‘Yes, thank you.’ Judy turned to go but the girl caught her by the hand.

‘It’s getting late. I expect Cook would give you a cup of tea or something.’

‘Thank you, that’s kind, but I’m going to the stable block to find my brothers.’ Judy walked off before the curious girl had a chance to ask any more questions. She picked her way across the cobbled yard to the stable block, and a dim light over the tack room indicated the presence of the stable lads. None of the doors was locked and Judy made her way in the darkness to the ladder leading up to the place where the boys slept. The smell of unwashed adolescent bodies hit her forcibly as she reached the loft, which was dimly lit by a couple of oil lamps. Pip, Nate and two other boys were sprawled on their beds, and the eldest boy was smoking a clay pipe. He jumped to his feet when he saw Judy and hid the pipe behind his back.

‘There you are, Davey. I told you you’d get caught smoking that filthy tobacco,’ Pip said gleefully. ‘Lucky for you it’s only my sister.’

Judy looked round at the chaotic jumble of clothes, boots, empty beer bottles and racing papers. ‘What a mess. Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves, living like pigs?’

Nate scrambled to his feet and gave her a hug. ‘Don’t scold us, Judy. I’m pleased to see you. How’s Ma getting on?’

‘We haven’t seen her for weeks,’ Nate added angrily. ‘Pip and me walked all the way to Little Creek on our one day off in a month, only to be turned away by Faulkner. He said she was too busy to see us.’

The boy called Davey swaggered nonchalantly towards Judy with the pipe clenched between his teeth, although the rising spiral of smoke made his eyes water. ‘Won’t you introduce us, Pip, old chap?’

‘It’s nice to meet you, Davey,’ Judy said, trying not to laugh at the boy, who could not have been much older than twelve-year-old Pip. ‘The same goes for you, too,’ she added, smiling at the lad who was sitting cross-legged on the floor.

He jumped to his feet and bowed, causing the other boys to roar with laughter.

‘Pleased to meet you, miss.’

Judy shook his hand solemnly. ‘What’s your name?’

‘That’s Eric,’ Nate said importantly.

‘Why are you here, Judy?’ Pip gave her a searching look. ‘What happened to your face?’

Judy hesitated. She did not want to tell her brothers the whole story, especially with Davey and Eric listening intently. ‘Just a bit of an argument at home. Nothing to worry about.’

‘It must be something bad to bring you here at this time of the evening,’ Pip insisted. ‘Did he do that to you, Judy? If he did I’ll fetch him one. I ain’t afraid of Faulkner.’

‘He did, but I don’t want either of you to get involved.’

Pip glowered at his curious friends. ‘Can you give us a bit of private time, lads? I want to talk to my sister.’