any promises?’
Dumbly Jeannie nodded and took another sip of tea; her teeth chattered on the metal lip.
‘Stand up,’ Mrs Carr ordered and Jeannie thought she was going to order her out of the house, but she obeyed and the old woman barked out, ‘Turn about.’
Jeannie stared at her but did as she was bid. Mrs Carr nodded and then took the mug from her and refilled it from the teapot, though she didn’t offer any milk this time. She pointed a thin crooked finger indicating that Jeannie should sit again.
‘How old are you? How far gone?’
‘I’m s-sixteen. I last saw Harry in March.’
‘Five months, then. We’re still in August, aren’t we?’
‘Where is Harry?’ Jeannie said. ‘I need to talk to him.’
‘So do I,’ his grandmother said grimly, and Jeannie noticed that she had screwed the hem of her apron into a tight ball in her bony hand. ‘I’ll have summat to say when he gets in. He’ll feel ’sharp end o’ my tongue an’ no mistake.’
‘Where is he?’ Jeannie asked again. ‘I don’t want to miss my train home.’ She felt that she would have to go home; that she would get no satisfaction here.
‘You can stop here for ’night,’ Mrs Carr said unexpectedly. ‘He’ll probably be late in. If he’s not found work then he’ll be in ’pub ’avin’ a game o’ doms.’
For a moment Jeannie didn’t grasp what she was saying. What did she mean? Inpub ? Then she blinked. In the public house? Having a game of dominoes!
‘I see,’ she said. ‘And you think he’ll be late?’ Surely, she thought, if he hasn’t any work then he won’t waste time and money drinking and playing dominoes. Anxiety washed over her. Is this what he was like? Was he often out of work? Would she be better going home and living out her shame where she was known?
There was a sudden crash as if a door had been flung open and a second later the door from the scullery opened too and Harry, his face flushed and his hair tousled, stood there grinning.
‘Hey up, Nan! I said as I wouldn’t be late, didn’t I?’ He didn’t seem to notice Jeannie sitting by the fire, though she had turned her head towards him. ‘There’s nobody much about so I thought I might as well come home.’ He began to untie the laces on his boots, trying unsuccessfully to bend down without falling over and grabbing hold of the table.
‘Happen everybody else is in work!’ his grandmother said sourly. ‘Have you been down to ’docks?’
He straightened up and as he did so caught sight of Jeannie, her face almost level with his. His mouth opened as if he were about to speak, but he seemed to be dumbstruck and licked his lips instead.
‘Hello, Harry,’ Jeannie murmured. He looks like a naughty schoolboy, she thought, caught out in some misdemeanour. ‘Remember me?’
‘Jeannie!’ he breathed. ‘What ’you doing here? How did you find me?’
‘With difficulty,’ she said. ‘I had to ask several people.’
‘So …’
He was trying to ask why she had come, she thought, but didn’t know how to frame the question.
‘You asked me to wait for you,’ she said quietly. ‘You said—’
‘You said you’d marry her,’ his grandmother butted in. ‘Is that right?’
‘Well, aye,’ he blustered. ‘But not yet. I’ve no money, have I? No job.’
‘We’ll put ’banns up then. She’s pregnant.’
He took a gasping breath. ‘Pregnant!’
Jeannie nodded. ‘That’s what happens, Harry,’ she said. ‘When two people … You said you wanted me to marry you and come to live in Hull.’
Harry hung his head and didn’t look at her and scratched the back of his neck. Then he was almost knocked sideways as his grandmother stood up and hit out at him.
‘You great daft ha’porth!’ she shouted. ‘How could you think o’ bringing a bairn into ’world when life’s difficult enough trying to scratch a living and you wi’ no job?’
‘I didn’t think, Nan,’ he muttered. ‘I didn’t think about having
Dumbly Jeannie nodded and took another sip of tea; her teeth chattered on the metal lip.
‘Stand up,’ Mrs Carr ordered and Jeannie thought she was going to order her out of the house, but she obeyed and the old woman barked out, ‘Turn about.’
Jeannie stared at her but did as she was bid. Mrs Carr nodded and then took the mug from her and refilled it from the teapot, though she didn’t offer any milk this time. She pointed a thin crooked finger indicating that Jeannie should sit again.
‘How old are you? How far gone?’
‘I’m s-sixteen. I last saw Harry in March.’
‘Five months, then. We’re still in August, aren’t we?’
‘Where is Harry?’ Jeannie said. ‘I need to talk to him.’
‘So do I,’ his grandmother said grimly, and Jeannie noticed that she had screwed the hem of her apron into a tight ball in her bony hand. ‘I’ll have summat to say when he gets in. He’ll feel ’sharp end o’ my tongue an’ no mistake.’
‘Where is he?’ Jeannie asked again. ‘I don’t want to miss my train home.’ She felt that she would have to go home; that she would get no satisfaction here.
‘You can stop here for ’night,’ Mrs Carr said unexpectedly. ‘He’ll probably be late in. If he’s not found work then he’ll be in ’pub ’avin’ a game o’ doms.’
For a moment Jeannie didn’t grasp what she was saying. What did she mean? Inpub ? Then she blinked. In the public house? Having a game of dominoes!
‘I see,’ she said. ‘And you think he’ll be late?’ Surely, she thought, if he hasn’t any work then he won’t waste time and money drinking and playing dominoes. Anxiety washed over her. Is this what he was like? Was he often out of work? Would she be better going home and living out her shame where she was known?
There was a sudden crash as if a door had been flung open and a second later the door from the scullery opened too and Harry, his face flushed and his hair tousled, stood there grinning.
‘Hey up, Nan! I said as I wouldn’t be late, didn’t I?’ He didn’t seem to notice Jeannie sitting by the fire, though she had turned her head towards him. ‘There’s nobody much about so I thought I might as well come home.’ He began to untie the laces on his boots, trying unsuccessfully to bend down without falling over and grabbing hold of the table.
‘Happen everybody else is in work!’ his grandmother said sourly. ‘Have you been down to ’docks?’
He straightened up and as he did so caught sight of Jeannie, her face almost level with his. His mouth opened as if he were about to speak, but he seemed to be dumbstruck and licked his lips instead.
‘Hello, Harry,’ Jeannie murmured. He looks like a naughty schoolboy, she thought, caught out in some misdemeanour. ‘Remember me?’
‘Jeannie!’ he breathed. ‘What ’you doing here? How did you find me?’
‘With difficulty,’ she said. ‘I had to ask several people.’
‘So …’
He was trying to ask why she had come, she thought, but didn’t know how to frame the question.
‘You asked me to wait for you,’ she said quietly. ‘You said—’
‘You said you’d marry her,’ his grandmother butted in. ‘Is that right?’
‘Well, aye,’ he blustered. ‘But not yet. I’ve no money, have I? No job.’
‘We’ll put ’banns up then. She’s pregnant.’
He took a gasping breath. ‘Pregnant!’
Jeannie nodded. ‘That’s what happens, Harry,’ she said. ‘When two people … You said you wanted me to marry you and come to live in Hull.’
Harry hung his head and didn’t look at her and scratched the back of his neck. Then he was almost knocked sideways as his grandmother stood up and hit out at him.
‘You great daft ha’porth!’ she shouted. ‘How could you think o’ bringing a bairn into ’world when life’s difficult enough trying to scratch a living and you wi’ no job?’
‘I didn’t think, Nan,’ he muttered. ‘I didn’t think about having
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