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family. Was I being selfish? Had I done the right thing? These thoughts were plaguing me.’
    Hanna paused, drained her cup and poured another for both of them, then continued. ‘Mrs Buxton kept on at us, and made a point of continually telling me that I had no right to deny my brother a proper home. Jack was now old enough to make his own decisions and we talked about it for days. In the end Jack agreed to go to the Talbots. They only lived up the road so we could still see each other every day. But it soon became clear that Talbot was a bully, and had only wanted a strong boy to help with his fruit and veg shop. He obviously thought that taking in Jack would be cheaper than paying an assistant. When I saw how badly Jack was being treated I pleaded with Mrs Buxton to help, but she wouldn’t even listen. I wrote to the local councillor, but he ignored my letter. I was at my wits’ end when Jack took matters into his own hands and joined the merchant navy. The rest you know.’
    There was silence after Hanna finished speaking, then Jane Harcourt looked at her. ‘Would you object if I took this to my committee? Your cries for help should not have been ignored.’
    Hanna sat back and relaxed her shoulders, trying to ease the tension in her body. ‘I don’t mind, Mrs Harcourt. It’s all over now, but I can’t help thinking that Mrs Buxton should not be in charge of the orphanage. I don’t believe that she even likes children.’
    ‘I agree. There was something about her I didn’t take to, and that’s why I didn’t feel guilty about trying to employ you, but everything appeared to be in good order when we looked around the orphanage. However, it is not always easy to see exactly what is going on during a short visit. And Mrs Buxton did have advanced warning that we were coming.’
    Hanna pulled a face. ‘I know. We were kept very busy for days . . .’
    The sound of excited chatter and running feet could be heard, and Hanna jumped up. ‘My goodness! The boys didn’t sleep for long.’
    Jane Harcourt smiled and said gently, ‘Thank you for being so frank with me. I’ll see this is looked into.’
    Further conversation was useless as the twins rushed into the room.

Five
    Three weeks on and Hanna hadn’t seen or heard anything more from Talbot. The police had obviously dealt with him, and she was relieved and grateful. She had settled into the job of looking after the twins, and had quickly fallen under their spell. Not that they were angels – far from it. They had bright, intelligent minds, and a curiosity about everything around them. The questions only ever stopped when they were asleep. They were a constant challenge to keep amused, stretching her to her limits at times, but she loved them dearly. The only worry on her horizon now was wondering how her brother was getting on, and until she received a letter from him she wouldn’t be able to relax completely. Mrs Harcourt hadn’t mentioned talking to her committee again, so Hanna thought that the subject of the orphanage was closed. She probably couldn’t do anything about it anyway, but it had been kind of her to say she would. Perhaps dropping the whole subject was for the best, but she did feel something should be done to save any other children from the kind of abuse her brother had endured. She had done all she could, and would have to put that behind her now. They had both moved on with their lives.
    ‘You look very serious.’
    Hanna jumped at the sound of the masculine voice and spun around. ‘Oh, you gave me a fright!’ she gasped.
    ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, but you were deep in thought.’ The policeman frowned. ‘Has Mr Talbot been bothering you?’
    ‘No, I haven’t seen him again.’ She smiled. ‘Thanks to you.’
    ‘Good.’ He fell into step beside her. ‘Where are the children?’
    ‘Having their afternoon nap. We were getting low on baby shampoo so I’ve been to get some.’
    ‘Do you get an evening off at any