‘Mother,’ Matt said, shocked, ‘you haven’t roped Jenny in to scrub, have you?’

‘We are paying her and she’s only too happy to do any kind of work.’ She gave her son a sad look. ‘You must forget how she started life. She’s one of the unemployed now, with an elderly woman to care for. All she asks for is the chance to earn some honest money.’

‘I guess so.’ He walked to the end of the passage and opened the cloakroom door. Jenny was kneeling down, scrubbing away at a particularly nasty stain on the wall.

‘Wouldn’t it be easier to slap a coat of whitewash on that?’ he suggested.

Jenny looked up, blowing a strand of dark hair out of her eyes. ‘We’ve got to save as much money as possible. It’ll look fine when we’ve finished.’

The other girl was giving him an uncertain look and fiddling with the brush she was holding in her hands, allowing the soapy water to drip unnoticed down her skirt.

‘Ivy, this is Matthew.’

‘Pleased to meet you, sir.’

Matt looked at the pair with a smile on his face. They were wearing clothes so old they were torn and threadbare in places, their hair was in disarray and their faces pink with exertion, but they appeared to be perfectly happy with their task. He realized his mother was right: they were grateful for any job, and didn’t give a damn what it was as long as they could earn a little money. Some girls were turning to prostitution, but he knew instinctively that these two would rather starve than sink to that level. Since her father’s death, Jenny had joined the working classes, and, like her friends, she still had standards and a certain amount of pride. In common with the vast majority caught up in this terrible depression, they were honest, hard-working people …

‘Matt!’ his mother called.

He smiled apologetically at having to leave suddenly, though in truth he would have loved to stay longer and talk to them. ‘I mustn’t keep you from your work.’ Closing the door, he returned to the kitchen.

‘Ah, there you are. Will you tell your father I might be late? Ask cook to delay our dinner for one hour, please.’

‘All right.’ He kissed her cheek. ‘I can see you have everything under control, so I’d better get back to work.’

When Matt arrived at the garage, everyone was clustered around the Rolls-Royce, now sitting proudly on their forecourt.

Jake slapped him on the back and beamed. ‘Well done, lad. Harry told me you’d sussed out the situation with Greaves. We’re going to make a fine profit on this deal.’

‘Harry’s a tough negotiator.’ Matt winked at his friend. ‘It’s a talent he’s kept well hidden.’