‘Yer mean Fanny Higgins! Aye, yer right. I do remember. What’s more, I’ve heard a lot about her since then. Common as muck, it seems. According to some, she’s had two kids by different men, then gave the poor little sods to the Gypsies.’

Bridget gave her a withering glance. ‘Shame on you, Nelly. That’s all hearsay, and you know it! As far as we know, Fanny’s only crime is to keep herself to herself.’

‘Aye,’ Nelly was shamefaced, ‘’appen yer right. Mind you, it’s her own fault! When a woman on her own turns up out of nowhere, never talking about where she’s come from or what she’s been up to, well, it’s only natural for folk to gossip. What they don’t know they’ll make up. It’s human nature, is that.’

Bridget knew it only too well. ‘Tom’s the same. He’s never liked her, not from the moment I brought her home after she fainted in the street. She told us then that she had ideas of starting up her own dressmaking business. He couldn’t wait to get her out of the house.’

‘Ah well, that’s because she mentioned setting up on her own. Men don’t like to think a woman can look after herself. It makes ’em feel useless.’

‘Tom really took against her. When I got back from seeing her safely home, he said I was never to see her again, but I have. And I mean to go on seeing her. She’s been a good friend to me, and whatever Tom says, I won’t turn my back on her now.’

Nelly rubbed her hands with delight. ‘Now I can see why you wanted to get him out of the way. You’re off to Montague Street, aren’t you? You could wait until Monday morning when Tom’s at work, but that won’t do because she needs you right now… on a Saturday. Whatever it is, it can’t wait, can it? So it must be summat important.’

‘It is.’ More important than you’ll ever know, Bridget thought. Nelly rolled her eyes as if thinking hard. ‘Let me guess now. The silly cow’s got herself into some kind of trouble, and she needs your help. I’m right, aren’t I?’

Bridget felt so ashamed she could hardly look the older woman in the eyes. It wasn’t Fanny who was the silly cow who’d got herself into trouble, it was her! And it was her who needed help.

‘Fanny and I have to talk, yes, you’re right, but she isn’t in any trouble that I know of.’

Nelly was not convinced. ‘I expect there’ll be a man at the bottom of it,’ she declared knowingly. ‘There allus is. Some man will have had his wicked way with her and left her with a swollen belly, you wait and see if I’m not right. Men! Bah! As far as they’re concerned, a woman is good for only two things, bedding and cooking.’ Lowering her gaze to Bridget’s belly, she giggled, ‘I might have known it weren’t you in the family way!’