‘Even the sheep think we’re scarecrows!’ muttered Akiko as she plucked yet another piece of reed from her hair. ‘So much for appearing at our best to meet your sister.’

‘Jess won’t care,’ assured Jack. ‘She’ll just be glad to see us.’ Then his brow knotted in curiosity. ‘I wonder what she’ll look like – after seven years, I guess she won’t be my little sister any more!’ He turned to his friends. ‘Do you think she’ll even recognize me?’

‘No one can forget your face!’ replied Akiko, arching an eyebrow. For a moment Jack didn’t know whether this was a compliment or an insult. But the curl of her lips gave away the gentle tease and Jack smiled, glad to see her sense of humour returning after their dunking in the River Thames.

‘What’s Jess like?’ asked Yori.

Jack gazed up at the clouds passing across the sky. ‘Kind, caring, cheeky … and very competitive. But she was seven when I last saw her. I only hope Mrs Winters is still alive and caring for her.’ That had been his great worry when he was stranded in Japan. Their mother had died from pneumonia when he was ten, and his father had employed their neighbour, Mrs Winters, to act as Jess’s guardian and bring her up. But Mrs Winters had already been old when he and his father first set sail. She would be positively ancient by now, and the money their father had given her to look after Jess must surely have run out. Spurred on by these thoughts and his impatience to see his sister again, Jack quickened his pace.

Leaving the fields behind, they found a rutted road heading back towards London. Several small shacks built from timber and driftwood sprang up on either side. As Limehouse drew closer, these shacks gave way to a mix of wattle-and-daub cottages and tumbledown hovels. The dwellings grew in number, until they were shouldering one another for space, as if the city was spilling out in a slow yet steady flood.

‘All this used to be fields,’ said Jack, gazing around in astonishment.

When they were properly in Limehouse, Jack found himself a little lost. The roads and side streets were cluttered with new buildings, workshops and inns. ‘I think it’s down here … no, er … we turn left …’

Akiko and Yori trailed behind, silent and cautious.

‘Where is everyone?’ asked Yori.

Only then did Jack notice how empty it seemed. A number of dogs roamed the streets and a rat scuttled along a deserted alleyway. The sharp smell of bonfires tinged the air and the smoke from them left a permanent haze. The few people they did pass eyed the bedraggled trio with distrust and kept their distance, closing their doors as they approached. A sense of unease crept into Jack’s bones.

Suddenly he recognized where he was and broke into a run.

‘WAIT!’ Akiko called after him.