‘No,’ Annette said. ‘So I ran away. He called the baby spawn of the devil and said I would burn in hellfire.’

‘You would burn in hellfire,’ Hélène echoed incredulously. ‘But wasn’t it his fault? He was the father?’

‘Who else? I’ve never been with another man.’ Annette gave a bitter laugh. ‘He’s right, in a way – he’s Léon’s father and he is the devil incarnate. That made Léon spawn of the devil.’ She closed her eyes and murmured, ‘Perhaps that’s why he died.’

Hélène looked at her friend in despair. How could all these dreadful things happen to anyone?

‘What are you going to do?’

‘I don’t know,’ Annette replied. ‘Your mother will not take me back now I have told you the truth.’

‘My mother…? She knows the truth?’

‘Yes, she knows. Madame Sauze found me on the streets and took me in. She went to your mother to ask for help.’

‘And Maman took you both in?’

‘Yes, but with certain conditions. No mention of Father Thomas. We had to make up the story of my being a widow. She said if anyone learned the truth we would be dismissed at once.’

‘She won’t mind you telling me,’ averred Hélène. ‘And I won’t tell anyone else. Your secret will be safe.’

‘It was you in particular who wasn’t to know,’ Annette said. ‘And now I’ve told you we can’t go back to Belair. Oh, poor Madame Sauze,’ she cried as she realised the consequences of speaking the truth to Hélène. ‘I shouldn’t have said anything!’

‘But my mother won’t know you’ve told me,’ pointed out Hélène. ‘I won’t tell her and you won’t tell her, and Madame Sauze won’t know either. It’ll be our secret, Annette. I promise you. When you’re well again you can come back to Belair, you and Madame Sauze.’

She reached for Annette’s hand again and saw that tears were pouring down her cheeks. ‘Oh, don’t,’ she exclaimed in dismay. ‘Don’t cry. I’m your friend.’

‘But why?’ Annette sobbed. ‘Why are you my friend? I’m a servant in your home.’

‘You know why,’ answered Hélène. ‘When I needed a friend, you helped me. When I was running away from St Luke’s, you stopped Sister Gabrielle from catching me… and took a beating for doing it.’

For a moment both the girls thought back to that time over six years ago when they had both been in the care of the nuns at St Luke’s orphanage. Hélène had made a break for freedom during Mass at the parish church, and when Sister Gabrielle had tried to catch her, Annette had collapsed into the aisle in front of her, blocking her way for the precious moments that allowed Hélène to reach the church door and disappear into the myriad of streets outside.

‘My whole life would have been different if I hadn’t got away that day,’ Hélène said. ‘If I’d been taken back to St Luke’s I might never have found my family again. My mother knows that too, and I’m sure she will continue to help you in her own way. So,’ she went on, ‘we must decide what we’re going to do now.’