brought each week, along with a joint and the odd round of cheese and butter. Quietly, she said, ‘Why do you hate him so much?’
‘Because he’s an upstart. Thinks he’s better than the rest of us.You can see it in his eyes, and all because he got lucky. He’s managed to pull the wool over Farmer Shawe’s eyes and work his way in but he’ll come a cropper one day.’
She stared into Adam’s face, at the clear fresh skin and handsome features.‘It must have been hard for him, looking the way he does.’
‘Don’t you believe it. He’s canny, he’s used it to his advantage. How else do you think he’s got where he is? By rights he should be here with the rest of us, doing what his da did and his granda afore him. Instead he chickened out and took the easy road.’
Such animosity. ‘Perhaps it’s not the easy road, just a different one.’
Adam’s face stiffened. ‘You sticking up for him?’
The look on his face warned her to say no more but lately she had bitten her tongue more than once. ‘I’m only saying people don’t necessarily have to follow what their parents do, that’s all. Just because his da was a miner and yours is, it doesn’t follow Jake or you have to be one. Everyone should be able to make their own destiny and aim for what they really want.’
Adam’s expression didn’t alter.‘You’re talking rubbish.’
‘I don’t think so. If folk want to better themselves—’
‘Oh, so he’s better than us now, is he? Here’s the truth of it. You think he’s better than me.’
‘Of course I don’t. I didn’t mean that. I was talking generally.’
‘Generally my backside.’ He was livid. She could see it. ‘Maybe you think you’re too good to walk out with me, is that it? All this talk about leaving the pit and going down south.’
Her expression altered to one of angry surprise. ‘I said that once, just once.’
‘Maybe it was once too much.’
‘You mean I can’t discuss anything with you? Can’t have an opinion? I’ve got to be like your mam and most of the women hereabouts, treating the man of the house as lord and master and worshipping the ground he walks on? Well, I don’t think I’m like that, Adam. So there you have it.’
There was a telling silence while they stared at each other, Adam’s face red with fury and Hannah’s chalk white. But she wasn’t going back on what she’d said, much as she loved him. He was like his father in as much as he didn’t think anyone could have a different opinion to him, certainly not a woman anyway. And she hated that about him.
‘If that’s the way you want it . . .’ He turned and marched away from her down the street towards his front door. The others had gone indoors.
For a moment she couldn’t believe he’d left her like that and she stood still, expecting him to turn any second and call for her to catch up with him. She watched him reach his front door and without pausing he went into the house. He did not look back.
The air went out of her like a deflated balloon and she felt the colour sweeping over her face with the urge to cry. Did this mean he’d finished with her? She wouldn’t be able to bear it if he had. Oh, why had she said those things? What did any of it matter compared to Adam? How could she have been so stupid?
She walked the twenty-odd yards to the shop on leaden feet, praying Adam’s head would appear round his front door any moment and he would come towards her. Inside the shop, she stood for a minute or two. She didn’t want to go upstairs yet. She needed a little while alone to compose herself. She took off her straw bonnet and coat and left them at the foot of the stairs, and carried on through to the shop kitchen and backyard. Outside, the warm muggy air hung like a blanket within the brick confines of the yard and she walked across and sat on top of a stack of empty orange boxes. She had managed to
‘Because he’s an upstart. Thinks he’s better than the rest of us.You can see it in his eyes, and all because he got lucky. He’s managed to pull the wool over Farmer Shawe’s eyes and work his way in but he’ll come a cropper one day.’
She stared into Adam’s face, at the clear fresh skin and handsome features.‘It must have been hard for him, looking the way he does.’
‘Don’t you believe it. He’s canny, he’s used it to his advantage. How else do you think he’s got where he is? By rights he should be here with the rest of us, doing what his da did and his granda afore him. Instead he chickened out and took the easy road.’
Such animosity. ‘Perhaps it’s not the easy road, just a different one.’
Adam’s face stiffened. ‘You sticking up for him?’
The look on his face warned her to say no more but lately she had bitten her tongue more than once. ‘I’m only saying people don’t necessarily have to follow what their parents do, that’s all. Just because his da was a miner and yours is, it doesn’t follow Jake or you have to be one. Everyone should be able to make their own destiny and aim for what they really want.’
Adam’s expression didn’t alter.‘You’re talking rubbish.’
‘I don’t think so. If folk want to better themselves—’
‘Oh, so he’s better than us now, is he? Here’s the truth of it. You think he’s better than me.’
‘Of course I don’t. I didn’t mean that. I was talking generally.’
‘Generally my backside.’ He was livid. She could see it. ‘Maybe you think you’re too good to walk out with me, is that it? All this talk about leaving the pit and going down south.’
Her expression altered to one of angry surprise. ‘I said that once, just once.’
‘Maybe it was once too much.’
‘You mean I can’t discuss anything with you? Can’t have an opinion? I’ve got to be like your mam and most of the women hereabouts, treating the man of the house as lord and master and worshipping the ground he walks on? Well, I don’t think I’m like that, Adam. So there you have it.’
There was a telling silence while they stared at each other, Adam’s face red with fury and Hannah’s chalk white. But she wasn’t going back on what she’d said, much as she loved him. He was like his father in as much as he didn’t think anyone could have a different opinion to him, certainly not a woman anyway. And she hated that about him.
‘If that’s the way you want it . . .’ He turned and marched away from her down the street towards his front door. The others had gone indoors.
For a moment she couldn’t believe he’d left her like that and she stood still, expecting him to turn any second and call for her to catch up with him. She watched him reach his front door and without pausing he went into the house. He did not look back.
The air went out of her like a deflated balloon and she felt the colour sweeping over her face with the urge to cry. Did this mean he’d finished with her? She wouldn’t be able to bear it if he had. Oh, why had she said those things? What did any of it matter compared to Adam? How could she have been so stupid?
She walked the twenty-odd yards to the shop on leaden feet, praying Adam’s head would appear round his front door any moment and he would come towards her. Inside the shop, she stood for a minute or two. She didn’t want to go upstairs yet. She needed a little while alone to compose herself. She took off her straw bonnet and coat and left them at the foot of the stairs, and carried on through to the shop kitchen and backyard. Outside, the warm muggy air hung like a blanket within the brick confines of the yard and she walked across and sat on top of a stack of empty orange boxes. She had managed to
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