‘More for us,’ teased their mum. ‘I got a whole wheel this year.’

Caro groaned.

Bella took a break and stared out of the window. ‘There’s another one,’ she said, nodding to yet another homeless person stooped in a doorway. He shuffled on the spot, moving from foot to foot in the cold wind.

‘Why are you counting?’ asked Caro. ‘It’s depressing. You’ve given them so much money today you shouldn’t feel sad. You’ve helped lots of people—’

‘And unfortunately, love,’ Cynthia added, ‘you can’t help everyone.’

‘I know,’ Bella replied. She took a sip from the glass of prosecco Caro had insisted she and their mum have. ‘Evan used to hate me giving them money. He said it encouraged them.’

‘Did he?’ Cynthia asked frowning. ‘I never knew that.’ Her mum’s disapproval hung in the air.

‘Somehow it just never registered before how bad a problem it is.’

‘Not in Meadowbank, luckily.’

‘No, maybe not there.’ The small, picturesque village was, on the surface, affluent, but there were other problems the teachers knew about. She thought of Mrs Barnes and her request for help with Leonie’s outfit for the Christmas play. ‘One of the mums at school asked me for some help with their kid’s costume.’

‘Are you talking about little Leonie and Mrs Barnes?’ her mum asked.

‘How did you—?’ Bella remembered herself just in time. ‘I couldn’t say. It would be breaking confidentiality.’

‘Hmm. Well, I feel for her, poor love. They’ve had a hard time this year, her and Kurt. I could make a costume. What does she need?’

‘Oh, Mum, you are kind, but I’ve got it under control. Not that I’m saying it is Mrs Barnes of course.’

‘Of course.’

Bella had found a tiger costume in the school dressing-up box and hoped it would fit. If it didn’t, how would Mrs Barnes react to a gift? Would she be happy? Or would pride make it difficult to accept? She didn’t want to overstep or hurt anyone’s feelings but there must a solution somewhere.

After a slower wander due to their full bellies and heavy shopping bags, they settled comfortably on the train for the journey home. Bella was always as excited to leave London as she was to arrive there. By the time they’d boarded the train, she’d had enough of long queues and everyone being pressed against her on the tube.