‘I doubt if many of those who come to us in Cable Street have eaten breakfast. The bread and soup are the only meal that most of them have in a whole day. I’ve lost someone I loved, and I don’t want the money he left me, but I know how I’ll put it to good use.’

‘You could buy yourself a house of your own, miss. You would be a woman of means, and you wouldn’t have to depend on any man to support you.’

‘I might do that when I return to England.’

‘You’re going away, miss?’

‘How do you fancy a trip to India, Jenny?’

Chapter Eight

Kate stood on the East India Dock at Blackwall, gazing up at the steamship that would transport her to Bombay. It had been a difficult decision to make in these uncertain times, and her parents were totally against her plan to travel to India. They had refused to see her off and it was Perry who had hired a barouche to bring Kate and Jenny to the docks. He was now busy organising porters to carry their luggage on board. Jenny had been keeping a watchful eye on their possessions, but she came hurrying towards Kate with her bonnet slightly awry and the ribbons flapping in the breeze.

‘We should go on board, miss,’ she said breathlessly.

‘Yes, of course.’ Kate knew in her heart that she was doing the right thing, but she was suddenly nervous. Her excuse for travelling thousands of miles was that she wanted to bring her uncle’s ashes home. He had, so they had been informed by Sir Robert, chosen to be cremated in the Indian tradition. Kate’s parents had done all they could to dissuade her, but Kate was adamant. She could now afford the passage for herself as well as for her maidservant, and she felt she owed it to her uncle’s memory to bring him home. She meant what she said, but she also knew that her real reason for travelling so far was to find Ashok, or at least to learn of his fate. She could have gone through official channels and written to the authorities, requesting that they check the Indian Army records for the fate of Subedar-Major Ashok Patel, but that would take months, and might possibly be ignored as the unrest and fighting continued. The accounts that Kate read in the newspapers were at least two months old by the time they reached London, and she could not go another day without knowing Ash’s fate.