Roz faltered mid-step. Surely the old woman couldn’t know? She chided herself inwardly. Of course the other woman didn’t know, she was guessing. ‘No one!’ she said calmly, making sure to keep her back to them as she replaced the kettle on the stove.

‘Liar,’ said Lilith. She leaned forward on her chair, giving Roz the benefit of a scrutinising stare. ‘You’ve met someone what’s offered to take you away from the nasty Haggartys and Liverpool.’ The sneer left her face as a thought entered her mind. ‘Your parents …’ she said softly, then shook her head. ‘No, if they were here, you wouldn’t be. It can’t be them, but then who?’

Roz lit the stove before turning to face the old woman. ‘You’re right on one thing. If my parents were here, then I wouldn’t be, but my father would, and he’d want to know what your son had done with my clothes.’ She gave a short, mirthless laugh. ‘I shouldn’t imagine they’d fit anyone at the pub, and I’ve never seen him wearing them …’

Lilith’s eyes narrowed. ‘You’ve allus had a gob on you, but you’re more cocky than usual. What’s give, or rather who’s give you such courage, I wonder?’

Suzie wrinkled her nose disapprovingly. ‘She’s a right mouth on her, that one; she don’t need no one to hold her hand.’

Roz’s heart was beginning to race in her chest. Lilith was getting too close to the truth for comfort. She tried to remain casual, changing the subject. ‘Just because I stand up to your bully of a father, doesn’t mean to say I’m mouthy. If your mother had …’

Lilith, normally slow moving, shot to her feet and thrust the end of her walking stick at Roz. ‘Don’t you dare!’ she hissed angrily. ‘You know nothing, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep it that way.’

‘I know I’ve touched a nerve,’ replied Roz, but she was watching Suzie who looked anxious.

‘Rubbish!’ snapped Lilith. ‘No one likes someone stickin’ their nose in where it’s not wanted, jumpin’ to assumptions what aren’t true!’

Roz wrinkled her brow. ‘I don’t remember making any assumptions, you didn’t let me get that far.’

Lilith tutted irritably. ‘You’re biting off more than you can chew, don’t say I didn’t warn you.’

Roz took the kettle from the stove and poured the warm water into a small bowl which she used as a basin to wash in. She had hoped that her attempt to divert attention from herself to Suzie’s mother would mean that they stopped questioning her, and it looked as though it had worked, which was just as well because she couldn’t afford to arouse suspicions. Tomorrow she would work twice as hard down the market so that Callum would have no complaints. Tomorrow. A small smile crept to the corner of her lips. Tomorrow she would see Felix and explain everything that had happened since leaving Dovercourt, and see what his thoughts were on the matter. She had no doubt he would want to help get her out of the Haggartys’, but how? She imagined Felix standing toe to toe with Callum. Felix was thicker set than Callum, but a shade smaller, not that that would matter to someone like Callum, who undoubtedly didn’t believe in fighting fair.