Hardly able to believe what she was hearing, Olivia turned to Maude. ‘It’s him, Maude, and he did it. You thought he might and you were right, only he didn’t want to be traced, so he left her, like a sack of spuds, just lying …’ She paused. Something that Bonnie had said was troubling her, but she couldn’t think what. She ran the younger girl’s words through her head before looking up sharply. ‘You said his were the only footprints in the snow?’

‘Yes, that’s how Mum had him bang to rights.’

‘Please tell me he didn’t leave her in the snow?’ asked Olivia, her tone incredulous.

‘I’m afraid so. If my mother hadn’t found her …’ Bonnie didn’t feel it necessary to finish her sentence.

‘So, what happened to her?’ Olivia’s mind raced as she tried to come to terms with what she had just learned.

Bonnie brightened. ‘She’s fine. Not only did she survive, but she didn’t go to Brownhill. She ran away the night before they were due to send her.’

Olivia was reeling. Whilst she was pleased her daughter had managed to run away, how bad had things got that this seemed the only viable option? ‘Well, I’m glad she escaped, but I don’t know where she is, which means I’m no better off than I was …’ She was looking at Bonnie, whose face was being split in two by a slow smile. ‘Surely not …’

Bonnie nodded, her cheeks tingeing pink. ‘I’m afraid I butted heads with your daughter quite often when she was at Greystones, and even though I know it was my fault, I’m still rather ashamed of the fact.’

‘Do you know where she is?’ said Olivia, struggling to hold on to her patience.

Bonnie nodded. ‘I do, or at least I can find out where her boyfriend’s stationed.’

Olivia clasped Maude’s hand. ‘What’s her name?’

‘Jessica Wilson, Jess for short,’ said Bonnie, eager to help. ‘To cut a long story short, I discovered Jess and Ruby – that’s her best pal – were in the NAAFI, when the corporal in my battery …’ She paused. ‘I think it’s best I start at the beginning.’

Bonnie explained how she had blamed Jess for a lot of her unhappiness in Greystones. ‘If her father hadn’t left that money, Mam would never have been accused of trying to steal it. Ancrum was rotten to her after that, and I blamed Jess. I thought I’d seen the last of her until I came across a letter belonging to Corporal Tom Durning – he was in charge of our battery – from his girlfriend Jess Wilson. It didn’t take me long to work out it was the same Jess. I was jealous that she’d made a new life for herself, whilst me and Mam had been kicked out, so I’m afraid I did something rather childish. I reported Jess and her pals for joining up under age. I don’t know what I was hoping to achieve, but it caused a lot of trouble.’