She had been determined not to let the Haggartys see how upset she was, but now that she was out of sight, she allowed the tears to fall freely. She knew her instinct had been right; they weren’t wealthy, but worse than that, they weren’t even nice. They had only come to her so-called rescue so that they might get her to work for nothing. As she reached the quayside, she looked out over the Mersey, to the land which lay on the other side. If only she had listened to Felix and declined the Haggartys’ offer of a home, she would still be with him and Adele, playing cards, making the little children crowns out of tinsel, and helping the staff with each new influx of refugees. Her bottom lip trembled as she remembered how everyone had been gearing up for Christmas, which was only a couple of weeks away now. They had said they were going to make an extra effort so that the refugees would have something to look forward to. Whether they celebrated Christmas or not, it helped lift their spirits, and made everywhere look warm and welcoming. An image of the Haggartys’ home entered her mind. She couldn’t imagine that they would bother with a tree or decorations, or presents come to that.

She closed her eyes and breathed in the salty sea air. She toyed with the pretence that Felix would arrive outside the Haggartys’ door on the 24th of December and whisk her away to a lovely house deep in the heart of the countryside, with a babbling brook running along the bottom of the garden, and a fireplace so big you could stand up in it, and moments after their arrival, there would be a knock on the door, and their loved ones would walk in … She quickly dismissed such fantasies from her mind. It was futile … Her stomach lurched unpleasantly as another thought occurred to her. Felix didn’t even know where she lived because the Haggartys had given her the wrong address to share with him, so he couldn’t possibly come to her rescue. Not only that but he wouldn’t be able to keep in touch either, so she probably wouldn’t ever see him again.