Olivia took a deep breath before telling them everything, from the moment she stepped off the train in Lime Street Station to the moment she got back on.

‘Bloody hell!’ breathed Josie. ‘I reckon your grandfather’s right, Liv, you want to cut that man out of your life like you would a cancer.’

Maude agreed. ‘I don’t understand. My father’s nothing like yours, and if that’s what money does to a person, then I think you’re better off without it.’

‘Me too,’ said Olivia. ‘I can’t think why Nana wants me to have anything to do with him, but she does.’ She glanced around the empty hut. ‘Where’s Beth?’

Maude and Josie exchanged glances.

Olivia gave them a questioning look. ‘What?’

‘As soon as you’d gone she applied to be transferred,’ said Josie.

‘Only she got turned down,’ Maude added hastily.

Olivia looked at them, surprised. ‘She asked to be moved? But why?’

‘That’s what we’ve been wondering,’ said Maude. She leaned forward conspiratorially. ‘She says she wants to go somewhere with a bit more life, so we’ve taken her on a couple of trips out to make her feel better, but she’s still insisting she wants to leave Shirehampton. Josie asked whether it was to do with that officer, and she said the officer was the straw that broke the camel’s back.’

A frown creased Olivia’s brow. ‘But that happened ages ago and she was acquitted, so why would she still want to leave?’

Josie looked at Maude who nodded approvingly.

‘We reckon it’s summat to do with Ralph,’ said Josie, ‘because whenever we mention his name, she rolls her eyes or gets up and leaves the room …’

‘And her face dropped when she heard you were back,’ Maude added.

‘Me?’ said Olivia, her voice full of astonishment. ‘What’ve I done?’

‘Nothing!’ said Josie. ‘As I said, we think it’s something to do with Ralph. Everyone knows how he keen he is on you, which is why I think she’s treating you the same as she does him.’

Olivia’s shoulders sagged as a thought occurred to her. ‘You don’t think he’s been mean to her again, do you? Only I remember the day they came back, and Beth was quieter than I thought she’d be, but Ralph was his usual self, quite upbeat, and I know how horrible he can be when he talks about women being free and easy. He might not have meant to have upset her, but you know what fellers can be like – speak first, think later!’