Eyes bulging with fury, Queenie let rip. ‘Do you wanna know why I spend so much time with Mrs O’Leary? Well, I’ll tell ya. She’s more of a mother to me than you’ll ever be. It was Mary who bought me my first bra and menstrual pads, and explained to me about the birds and bees. What did you do, eh? Let me lils bounce up and down like some slag and let me think I was dying—’

‘Stop it!’ Viv screamed, putting her hands over her ears. ‘Please, both of you, just stop it,’ she sobbed.

Queenie gave her younger sister a hug. ‘Come on; let’s go out and get some fresh air.’

Molly Wade put her head in her hands. She could feel Queenie slipping away from her and in her bones she knew it was too late to bring her back.

Aunt Edna welcomed her nieces with open arms. And she wasn’t too shocked to learn the truth of what had been going on. She knew from past experience that Eric was an arsehole in drink and she knew Molly hadn’t been herself of late. However, she was furious to hear that Queenie and Viv had been lying awake night after night, listening to Eric force himself upon her beloved sister. That wasn’t on.

‘And Mum’s got bruises. Loads of ’em. She won’t even get undressed in front of us down the public baths,’ added Queenie. ‘She insists on bathing on her own since I asked her about them.’

‘You never told me that,’ Viv exclaimed.

‘Only because I didn’t want to worry ya. I know Dad drags his right leg like a cripple now and I do feel sorry for him for getting shot. But he shouldn’t take that out on Mum and us. He don’t even call Mum by her name, he calls her ‘Woman’. He ain’t got no time for me an’ Viv either, Aunt Edna. He’s ’orrible to us. Really ’orrible.’

Aunt Edna sat between the two girls who were like daughters to her and put a comforting arm around their shoulders. ‘Right, ’ere’s what’s going to happen. I’m gonna make you a sandwich and a cuppa, then I’m gonna visit your mum whilst youse stay ’ere. I shall pick up some bits for you, then tonight you can come to work with me, have a singalong. Walter in the Crown won’t mind. How’s that sound?’

Queenie hugged her wonderful aunt. ‘Does that mean we can stay ’ere the night?’

‘You can stay ’ere whenever you want, you know that.’

‘Thanks, Auntie Edna,’ said Viv.

Queenie smiled for the first time that day. ‘Love you, Aunt Edna.’

Edna’s eyes welled up. ‘And I love you two more than you’ll ever know. Right, off to see your muvver now. You leave her to me.’

The weeks that followed were good ones for Queenie, the best she’d had since returning home. Aunt Edna had worked her magic on her mother and she and Viv were temporarily living with her. She also got confirmation from Dr Parrott, via Mrs O’Leary, that she definitely wasn’t pregnant. To say that was a massive relief for Queenie was an understatement. Mrs O’Leary reckoned it was the trauma of what had happened that had stopped her from having any more periods since, but said they would return in due course.