‘Look, Molly, luv… yer’ll have ter forgive a nosey old bugger like mesel’, but… well, I’ve tekken a real liking ter you and the little ’un. At first, I just wanted ter do right by them as is less fortunate than mesel’… just as my Emma taught me. But since I fetched yer here agin yer will some six weeks back, like I say… I’ve come ter like yer a lot.’ Nelly had Molly’s attention now, so she went on, ‘Yer don’t need ter tell me anything that yer don’t want to, but there’s one thing I can see with my own eyes, gal… and it’s this. Yer’ve had a hard life… it’s written in yer face, and in that quick, defiant manner yer have… just the same as me when I were living rough an’ ready after me parents died.’ Here she was intrigued by something which had not until now occurred to her. In a gentler voice, she asked Molly, ‘Ain’t yer got no parents, child?’ When Molly lowered her gaze and gave no answer, she thoughtfully nodded her head. ‘I see,’ she murmured although in truth she wasn’t quite sure what she did see. ‘Tell me one thing,’ she asked now, ‘do yer trust me? Answer me truthful, mind!’

Molly raised her head and looked directly into the older woman’s eyes. What she saw there was real compassion, and more honesty than she had ever expected. Yet still she was not certain. So much had happened in her young life, so much to destroy her natural trust. So many things that warned her always to be wary, to suspect everyone, or suffer the consequences. She liked Nelly. Liked her a great deal. But she didn’t know her. Not really.

Molly had been asked to answer truthfully, and she did. ‘I don’t know whether I trust you… or whether I don’t. I want to. But I can’t… not altogether.’ Molly hated the sound of her own words. And yet they were straight from the heart, as ‘truthful’ an answer as she was able to give.

‘Fair enough, Molly gal, I can’t say I’m surprised yer won’t confide in me. Not when I fetched yer here agin yer will… threatening all kinds of retribution and punishment.’ Nelly paused, looking into the troubled face of the young woman beside her, and a great surge of sympathy flooded her heart. She reached out and touched Molly’s slender fingers. ‘Aw, look here, darling,’ she said softly, ‘I would never have reported yer to the authorities like I threatened, should yer not turn up here… Never! That were just a ploy ter frighten yer… all I really wanted to do were to help yer, honest ter God.’

Impressed by Nelly’s obvious sincerity, Molly looked at her searchingly, before asking, ‘Why? Why would you want to “help” me?… You don’t know me.’ She couldn’t deny the suspicions that still persisted.

Nelly made a small noise, which sounded like a muffled laugh, or a groan of frustration. She took her hand away from Molly’s fingers and, getting to her feet, she said, ‘It’s a long story, gal. It goes back ter when me and Emma were younger even than you are now… to a bad time, and a bad place.’ Here she smiled and slowly shook her head. ‘There are things in life that are best forgotten. But because life is by nature unpredictable, certain things that happen in the past have a direct and cruel influence on both the present and the future. Try as yer might, it’s hard ter ever put the past completely behind yer.’