled with nits, lice, ringworm, impetigo and fleas, the father crippled with arthritis and the five children bow-legged with rickets and barely able to walk, when she stopped abruptly, peering through the gathering gloom. ‘Is that Daisy?’ she said, as a figure stepped out of the shadows and came hurrying towards them.

Ruby’s stomach turned over and her heart began to race. It had been over eighteen months since the traumatic visit to the house near the docks, and in that time she had heard nothing from Ellie. Flo had told Bridget that she’d seen Ellie in the company of Daniel a couple of times and that she’d seemed all right, but aside from that, nothing. She had written several letters to Ellie, begging her to keep in touch, but after the fifth note had been ignored like the ones before it Ruby had conceded defeat. Ellie knew where she was. Hopefully, if things became too unbearable with Daniel, Ellie would seek refuge with her.

Ellie had to come to the point herself where she felt staying with Daniel Bell was worse than the possible repercussions if she left him. It had been Edward who had said that, and Ruby could see it made sense. It said a lot for both Clarissa and Edward’s persistence that Ruby now counted them as friends, but Clarissa had been determined from day one not to let the social gulf that Ruby pointed out time and time again come between them. Edward had followed his sister’s lead in using a steady drip-drip approach to overcome Ruby’s misgivings about their acquaintance, and had put himself forward in the guise of simply a friend. As such, Ruby accepted his presence in her life. And when his frustration at the role he was playing became too much, he would tell himself that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

‘Daisy?’ As the other girl reached them, Ruby stared at her. The girl she remembered seeing on Daniel’s landing that day had been young and, if not exactly pretty, had had a certain attractive pertness to her. Now Daisy looked scared to death and the air of jauntiness was gone. ‘What is it? Is Ellie all right?’

‘No. It’s about her I’ve come. I can’t be long. Dan’d kill me if he knew I was here and I’ve got to be there when he gets back to the house, but Howard an’ me are worried she’ll—’ She broke off, and with a little sob, said, ‘She’s bad, real bad.’

‘Bad?’ said Ruby and Bridget in unison.