‘I use it as my workroom,’ Mrs Godfrey was explaining, and Kate remembered that at Lilian’s christening Peggy had said her mother was a dressmaker. ‘My ladies come here for fittings so I have to have somewhere nice and we never use the front room for anything else except at Christmas.’

Mrs Godfrey led the way through to the back living room, ‘Here we are, dear. Look who’s come to see us, Henry.’

Kate stepped into the room, where the smell of their recent Sunday dinner still lingered.

‘This is Mr Godfrey.’ Mrs Godfrey was gesturing towards a man sitting in an easy chair near the fire. He lowered the newspaper he was reading and stood up, and Kate found herself looking into the kindly face of her stepfather. An older face, of course, but the likeness was so astonishing that she could not prevent the words escaping her lips.

‘Oh, you’re just like me dad.’

The others laughed and Mr Godfrey’s deep voice said, ‘That’s not the first time I’ve been told that.’ He smiled gently down at her, his eyes crinkling just like his son’s.

‘Sit down, sit down. I hope you can stay to tea, dear,’ Mrs Godfrey was saying. ‘Peggy has made a trifle, haven’t you, Peg?’

Taking off her coat and hat, Peggy nodded.

‘And how do you like the school, young Kate?’ Mr Godfrey asked.

As she felt the eyes of the three adults upon her, Kate bit on her lower lip to still its sudden trembling. She glanced from one to another and saw the genuine concern written on all their faces; such an expression of friendliness which she had not seen since her arrival in this city.

‘It’s awful,’ she burst out, and the tears held in check for so long now spilled over and flooded down her face. At once Mrs Godfrey pulled her down on to the settee and sat beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders. Shocked, Peggy stood in front of them wringing her hands. Mr Godfrey sat down in his chair again, but laid his newspaper aside and sat forward, his forehead creasing worriedly.

‘Tell us all about it, love,’ Mrs Godfrey insisted. And out it all came tumbling.

‘Well!’ and ‘Oh, how could they!’ and ‘I can scarcely believe it!’ were the only interruptions they made and when she had finished and leaned her head against Mrs Godfrey’s shoulder, it was Peggy who said, ‘We can’t let her go back there, Mother.’

Mrs Godfrey glanced worriedly at Kate and then at her husband. ‘What do you think, Henry?’

Mr Godfrey shook his head, ‘It used to have a very good name when Miss Peterson ran it . . .’ He paused and Kate saw the glance that passed between husband and wife.

Mrs Godfrey put her arm around Kate, ‘Come along and have your tea, dear, and then we’ll think what to do.’