returns he will be past his sixteenth birthday. You have not adopted him legally, so you have no claim on the boy, sir.’
Talbot glared at Hanna, but she ignored him. The policeman was satisfied. The law was on their side, and Talbot now knew that he couldn’t do anything about Jack leaving. The relief was enormous, but years at the orphanage had taught her to keep her deeper feelings to herself.
The policeman wrote in his notebook, tore out the page and handed it to Hanna. ‘I want you to contact me should you have any future problems, Miss Foster, but you shouldn’t hear any more about this matter.’ He looked pointedly at Talbot. ‘Will she, sir?’
‘This is a bloody disgrace!’ Talbot was red in the face with rage.
‘Watch your language, sir. There are ladies present. Now, you will need to accompany me to the station.’
‘Oh, I’ll do that all right! And I’ll have a word with your superiors about your handling of my complaint.’
‘That is your right, sir.’ He smiled at Mrs Harcourt and Hanna. ‘Thank you again for your patience.’
The maid was waiting outside the door to show the two men out, and when they were alone, Hanna let out a ragged breath. ‘I do hope that young policeman doesn’t get into any trouble over this. Mr Talbot is a very unpleasant man.’
‘He won’t. He handled everything quite properly, and I shall write to the chief of police telling him so.’ Mrs Harcourt gave a wry smile. ‘He happens to be a good friend of ours.’
The last vestige of worry left Hanna, and she laughed freely. ‘Oh, Mrs Harcourt, I bless the day you came to the orphanage. For the first time in my life I feel as if there might be a guardian angel looking out for us. I’ve been wondering if Mr Talbot would try and make trouble, but he can’t now. Can he?’
‘No, Hanna. If he comes anywhere near you we will be able to get him arrested, and he knows that. The policeman made it clear to him that he had no claim on your brother. Talbot is absolutely furious, but there isn’t a thing he can do about it. You and your brother should now be free from this unpleasant business.’
‘It’s a relief to know it’s all over and Jack is safe from his brutality.’
‘This has been a terrible worry for you. Sit down, Hanna, and we’ll have a much needed cup of tea.’ She rang the bell and ordered refreshments for them. ‘What did the young man write on the paper he gave you?’
‘Oh, I haven’t read it yet.’ Hanna unfolded the note. ‘It’s the address of the police station and his name – Alan Rogers. He says I’m to ask for him if I have any more problems.’
‘That was kind of him.’
‘Very.’ The tea arrived and Hanna poured for them, then sat back, feeling quite drained.
‘You have told me a little of what happened to you after your parents were killed, but would you mind going into more detail for me? You were so young. How did you manage in those early years, and why did you agree to let Jack go to Talbot, after fighting for so long to keep him with you?’
‘That decision will always haunt me.’ Hanna took a sip of tea while she gathered her thoughts.
Jane Harcourt waited silently.
‘Mrs Harris was in charge when we arrived. She was a kind woman and tried to see the children were as happy as possible. Most people wanted to adopt babies or toddlers, but if anyone showed an interest in Jack he would cling on to me. I told them we wouldn’t be separated. Mrs Harris understood and never tried to force me to let Jack go. No one wanted me, so we stayed at the orphanage. Then, five years ago Mrs Harris retired and Mrs Buxton took over. Her aim was to get as many children as possible moved in with families. There wasn’t anything wrong with that – an orphanage is not the right place for a child to grow up in. When the Talbots said they wanted a young boy, I was already feeling guilty about keeping Jack with me, wondering if I had deprived him of belonging to a proper