“I’m not certain I have all the facts, but it seems she found George in Soho and was showing him the way back to Trafalgar Square when they were set upon by a gang of youths.”
“Good heavens!”
“Yes, it was quite the scuffle, I have been told. The arrival of Mister Howell’s party evidently saved them, and she returned to Limehouse with them to escape her life as a street urchin. She had been posing as a boy named Titch for survival.”
Stephen frowned. “Mrs Jacks has taken her in? But, my dear, she has only a small income herself. I shall have to call on her and persuade her to place the child in proper care. There must be a suitable orphanage somewhere. . . .”
“Stephen Short, you will do no such thing! Consider what you are saying, if you please. What proper care would she receive other t
