who at least had the decency to redden and look hurriedly away.
‘Your brother will be hard to place, Miss Turner, which is why we have made arrangements for him to go to the local orphanage.’
Sally felt a chill run down her spine as she leapt to her feet and stood in front of Ernie. She didn’t trust this woman not to grab him and try to haul him away. ‘He ain’t no orphan, and he ain’t going nowhere without me.’
The woman shrugged and turned apologetically to the couple, her voice loud, the tone scathing. ‘This is what you get for trying to help. Really, these East End girls have no manners at all. I do apologise.’ She hustled them away.
‘What’s an orph … orphan … ?
‘Nowhere you need worry about, luv.’ Sally grimaced as she returned to her seat and held him close. If this was an example of what she could expect in this place, then she and Ernie would be better off in the Smoke. At least people didn’t judge them there.
She was battling with her angry tears, trying to remain in control of her emotions for his sake. Being so young he, thankfully, didn’t understand what was going on. She looked around her. Most of the children were gone now, and soon they would be the only ones left. It was galling to be unwanted – and shaming. Nothing like this had happened to either of them before.
Mrs Finch had come into the kitchen and, wanting a bit of company, had chattered on over several cups of tea. Peggy felt sorry for the poor old duck – after all, she’d reasoned, Mrs Finch was a widow whose sons had migrated to Canada many years before, and rarely wrote to her. She was, to all intents and purposes, alone in the world. It did no harm to gossip as she worked. But my goodness she could talk.
Peggy had glanced at the clock and almost left her in mid-sentence as she tore off the apron and headscarf, grabbed her coat and bag and rushed off. To make matters worse, she’d missed the trolleybus, and the old car had taken longer than usual to get started.
As it groaned and complained up the hill to the station, she was aware of the passing time – and that now she was very late. She parked haphazardly, slammed the door and hurried on to the concourse.
One glance told her everything, and her heart went out to the skinny girl who was sitting so stoically beside the frail, crippled little boy. They were poorly dressed and looked half starved, and the boy’s pinched little face made her want to bundle him up and carry him home.
‘Mrs Reilly? You’re late. I’m afraid there’s only those two left, and the girl is a troublemaker. Perhaps you’d be better off waiting until the next train?’
Peggy tore her gaze from the girl’s large hazel eyes and regarded the woman coldly. ‘In what way has she caused trouble?’
She lowered her voice. ‘She refused to let us place her brother in the orphanage – and turned down the chance of staying with a very nice family who live in Havelock Gardens.’
It was a leafy street on the better side of town, and Peggy held no illusions about the snobs who lived there. Her sister Doris was one of them. ‘Havelock Gardens isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,’ Peggy answered with the withering look she’d perfected over the years of running a boarding house. ‘And why should the boy go to the orphanage?’
‘He’s a cripple,’ she said, making it sound as if it was something contagious, ‘and therefore rather difficult to place.’
‘I’ll take the pair of them,’ said Peggy, adjusting the ancient fox fur that hung around her neck.
‘Really, Mrs Reilly, I don’t think …’
‘No, you don’t do you?’ Peggy’s look was scathing as she turned away. The girl and her brother were watching her, and she thought she could see the hint of a smile touching the girl’s mouth as she stood to greet her.
‘My name’s Peggy Reilly, and I’d like you to come and stay with me. How do you feel about that?’
The girl’s smile faltered, her gaze darting between Peggy and the woman in charge. ‘Ernie too?’
‘Of course,’ she said firmly. ‘I have two boys of my own, and I’m sure he’ll settle in just fine.’
‘What’ya think, Ernie? Would you like to go with this lady?’
Ernie was eyeing the fox round Peggy’s neck with some suspicion as