Elm Tree Road E-Book

Anna Jacobs

• Herausgeber: Allison & Busby
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: The Wiltshire Girls
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2011

Seitenzahl: 440

Beschreibung

After being driven from home by their brutal father, the Willett sisters find themselves facing greater heartache in the wider world. Nell, the middle daughter, has left home to be with her lover, Cliff, fearing what reprisals might come from marrying against her father's wishes. The couple head for Lancashire, but Nell's happiness is short-lived. A gypsy palm-reader tells her she will still find her destiny, under 'three big trees on a hill' and her luck does seem to change when she meets Hugh, and farmer and a gentleman who she can't help but feel drawn to. Could the trees on his land be a sign, or will Nell be too damaged by her past to let herself love again?

Leseprobe

Elm Tree Road

ANNA JACOBS

Contents

Title PageChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter SixChapter SevenChapter EightChapter NineChapter TenChapter ElevenChapter TwelveChapter ThirteenChapter FourteenChapter FifteenChapter SixteenChapter SeventeenChapter EighteenBy Anna JacobsCopyright

Elm Tree Road

Chapter One

Swindon, Wiltshire; March 1910

The night before, Nell slept only fitfully. She kept waking with a start, terrified her father had found out what she was going to do and was coming to drag her back and beat her. In the end, the sounds from other houses in the terrace told her it was time to get up. She lay for a moment or two longer, feeling desperately sad, then got out of bed and lit a candle.

That woke her sister Mattie, who didn’t say anything, just lay staring at her from the far side of the bed, looking as miserable as Nell felt. At twenty-nine, Mattie knew how serious this was and that only desperation would have driven them to it.

It was strange. Mattie was running away to avoid marrying the man Nell’s father had chosen for her, and Nell was running away so that she could get married.

They had to shake their youngest sister awake, as usual, and Renie was excited rather than sad. To a sixteen-year-old, this seemed like an adventure.

Today all three of them were running away from their bully of a father. Nell was leaving with Cliff, and they were going to get married as soon as they could. Now she was twenty-one, she didn’t need her father’s permission. He wouldn’t have given it, she knew, even though she was expecting Cliff’s child. Her father said it was his daughters’ duty to support him in his old age.

Renie was going to live with them but Mattie had to make her own way in the world. Nell didn’t know where her sister was going – anywhere away from him – and was upset that Cliff wouldn’t let both her sisters come and live with them. But he could get stubborn sometimes and he’d put his foot down about this. Mattie was too old to get married now, he said, and she’d be on his hands for ever. What’s more, she’d want to rule the roost and he wasn’t having that.

Any other morning she and her sisters would have chatted quietly as they got dressed, but today they were too sad to talk. Nell managed to squeeze into four pairs of drawers, three shifts, three petticoats and two blouses, then rolled up stockings and other bits and pieces and crammed them into a shopping bag. She had to take as much with her as possible without him realising.

Renie and Mattie’s clothing was similarly bulky, and Renie also had a shopping bag full of bits and pieces. They thought they could get away with taking that to work without anyone realising what they were doing.

Even if they’d been able to leave openly, there were no suitcases in the house because their father didn’t approve of going away on holiday. He’d only once gone on the annual trip put on by the Railway Works for its employees and their families, and after that had refused point-blank to waste his time or let his family go on it. Nell had cried about that several times as a child, seeing all her friends looking forward to Trip Day.

Any other father might have noticed their sudden plumpness today, but not Bart Fuller. He shovelled down the breakfast Mattie put in front of him, then left for work without so much as a thank you.

Only then were the three of them free to hug one another and whisper final hopes and wishes. After that Mattie stepped back and said harshly, ‘Go on with you. No use drawing it out. And make sure you get your wages today. You’ll need every penny.’

Nell couldn’t hold back a sob and a final reminder. ‘Remember, Mattie, wherever you are, be sure to get in touch with Cliff’s family in two years’ time. We’ll do the same, Cliff’s agreed about that. We’ll let them know where we are, too.’

Renie said nothing, just looked at Mattie, her eyes brimming with tears, then gave her eldest sister another crushing hug and rushed out of the house.

