She came step by step down the flight of stairs and went into the dining room, where her eyes shone to see the small pile of presents waiting for her on the breakfast table. Maggie watched her enviously. Her own fourth birthday in June felt so long ago.

‘Come on, darling, open them up,’ Sunday encouraged and Kitty happily did as she was told. There were a number of small gifts from the staff, including a game of Spillikins, some marbles and a tin of toffees with a dog on the front, who looked just like Barney, the golden labrador at the Home. But it was the present from Sunday and Lady Huntley that made the child’s eyes pop. The beautiful doll with a china face and eyes that opened and shut was the one that she had admired in the toyshop window, the last time they had gone into town.

‘Oh, she’s lovely, thank you!’ The child was almost crying with delight as she cuddled the doll to her while the adults looked on indulgently. ‘I shall call her Annabelle.’

‘That’s a silly name,’ Maggie declared immediately and Sunday frowned at her.

‘That’s quite enough, Maggie. You don’t want to spoil Kitty’s birthday for her, do you?’

Maggie sniffed and crossed her arms. That was exactly what she wanted to do although she didn’t say it, of course. She just wished that someone would come along and take Kitty away so that she could be the baby of the family again. Only the year before, a childless couple had come along wishing to offer Kitty a home with them but Sunday had refused – and eventually they had gone away with a little boy called Alfred, who had only been at the Home for a week and was now the apple of their eyes. They hadn’t even looked at Maggie. Everyone made a fuss of Kitty, and the way the other little girl saw it, it wasn’t fair! Just because Kitty was pretty! Ben adored her too, although even at her tender age, Maggie would have laid down her life for him. Sinking down further in her seat, tears filled her eyes as she stared at the birthday girl. Bessie had mentioned that Kitty would be going into town with Sunday and Tom in his new motor car later that day, but they hadn’t taken Maggie into town when it was her birthday! She conveniently didn’t recall the reason why: that she had been ill in bed with a cold!

Then Sunday shocked her somewhat when she suggested, ‘Why don’t you come into town with us, Maggie? You were too poorly to come when it was your birthday but I’m sure Kitty wouldn’t mind you joining us today.’

Kitty smiled her agreement, for she wasn’t one to bear a grudge, and Maggie wrestled with her conflicting thoughts. She didn’t really want to be in Kitty’s company for a second longer than she had to be – she just wanted to have Sunday all to herself – but if she didn’t go along she would be cutting off her nose to spite her face.