Wildflower Girl by Marita Conlon-Mckenna

you.’ Mags followed her up the stairs. ‘In here, pet.’ She led her to a room on its own. ‘Get into bed, I’ll fix your pillows.’
    Peggy crawled into the bed. The mattress was soft and there were crisp sheets and a pink and green striped coverlet.
    ‘I’ll be back in a minute, Peggy.’
    Mrs Halligan went out.
    Hot tears began to roll down Peggy’s face, and once she started to cry she couldn’t stop. She felt like a little girl again and longed for someone to come and mind her. I hate America, I want to go home. Oh God, just let me go home! she thought.
    Mags Halligan stood beside the bed with a bowl and a cloth.
    ‘Let me dab your lip, Peggy, and clean it up a bit. Is it very sore?’
    Peggy couldn’t answer. She just let the sobs go on and on. The older woman ignored them and cleaned her face gently.
    ‘I’ll sit with you for a while,’ whispered Mags.
    Peggy was ashamed as Mags watched her.
    ‘I’m so lonely,’ she stuttered. ‘I miss my sister and my brother and my aunt. I miss my friends – I just miss everything about home!’
    Mags stroked her hair. With her eyes shut, Peggy could almost make-believe it was Eily sitting beside her.
    ‘Cry, little girl. Let it all out! If you don’t cry it will break your heart.’
    Peggy stared at Mags. The woman looked tired but kind.
    ‘All of us here have cried, Peggy, believe you me. We all miss our homes and the ones we love. The years pass, we get older, but I don’t think it ever goes away.’
    ‘Never?’
    ‘It’ll ease, pet. Look at you, Peggy! Lying here half-scared in my house with your lip split and your face puffed and yet I’ll tell you those tears will saveyou.’
    ‘But I don’t understand.’
    ‘Just know this – there isn’t a girl in this house that won’t shed tears like you’ve done. It may not be at this time, it may be in six months’ time or a year’s time or the day she will wed or have her first child. Sometime in her future. But you – you’re lucky it has happened so early on. You’ll get over it. You’re a born survivor.’
    Peggy was baffled, but realised that Mags understood in some strange way how she felt.
    ‘Do you want to see the damage?’ asked Mags. She held up a small mirror.
    Peggy couldn’t believe how bad her face looked. Her top lip was split and the whole of her mouth was swollen. The skin under her nose was bruised. It hurt to open her mouth. But at least the tooth was still there!
    ‘Mrs Cavendish knocked my tooth out,’ she murmured.
    ‘Was Mona drunk? Was that it?’
    ‘I think so.’
    Mags nodded. ‘I’d heard rumours, but I wasn’t sure.’
    ‘Will she come to make me go back?’
    Mags Halligan threw back her head and laughed. ‘Let Mona put one foot through my door and she’ll have me to deal with. I don’t think she’ll dare trouble you.’
    Peggy yawned. She suddenly realised just how tired she was. Mags kept on talking but Peggy didn’t hear a word she said.
    Hours later she woke to find Sarah sitting at the endof the bed. ‘I’m glad you’re back, Peggy, I missed you,’ she said.
    Peggy grinned ruefully. ‘Ow! it’s sore!’ Her face was stiff and it hurt to talk. ‘How are all the others?’ she asked.
    ‘The girls have all gone except me. I started at a job in Goldman’s shirt factory. It’s not too bad. So I’m a kind of boarder here now until the boys get us a place of our own. They both got work straight away. James is working for the railways and John is helping to build a bank.’
    ‘Did Mrs Halligan tell you what happened?’ Peggy asked. Sarah nodded. ‘I stuck it out as long as I could and then I knew I had to run away. I didn’t even get one cent for all the work I did. Oh, Sarah, I hope I get another job.’
    After dinner that evening, Mags Halligan moved Peggy into a small room with Sarah. During the day Peggy helped Nancy with the housework, and as Sarah left for work at seven-thirty in the morning they had hardly any time together.
    ‘Why