Lillian bunched up her skirt and petticoat and set off down the swampy street behind Patricia. The rain sluiced the umbrella she held in her other hand with such force it was quickly rendered inoperable. Patricia seemed to be immune to the deluge and continued to rush as quickly as her mud-logged boots would let her. It wasn’t until they were able to get under the cottage’s bull-nose porch roof that Lillian was able to ask her what had happened.
‘It’s Alfred.’ Her sister put her fists at her hips as she bent over double and gasped for air. ‘He’s been arrested.’
Lillian could hear babies crying inside. ‘Arrested?’
Patricia stood up and looked at her wildly. ‘Yes!’
Lillian’s mind whirled with several reasons why such a thing could have happened. ‘What’s the charge?’
‘Child endangerment,
