The next day at the market was busy, and Bet was well pleased with the takings, so she gave Jenny six shillings. Jenny didn’t feel guilty about taking the money because she’d worked hard for it, and she was going to put it to good use. She ran along to the toy stall and caught Ted as he was packing up; she spent her earnings for the day on toys. Ted promised to have them wrapped and delivered to the centre in time for the party. She would do the same tomorrow and the next day until she had bought enough presents for all the children.

On arriving home, she found the three brothers waiting for her, stamping their feet trying to keep warm.

‘Come in, please.’ The fire was ready to light, and she put a match to it straight away. ‘I’m sorry it’s cold in here, but it will soon warm up.’

Matthew smiled. ‘Don’t worry about that, Jen. Luke and John have some business to discuss with you. I’ll put the kettle on, shall I?’

‘Please. I’m gasping for a cup of tea.’

Luke settled in Ma’s chair. ‘I’ve managed to track down the owner of these houses. I’ve had a real tussle with him, and he refused to sell.’

Jenny was disappointed and it must have shown on her face, because Luke leant forward. ‘Don’t worry. I could see he wasn’t as disinterested as he made out, and we settled down for some hard bargaining. I pointed out that the house was badly in need of repair. I had a strong feeling that he would like to sell the whole street, but he finally began to give way when I suggested that we might be interested in two houses, and no more.’

‘Two?’ she gasped. ‘How much is that going to cost?’

‘He gave the price of £300 for your house and next door, Fred and Glad’s. But that’s just a starting price; we should be able to get them for less than that.’

She pushed a strand of hair away from her eyes and looked at John, who hadn’t said a word up to now. ‘What do you think?’

‘The houses might not be in a desirable area, but they are sturdy places, and would be a sound investment.’