‘Ellie, I don’t mean to be rude, but your da is one of the men I mentioned who’s as thick as two short planks.’

‘That’s true.’

‘Think for yourself, lass.’

Ellie had grinned. ‘Aye, all right, I will, but I tell you now them sort of meetings aren’t for me, Ruby. To be honest I don’t care about the vote, and if I could vote now I wouldn’t know who to vote for. I’m not like you, am I. If I’m going to read anything, I’d rather it be The People’s Friend or My Weekly, something like that, and preferably with a nice box of chocolates at the side of me.’

Ruby had had to smile. This was Ellie thinking for herself and so she couldn’t argue. If her friend wasn’t interested in suffrage, so be it. Everyone was different; her mam had used to say it was what made the world go round. And there the conversation had ended.

Ruby sighed heavily as she remembered how she and Ellie had walked home arm in arm that day; it seemed a lifetime ago now. What she hadn’t fully appreciated back then was just how vulnerable her friend was. It wasn’t that she wanted or expected Ellie to think or behave in the way she did, she just wanted her to be happy and contented and adored by the man she had given her heart to. And there had been no sign of that with Daniel Bell.

Ellie had been right in one thing she had said that day, Ruby thought now. Women’s brains did work differently to men’s and so did their hearts. For momentary satisfaction Adam had taken Olive, even though he didn’t even like her sister. That side of the male sex was beyond her understanding. And if Adam could do that, what was Daniel Bell capable of? Of a sudden she decided she would try and find out the number of the house where Ellie was living and go and see her to make sure she was all right, even if it meant facing Daniel and braving his hostility. Once she knew Ellie was happy, she wouldn’t bother them again. But she couldn’t leave things the way they were.

It was a beautiful day and as she reached the outskirts of the park, the sweet scent of trees and ornamental flower beds was a welcome contrast to the terraced streets. The deep-blue sky was flecked with fluffy white clouds and the August sun was hot on her face as she made her way towards the bandstand in the distance. A large crowd had already gathered, mostly women but with a few men dotted here and there, and children were playing on the grass. She saw some faces she recognized from the local meetings she attended, but there were lots of new ones too.