Chapter 8
Tessie had sold flowers on the steps of St. Paul the previous summer, but that was as far as she'd ventured to the West End - a world of bankers and aristocrats, Buckingham Palace, fashionable shops and expensive townhouses. It was a long walk and she had sold almost half her cakes by the time she reached its edges, the pennies jingling in her hidden skirt pocket.
Passing Temple Gardens, the retailers became more up-market, home to high-quality tailors and jewellery shops, specialty artisans and home goods. It was like a different country. The streets were wider and cleaner with polished surfaces and vibrant colours. As the landscape evolved, so too did the residents, as Tessie passed women in elegant dresses, with matching bonnets and coats. She did not belong here in her fade
