‘It’s a wonder I ain’t lying there, too.’ The bus driver turned to Nick. ‘Is he a goner, mister?’

Nick rose to his feet as a policeman pushed his way through the crowd. ‘Give your details to the constable.’

‘But it weren’t my fault,’ the driver protested as the policeman approached. ‘She run out, Constable. There weren’t nothing I could do.’

‘All right, mister. You can make a statement later, but you’d best take care of your horses.’ The young constable glanced at the two casualties. ‘The ambulance is coming. It’s lucky this happened so near the hospital. Move back, everyone. This ain’t a peep show.’

The horse-drawn ambulance arrived and the unconscious man was laid on a stretcher and lifted carefully inside, followed by Hilda, who had momentary respite when she fainted from the pain.

‘I’ll go with them,’ Nick said hastily. ‘I’m sorry to abandon you, Daisy.’

‘It’s all right. Do what you can for them.’ Daisy stood back as Nick climbed onto the box beside the driver, who flicked the reins and urged the horses to a brisk walk.

‘Are you hurt, love?’ An elderly woman stepped off the pavement to peer into Daisy’s face.

‘No. I wasn’t involved in the accident.’ Daisy wiped her hand across her forehead.

‘You’re bleeding, my dear.’

‘No. It was the poor woman who was injured.’ Daisy gazed down at the bloodied hanky still clasped in her hand.

‘You’re very pale. You ain’t going to swoon, are you, love?’

‘No, I’m all right, thank you.’ Daisy stepped back onto the pavement as the traffic began to move again and the crowd dispersed. The normal sounds of the street erupted in a cacophony, almost deafening her, and it seemed that the tragedy that had befallen the Begg family was already forgotten. She hesitated, undecided what to do next. She could return to her lodgings, but Hilda’s stricken face haunted her thoughts and Daisy knew she would not rest until she knew that the poor woman was on the road to recovery. Hilda had mentioned that her eldest was only nine, and there were younger children who would be in need of care. Daisy could only hope that they had relatives who would look after them, but the whole family would be in dire financial straits if Mr Begg’s injuries proved fatal. Daisy set off for the short walk to the London Hospital.

There was no sign of Hilda or her husband when Daisy arrived, and none of the busy nurses could give her any information. She waited for half an hour and was on the point of leaving when Nick emerged from a side room.

Daisy could tell by his expression that the news was not good. He walked slowly over to her, shaking his head. ‘There was nothing anyone could do to save the husband,’ he said in a low voice. ‘Mrs Begg is being prepared for theatre.’

‘But she’ll be all right, won’t she?’

‘It’s a bad fracture, Daisy. I’m afraid it will take a long time to heal, and she might be left with a permanent limp. I don’t know how she earns her living, but this could be enough to send her to the workhouse.’