‘I don’t feel beholden!’ Jenny sighed in exasperation. ‘I stay because I want to. And if you think I’m going to leave you, then you’re very much mistaken. For some daft reason I’ve grown to love you –’

‘Are you two arguing?’ Glad walked into the front room.

‘She gets quite shirty,’ Ma said, wiping the moisture from her eyes. ‘Can’t understand it, she was such a timid little thing when she first come. Now look at her. I’m no longer boss in my own house – do this, Ma, do that, Ma, you’re not going to die, Ma. Must be the bleeding company she’s keeping!’

Ma cackled and Jenny felt like crying for joy. She hadn’t heard that wicked laugh for some time.

‘I see you’re feeling better,’ Glad said drily. ‘I’ve brought you a newspaper.’

‘Oh, ta. Jen can make me a nice cuppa and then read it to me.’

As Jenny took the paper from Glad, she raised her eyebrows. ‘And she thinks she’s no longer mistress of her own house?’

Glad winked and left with a huge smile on her face, obviously as relieved as Jenny to see and hear Ma back to her old self.

When the tea was made, Jenny sat opposite Ma and began to read the news out loud. A lot of the reports were about unemployment, quoting a figure of around two million and rising, with no prospect of economic recovery in sight. It was a depressing subject, and she moved on to the more light-hearted stories, stopping at a picture of a tall building.

‘What’s that?’ Ma craned to see the paper.

‘It’s called the Empire State Building in New York.’ Jenny read, ‘The concrete and glass building has 102 floors and stands at a height of 1,250 feet. It’s going to be officially opened on the first of May.’

‘Never!’ Ma exclaimed in disbelief. ‘How can they build something that tall? It’ll fall down!’

‘I’m sure it won’t.’ Jenny tried to picture what it would be like inside. ‘It’s called a skyscraper.’

‘You wouldn’t get me in it. It can’t be safe!’

‘I’d love to see it and go right to the top. I bet the views would be wonderful.’

‘Of course you would be interested. I keep forgetting that you’re half American.’ The corners of Ma’s mouth twitched. ‘Though with that posh English accent it’s not surprising I didn’t remember.’

Jenny nodded silently as memories of her father came flooding back.

Ma reached across and took Jenny’s hand in her own, obviously sensing her troubled thoughts. ‘Your Pa didn’t need to kill himself and leave a lovely daughter like you to fend for herself. We ain’t got nothing, but we manage, and he’d have recovered in time. Wonder why he did it.’