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had not been taken into Kate’s confidence but she was sure he did not believe her.
    ‘I can understand ’er bein’ reluctant, ’specially if the bloke’s married, but surely she could sort it out wiv ’im some’ow?’ Matthew persisted.
    Helen felt her temper rising. ‘Look, Matt. I don’t know if the baby’s farvver is married or not. I’ve told yer umpteen times, Kate ain’t told me anyfink. She don’t take me into ’er confidence, she never ’as. It’s only since the children were born she’s started comin’ in ter see me.’
    Matthew sipped his beer and thought for a while. ‘I wonder if it’s somebody round ’ere? From the street I mean?’
    ‘I’m not interested,’ Helen said sharply. ‘It’s none of our business. Kate’s bin out wiv a lot o’ fellers. She’s never bin interested in settlin’ down wiv one man. Mum always said she takes after our dad. ’E was always footloose, even after they was married. I honestly don’t fink Kate could settle down.’
    ‘It’s different now though,’ Matthew said, sitting up in his chair. ‘She’s got a kid ter look after. Every kid should ’ave a farvver. It’s gonna be ’ard wivout a man ter provide fer ’em.’
    Helen stared into the flickering coals. ‘My sister’s a determined woman, Matt. They’ll get by. It’ll be ’ard, but as I said, she won’t take charity. Anyway, there’s not many fellers who’d take on somebody else’s kid. The pair of’em will get by. As fer young Connie, she’ll grow up wiv ’er muvver’s stubbornness, I’m sure.’
    The clock on the mantelshelf chimed the half hour. The wind rattled the windows and a down-draught sent smoke billowing into the room. Matthew waved his arms to clear the air and Helen poked at the ash with the poker, her face sad. As long as she could remember, she had looked forward to Christmas with great excitement. She had loved helping her mother to make paper-chains and put up the decorations, she had loved the visits to the late market in Tower Bridge Road. She remembered when she was a child and had gone on those trips to the market along with her parents and Kate. She recalled the wide-eyed excitement just looking at the stalls displaying piles of fruit and nuts. She remembered the hissing Tilley lamps that bathed the stalls and barrows with a bright white light, and the special treat after the shopping was done when her parents went to the pub and she and Kate sat on the step sipping gassy lemonade that made her nose twitch, and nibbled on huge Arrowroot biscuits. The memories of those childhood Christmas times had made the festive season special – until last Christmas.
    Her joy at having a baby at the most happy time of the year for her had been snatched away the following morning, when the doctor told her that Molly would have to go to the Evelina Children’s Hospital to see a specialist. The knowledge that her baby would grow up deformed had been hard to bear. Matthew had been reduced to tears and she, too, had felt hollow and cheated. She had had to be strong for both of them. For a short time she had been terrified that her husband would reject the child, but he had, thankfully, become totally devoted to Molly once he had grown used to the idea of her deformity. For herself, the knowledge that her child would have a cross to bear for as long as she lived made her even more determined that at least Molly would have all the love it was possible for her to give. She hoped that she and Kate could become closer. It would be really nice if Molly and Connie grew up as friends as well as cousins.

Chapter Three
    Just after Connie’s second birthday Kate got a seasonal job at the Armitage factory. Her sister looked after Connie during the day, which was an arrangement that suited Helen’s needs. It gave the two children the whole day to play together, and let the closeness they had felt very early on develop into a strong bond of friendship. Helen could already see the