child. Her hair was hanging limply down her back and around her face. Grace couldn’t help thinking – with the realization of how aware Rose must be of it too – that she looked just like a miniature, black-haired version of her mother.
‘Leave her,’ Dora said rather irritably. She was tired, being now seven months pregnant herself, as well as having had to deal with all the goings-on over Rose.
‘I’m going to go and see how they’re getting on outside,’ Grace said a bit huffily. Her mother and sister had an understanding nowadays that she definitely was not part of.
She went out into the street to look up and down at all the busy preparations. She saw someone coming towards her along the street and for a few seconds she couldn’t place who it was. Then she was back across the court to the house as fast as she could move.
‘Rose!’ she shrieked. ‘He’s here again!’
Rose looked up lifelessly. ‘Who?’
‘That bloke – Alfie – the one who come before. He’s got flowers this time.’
‘Oh no,’ Rose said. Dora and Grace could both hear the panic in her voice. ‘Don’t let him see me, for God’s sake.’ She was wiping her hands so hurriedly that she fumbled and dropped the cloth. ‘Go and tell him I’m not here again. Tell him I’ve gone away or something.’ And she was off upstairs.
Grace managed to reach Alfie as he was coming into the court. ‘You looking for Rose again?’ she asked, thinking what kind eyes he had and how funny his hair looked all sticking up like that.
‘Is she here?’ Grace could hear the combined hope and nervousness in his voice. ‘I’d really like to see her – if she’ll let me.’
At that moment young Harry waddled up and stood staring at this strange man who had appeared. He had wide blue eyes and a fat tummy. And he had nits and was forever scratching busily at his head.
‘E-yo,’ he said to Alfie.
‘Hello.’ Alfie smiled down at him. ‘Doing all right, are you?’
‘That’s our Harry,’ Grace told him.
‘Nice kid,’ Alfie said. ‘Anyway, is Rose in today?’
‘Rose . . .’ Harry said, turning towards the house, and Grace could tell he was about to point at it. Hurriedly she grabbed his hands and picked him up, wishing someone would pursue her with flowers and obvious admiration, because she’d make better use of it than Rose.
‘Rose ain’t here,’ she told him. ‘She’s gone away for a bit – to stay with Mom’s sister down Alcester way. She won’t be around for . . . well, we don’t know how long really.’ She didn’t like lying to him, but she felt it would save both his feelings and Rose’s.
‘Oh,’ Alfie said despondently. ‘Only I was hoping – you know, as it’s a holiday today . . .’
‘Well I’ll let her know you’ve been round – when I, er, write,’ Grace said. ‘It was nice of you to call.’
‘Here,’ Alfie said, holding out the bunch of pink and white flowers to her. ‘You might as well take these anyway. You have them, or give them to your mom.’
As he turned to go he pointed at number five. ‘That your house then, is it?’
‘Yes,’ Grace said shyly. ‘That’s us – number five.’
‘Tara then.’
Glancing up at the dark windows, Alfie felt sure he caught a glimpse of a pale face edged with black hair, before it ducked down below the sill.
He walked away angrily. What’s got into her? he thought. I s’pose she thinks I’m not good enough for her or something.
There had been a number of changes in Court 11 during the past six months.
First, Rose had been faced with telling Dora she had lost her job. When her daughter walked in that November evening, Dora had only to look at her to realize something had happened. Normally she came in from work tired, but quite animated, and often full of stories of things that had happened during the day. But that night she was quite silent, as if something had been tied up tight inside her.
‘Had a bad day?’ Sam casually asked
‘Leave her,’ Dora said rather irritably. She was tired, being now seven months pregnant herself, as well as having had to deal with all the goings-on over Rose.
‘I’m going to go and see how they’re getting on outside,’ Grace said a bit huffily. Her mother and sister had an understanding nowadays that she definitely was not part of.
She went out into the street to look up and down at all the busy preparations. She saw someone coming towards her along the street and for a few seconds she couldn’t place who it was. Then she was back across the court to the house as fast as she could move.
‘Rose!’ she shrieked. ‘He’s here again!’
Rose looked up lifelessly. ‘Who?’
‘That bloke – Alfie – the one who come before. He’s got flowers this time.’
‘Oh no,’ Rose said. Dora and Grace could both hear the panic in her voice. ‘Don’t let him see me, for God’s sake.’ She was wiping her hands so hurriedly that she fumbled and dropped the cloth. ‘Go and tell him I’m not here again. Tell him I’ve gone away or something.’ And she was off upstairs.
Grace managed to reach Alfie as he was coming into the court. ‘You looking for Rose again?’ she asked, thinking what kind eyes he had and how funny his hair looked all sticking up like that.
‘Is she here?’ Grace could hear the combined hope and nervousness in his voice. ‘I’d really like to see her – if she’ll let me.’
At that moment young Harry waddled up and stood staring at this strange man who had appeared. He had wide blue eyes and a fat tummy. And he had nits and was forever scratching busily at his head.
‘E-yo,’ he said to Alfie.
‘Hello.’ Alfie smiled down at him. ‘Doing all right, are you?’
‘That’s our Harry,’ Grace told him.
‘Nice kid,’ Alfie said. ‘Anyway, is Rose in today?’
‘Rose . . .’ Harry said, turning towards the house, and Grace could tell he was about to point at it. Hurriedly she grabbed his hands and picked him up, wishing someone would pursue her with flowers and obvious admiration, because she’d make better use of it than Rose.
‘Rose ain’t here,’ she told him. ‘She’s gone away for a bit – to stay with Mom’s sister down Alcester way. She won’t be around for . . . well, we don’t know how long really.’ She didn’t like lying to him, but she felt it would save both his feelings and Rose’s.
‘Oh,’ Alfie said despondently. ‘Only I was hoping – you know, as it’s a holiday today . . .’
‘Well I’ll let her know you’ve been round – when I, er, write,’ Grace said. ‘It was nice of you to call.’
‘Here,’ Alfie said, holding out the bunch of pink and white flowers to her. ‘You might as well take these anyway. You have them, or give them to your mom.’
As he turned to go he pointed at number five. ‘That your house then, is it?’
‘Yes,’ Grace said shyly. ‘That’s us – number five.’
‘Tara then.’
Glancing up at the dark windows, Alfie felt sure he caught a glimpse of a pale face edged with black hair, before it ducked down below the sill.
He walked away angrily. What’s got into her? he thought. I s’pose she thinks I’m not good enough for her or something.
There had been a number of changes in Court 11 during the past six months.
First, Rose had been faced with telling Dora she had lost her job. When her daughter walked in that November evening, Dora had only to look at her to realize something had happened. Normally she came in from work tired, but quite animated, and often full of stories of things that had happened during the day. But that night she was quite silent, as if something had been tied up tight inside her.
‘Had a bad day?’ Sam casually asked
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