‘Here, you.’ Ivy laid the sleeping baby on her shawl, which she had spread on the floor. ‘Mind your language in front of me nippers.’

‘Well, you can come and give us a hand, missis.’ Spears paused on the bottom step, apparently stuck in the doorway. ‘I wouldn’t have taken you lot on if I’d known the trouble it was going to give me. I don’t hold with charity, anyway. I’m me own charity and I need funds to keep me in me dotage.’

‘If you live that long,’ Ivy said darkly.

‘Let me help.’ Kate hurried over to take the other end of the trestle table. ‘Perhaps you’d check the soup, Ivy? You’re the expert when it comes to cooking.’

‘Lift your end, miss,’ Spears said irritably. ‘Why is women so useless when it comes to anything that needs a bit of brain power?’

Kate used her pent-up energy and frustration to give the table a sharp tug and freed it from its moorings. Spears almost toppled down the remaining steps, uttering a bark of annoyance.

‘Lucky for you that you’ve a pretty face, Miss Martin. Harry Trader’s got a soft spot for good-looking women.’

Kate did not know whether to be flattered or infuriated, but she chose to ignore him. ‘Let’s get the benches down, Mr Spears. It’s almost midday.’

He glanced over his shoulder, curling his lip. ‘I don’t see no crowd outside.’

‘The benches, if you please.’ Kate left him to get on with the task while she went into the kitchen to unpack the bowls and spoons that the ironmonger had delivered. If they had a sudden rush of customers there would not be enough, but they would manage somehow.

Minutes later Jenny arrived with three large loaves of bread, although she had been unable to find a shop selling the spices. They laid up the two tables that Spears had reluctantly brought down, and there was nothing to do but wait.

Eventually, Kate realised that she would have to do something drastic if she wanted to advertise their presence. In the meantime Jenny and Ivy sampled the soup, sitting at the table with the children, and they seemed to be enjoying their meal. But Kate was too tense to bother with food, and she wrapped her shawl around her head and shoulders.

‘I’m going out to bring in some customers,’ she said as she opened the door. ‘There must be some hungry people round here.’

Chapter Five