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how a business operated? In fact, the prospect rather excited her.
    ‘So what would you do?’ Mercy was driven to ask, her curiosity getting the better of her.
    ‘I’m to be a shop girl. I shall work long hours, no doubt earn very little money, and eat in a huge dining room along with all the other employees.’
    A stunned silence followed this news, then Ella kissed Livia on both cheeks, smiling delightedly. ‘Well, I think that’s rather wonderful. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with hard work. I learnt that from Amos, and I have to admit that difficult as it was at first, there’s enormous satisfaction when you eventually succeed. I have every faith, Livvy, that you will too.’
    ‘So despite growing up posh in a grand house, you’ll have to learn to bow and scrape like therest of us? That’s rich, that is.’ Mercy said, and gave a whoop of laughter. ‘At least you’ll be fed a lot better than the starvation rations we got at the workhouse.’
    ‘Mercy dear …’ Ella chided, adopting her ‘let’s be reasonable’ voice. ‘I’m truly sorry our father incarcerated you in the workhouse. Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do to change that fact now. It happened. You were locked up, ill treated, half starved, and we’re very, very, sorry. But it wasn’t our fault. We found you in the end, thank goodness, and we’ve welcomed you into our family. What more can we do to make amends?’
    Mercy folded her lips into a firm line, stubbornly making no response.
    Livia sighed. She knew this to be an ongoing argument, and was weary of it. It wasn’t going to be easy bringing friendship between these two, perhaps impossible. She looked from one to the other in despair, and couldn’t help noting how alike both girls were. Even Ella’s bright social smile had now fallen into a pout which very much resembled Mercy’s own. ‘This is past history, isn’t it time we put all of that behind us and looked forward rather than back?’
    ‘All right for you to say,’ Mercy grumbled. ‘Since the workhouse is not summat you’veexperienced, nor ever will, so why should you trouble your head over it?’
    Ella’s patience finally snapped. ‘Oh, for goodness sake. Has it never occurred to you that Livvy and I might have suffered a few hardships of our own? Do you imagine it was easy living at Angel House with Josiah for a father? And we lost our beloved sister in the most horrible way. Amos, too, has suffered. His first wife died, his daughter caught pneumonia, and farming is a hard life – I can vouch for that. Everyone has their cross to bear. You just have to pick it up and bear it.’
    Silence followed this impassioned speech, and in an effort to break it, Livia continued with her tale in falsely bright tones. ‘I’m so excited. This is but the beginning, you understand. I shall need to learn the business from the bottom to the top, and inside out, before I can even begin to think of taking over. I see that now, though it would be easier to admit that fact to anyone other than the arrogant Matthew Grayson. But he’ll soon learn that my ideas are worth listening to. I mean to bring the whole store up to date, and I dare say I could get you a special discount, Mercy, if you like.’
    ‘I don’t ask for no favours,’ she sniffed. ‘I manage as best I can, but then I’ve never had your advantages. What you’ve never had, you never miss.’
    ‘I’m sure we can stretch a point on the relatively simple matter of a coat.’
    Ella said, ‘Didn’t your mother used to work at the store? At least for a while.’
    ‘Until she had me and became a whore, you mean?’
    ‘That’s not what I said.’
    ‘You didn’t have to.’ Mercy’s voice rose several decibels. ‘She might’ve been your pa’s bit on the side, but she were a lady were my ma, so don’t you dare look down yer bleeding noses at her.’
    ‘Please do keep your voice down. People are looking.’
    ‘Let ’em look. I’ve nothing to be