The Orphan Thief. Glynis Peters

Ruby tapped her thigh.

      ‘We’ll cross that bridge when need be; in the meantime, let’s get you set up with the great idea you have. The white form is to apply for a trading licence. You are under twenty-one, but I’ll act as co-owner until then. I want no payment. Your parents helped me, and it is my turn to help you. Red tape must not stop you from your dreams. Goodness knows we all have witnessed how quickly life can be taken from us.’

      Helen placed the forms into a large brown envelope. ‘The form will take several weeks, possibly months, to process, given the circumstances, but maybe you could collect items to repair in the meantime. To take things without permission would be classed as looting – a criminal offence, which carries a prison sentence. Sadly, there is a lot going on at the moment, and several people have been caught red-handed. Make sure you are not one of them, Ruby.’

      Ruby gave a gasp. ‘The blanket –’

      Helen gave her a smile. ‘The blanket won’t be missed, and it’s between you and me. Don’t fret. Ruby, are you staying somewhere? Are you safe?’

      Unsure whether to give her whereabouts to Helen as she was determined to remain as independent as she could, Ruby gave a tight smile. ‘I’m looking after a family friend’s house. He died, and his sister is coming from Scotland to arrange things.’

      She gave away no more about her living arrangements, or where the house was. Helen might be kind and supportive, but Ruby could not risk being sent away from Coventry.

      Helen tapped the white form on the desk. ‘Fill it in and return it to me when you are ready. Think of a name for your business and put it in this box. Your name and address must go in this one. Once done, we can make you official.’

      Ruby’s heart gave a disappointing dip and rise. She had no formal address. ‘What if I move house?’ she asked.

      ‘Then you inform us and we amend the paperwork accordingly. Don’t worry, Ruby. I’ll help you.’

      Rising to her feet, Ruby held out her hand. Helen had helped remove the depressive mood and fired up her passion of wanting to succeed once again. ‘Thank you. I’ll get the form filled in once I’ve given my idea some more thought.’

      ‘Good luck, and well done for being so brave. I’m not sure I’d be so clear-headed as you. We’ll speak again. And I am really sorry about your family.’

      Outside in the damp air, the cold nipped at Ruby’s skin. A shiver ran down her spine and she gave herself a shake. Had she really just set herself on the path of a new business? And ensured she didn’t have to leave the city? Helen had been upbeat and reassuring, and her confidence renewed Ruby’s. She would fill in the form. She would make a new life for herself. It could be done.

      She set her mind to speak with as many residents as she could. Stephen had always impressed the importance of good paperwork to encourage her father in keeping better records for the business. A task she would attend to once she and his sister had spoken face-to-face.

       CHAPTER 5

      25th November 1940

      ‘Excuse me. Was this your house?’

      Ruby approached a woman perched on an upturned metal bucket, staring at a partial end of terrace house. The exposed interior showed brown striped wallpaper, a badly damaged horse-hair sofa, and she could see the building meant a lot to the woman. Large teardrops trailed from her chin, and she snuffled into a grey-white handkerchief.

      ‘I came back for my stuff, but I can’t find a thing.’ The woman waved her hand in front of her. ‘I’m exhausted. Too tired to look.’

      Ruby didn’t like to say she looked worn to the bone, but that was exactly what the woman presented. A washed out, hollow-cheeked living ghost with black rings framing terrified eyes.

      ‘I lost everything too. It’s frightening, isn’t it? Have you found much yet?’ Ruby asked.

      ‘Only bits and pieces, and I haven’t got time to find more. I’ve got to get food for the kids. You stood in a queue yet? Murder on your feet, and nothing to sing home about at the end.’

      ‘I’ve stood in one. Three hours. Listen, go and get food for your children. I’ll scout around here and anything I find, I’ll store … er … over there,’ Ruby said, and pointed to a lopsided shed.

      ‘That’s very kind, but why? Why would you do this for me? A stranger?’

      ‘We have to pull together. And I’ll be honest with you. In a few months I’m getting a business licence to set up a shop repairing and selling unwanted items, or ones I’ve been given permission to salvage.’

      ‘How do I know you won’t take anything today?’ the woman said, and gave Ruby a frown.

      Ruby clasped her hands together, then wiped them down her dress. They would not warm up with the cold wind and fresh sleet falling feather-like to the ground. She held her right arm out and flexed her fingers in readiness to shake hands.

      ‘Trust. We have to have trust between us; that’s all this city has left. I promise – promise to help you. I have nothing in my life except this new idea. No family, and no home of my own. I have to wait for the licence, but was told I could approach people like yourself. You are the first and I’ll be honest, at sixteen I’m finding this hard, but I have to survive, to carry on the Shadwell name.’

      ‘Shadwell?’ The woman rose to her feet. ‘As in Shadwell the grocer?’

      Ruby lowered her head; just hearing someone else mention her family name and business was painful. She held her breath for a moment. ‘Yes,’ she said.

      ‘All gone? What a loss. Your dad gave me extras at the end of the week for the kids. I’ve four, and their dad’s away fighting. Your dad was a good man. Churchgoer like my mam. Girl, take anything broken and if you think you can fix it, sell it and get your shop going. Good for you. Brave girl. I’ll go and get food for the little ones; you have my trust,’ the woman said and took Ruby’s hands in hers.

      As she walked away, she turned back and called out to Ruby. ‘By the way, what will you call your shop, just so I know what to look for if I find stuff I don’t want, or something I need?’

      ‘Shadwell’s Buy and Sell,’ Ruby replied. The name rolled off her tongue with ease for the first time. It came to her in that split second. It was meant to be and gave her a warm sensation of pride.

      ‘Sounds a good name to me. Good luck.’

      Watching the woman pick her way out of the street, Ruby felt a strange sense of peace wash over her. She lifted her head skyward and smiled.

      ‘There you all are. Watching over me. I know you’re there; I’d never have thought of that name alone … Oh, and if you can think of how I might buy things with no money, I’d be grateful if you could let me know!’

      With a light-hearted giggle, she blew a kiss to the clouds. Something had changed during her conversation with the woman. She’d found a friend. For Ruby, it was a crutch, something to hold onto during the dark, grey day – and beyond.

      A fork here, spoons there, cracked plates, pillows, cushions, whole sideboard drawers were piling high inside the shed. No longer cold, Ruby worked with steadfast determination to find as much as she could for the family. Even a one-armed teddy bear lay, waiting to be reunited with its owner. Baby clothes made a large pile of messy washing, and Ruby didn’t envy the woman the task of cleaning them. With limited water, it was virtually impossible to wash her own clothing, but Ruby debated taking them home, then reminded herself of the pact she’d made. To take them away was not an option but, then again, they were in need of repair of sorts, and she was allowed to take what she wanted according to that conversation.

      Around two in the afternoon, the woman reappeared