The Orphans of Halfpenny Street
Call the Midwife meets Dr Barnardo’s in this gritty drama that will appeal to fans of Nadine Dorries and Kitty Neale.When there is nowhere else to turn, St Saviour’s will give them hope…It’s 1947 and London’s East End is still a bombed-out landscape. Sister Beatrice, who runs the St Saviour’s Children’s Home, knows that life is still a precarious existence for many children and it seems that there is no end to the constant stream of waifs and strays who appear at their door looking for a safe haven.One such arrival is Mary Ellen whose mother is gravely ill. The one silver lining is her best friend, the tearaway Billy Baggins, also a resident of the home, but Billy seems intent on falling foul of Sister Beatrice’s strict regime.New arrival on the staff, Angela, admires Sister Beatrice, but can see that the children need love and kindness as well as a strong hand. When an unwelcome face from Billy’s past arrives on the scene, things are brought to a head. Can the two women work together to keep Billy on the straight and narrow – or is it too late?
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Harper
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First published in Great Britain by Harper 2015
Copyright © HarperCollinsPublishers 2015
Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers 2015
Cover photographs © Henry Steadman (children); The Bridgeman Art Library (East End background)
Cathy Sharp asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the authorâs imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9780008118440
Ebook Edition © September 2015 ISBN: 9780008118457
Version 2015-07-22
For my wonderful agent, Judith Murdoch, who gave me the chance to write these books, and for my equally wonderful editor, Kate Bradley, for inspiring me.
Table of Contents
âMary Ellen, I need you,â her motherâs voice called from the front door of their terraced house as she approached. âHurry up, love â¦â
Mary Ellen sighed and walked faster. Sheâd been all the way to the busy market in the heart of Spitalfields and her basket was heavy with the items her mother had asked her to bring. There was a ham bone, which would be made into soup with some turnips, potatoes, pearl barley and carrots, all of which sheâd bought from the market, because they were cheaper, and her arm ached from carrying them.
She hoped Ma wasnât going to send her anywhere else until sheâd had a drink of water, because it was hot and sticky and she was feeling tired after her long walk. Sheâd been up at six that morning to wash the kitchen floor and the sink, before going to school for a few hours. After returning home for lunch, Ma had sent her shopping because it was only sports and games in the afternoon, and Ma said she didnât need to bother with them, though Mary Ellen knew her teacher would give her a black mark next time she attended school; but that might not be for a few days, because Ma had been coughing all night. Mary Ellen had seen spots of blood on her nightgown when sheâd taken her a cup of tea before she left for school that morning.
âIâm sorry, love,â her ma said as she reached the door. âYouâll have to go back out for my medicine. Iâve got none for tonight and I canât seem to stop this â¦â She couldnât finish her sentence because the coughing fit seized her and she sounded terrible. Her body bent double with the pain and her face went an awful pasty white. Mary Ellen could see bright red spots on the handkerchief that Ma held to her lips, and her heart caught with fear. âMary Ellen â¦â
Ma gave a strange little cry and then sort of crumpled up in a heap at Mary Ellenâs feet. She bent over her, trying to make her open her eyes, but her mother wasnât responding.
âDonât be ill, Ma,â she said, tears welling up. She didnât know what to do and sheâd been living alone with her mother since her big sister Rose went off to train as a nurse. âPlease ⦠wake up, Ma â¦â
Mary Ellen was conscious of the slightly grubby lace curtains twitching at the neighbouring house, then the door opened and Mrs Prentice came out and looked at her for a moment before asking, âWhatâs up wiv yer ma, Mary Ellen?â
âSheâs not well,â Mary Ellen said. âShe told me to go for her medicine but then she just fell down.â
âI expect she fainted,â the neighbour said. âI reckon your ma has been proper poorly. Your Rose should be ashamed of herself. You not even nine yet and âer goinâ orf and leavinâ her to cope on her own ⦠and you with no pa.â
