One of the messenger boys, detailed by Mr Freeman in a final act of kindness, carried her case down to the docks, and she was ushered on board and shown to her stateroom, which was equipped with a luxury she had never experienced before. She saw her case delivered and went up on deck. The ship felt familiar and she remembered that Gus had shown her round before he sailed on her. Final preparations were being made for departure and she heard the call of ‘All ashore that’s going ashore’ and remembered how she had felt when she saw Gus off.

The friends and relatives of those travelling with her were saying goodbye, with tearful hugs and kisses, and she was glad that she had avoided that. The gangplank was raised and she heard the steamer’s engines begin to throb. Ropes were cast off and the gap between the ship and the dock began to widen.

Suddenly James was there, on the dockside, waving desperately. His voice carried across the water to her.

‘May, come back! I can’t live without you. We’ll tell everyone. I won’t ask you to lie, ever. Come back and marry me!’

She felt a great sob rise in her chest, but the ship was already moving out into the channel. May filled her lungs and shouted back over the growing distance.

‘I can’t come back. If you really love me, catch the next boat!’

‘I will! I will!’ The promise came to her faintly across the water.

Read on for an extract from Workhouse Angel

Make sure you read the new gripping family saga from Holly Green

Will she ever be reunited with her real father?

Angelina was abandoned on the doorsteps of Brownlow Workhouse when she was just a baby – her only possession the rag doll she held in her arms.

Nicknamed ‘Angel’ for her golden curls, she is adopted by Mr and Mrs McBride. At first Angel is so happy to have found a caring family to save her from the drudgery of the workhouse. But her new parents are not the benevolent guardians they first appear.

Angel has lost all hope when she discovers that a man has visited the workhouse, looking for the baby girl he was forced to give up. A girl who isn’t an orphan after all . . .

Out now

Keep reading for an exclusive preview

Prologue