Nell followed more slowly, catching up with Renie and telling her sharply to stop crying. She automatically greeted other women they met as they walked to the laundry where they both worked. It was a cold morning with rain threatening, and she got teased about wearing extra clothing to keep warm. They noticed. He hadn’t.

After they’d clocked in and were heading towards their workstations, Renie whispered, ‘I’m frightened. He’ll find out, I know he will.’

‘No, he won’t. It’ll be all right, I promise you. We’ve planned it very carefully. I like your new idea of pretending to be sick. It’ll be more convincing. He won’t catch us.’

But Nell was afraid too. She knew their father had no idea what they were planning to do, but still, fear of him churned inside her.

At quarter past eight, Renie put their plan into operation, doubling up as if in pain, then rushing to the outhouse. She didn’t come back and the chargehand sent Nell to see what she was doing. When she got back, she reported that her sister had a bad stomach upset.

When the chargehand went to check up, there was no trouble persuading her to let Nell off for an hour to take her home, Renie looked so white and sickly.

‘Your sister shouldn’t have come in today. I could tell the minute I saw her that she was sickening for something. And you hurry back, Nell Fuller. I’ll have to dock your pay for every hour you’re away, you know.’

But when the chargehand had gone back to work, Nell slipped along to the office and begged for their pay up until yesterday. ‘If I have to get something for Renie from the chemist, I’ll have no money at all. You know what my dad’s like.’

‘Why do you both need your wages?’

‘In case I can’t get back here. Dad’ll kill us if we’ve no money for him this week.’

And because everyone knew what a bully Bart Fuller was, they let her have the wages owing up to the previous day. She sighed in relief as she put the money in her purse.

Not much to run away on, less than two pounds, but better than nothing.

They got to the station with several minutes to spare before the nine o’clock train, finding a place to wait behind a pile of luggage, hoping no one they knew would notice them.

‘What if your Cliff doesn’t come?’ Renie asked, shaking the raindrops off her scarf and settling it more comfortably round her neck.

It was Nell’s greatest fear too, but she wasn’t going to admit that. ‘He will come,’ she insisted.

But at five to nine Cliff still hadn’t arrived.

‘He’s not coming.’ Renie clutched her arm. ‘Dad’ll kill us for coming home from work.’

‘Of course Cliff will be here.’ Surely he wouldn’t let them down?

At three minutes to nine, he rushed into the station, carrying a suitcase and a canvas sack with a drawstring containing his toolbox, as they’d planned. Without his tools, how would he earn a living for them?

He gestured to them to go to the platform where the train was already waiting, and went to buy the tickets. He came running to join them, only just in time. After he’d put his suitcase in the overhead net, he sat down, still clutching his toolbox.

He didn’t say a word, just stared at her, then looked out of the window. Nell had expected him to comfort her, put his arm round her. He was supposed to love her, but he hadn’t acted lovingly ever since she told him she was expecting. And that wasn’t fair.

As the train whistled and began to puff slowly out of the station, Nell saw a shawled figure standing watching near the entrance. In spite of the shawl being pulled down over the woman’s head, she recognised her sister Mattie instantly. That was the final straw. She began to sob.

‘Be quiet!’ Cliff snapped. ‘I don’t know what you’ve got to cry about.’

Nell tried to control herself but the odd tear was still escaping when the train pulled into Wootton Bassett, where they were to get off.

‘Hide in the waiting room till the other passengers have left the station,’ he ordered.

He kept watch near the door, then beckoned them. ‘Right. It’s clear.’ He hurried them across to a low wall at one side, boosting Nell and Renie over it, then passing them the bags. Finally, he scrambled over himself.

Nell hoped he would give her a hug now that the first part of their escape was over, but all he said was, ‘Hurry up.’

He set off walking away from the centre of the little town. ‘I told my cousin we’d wait by the side of the road.’

Renie shivered. ‘I hope he comes quickly. It’s going to rain again soon.’

Nell nudged her. Cliff seemed on edge, so it was best not to chat and disturb him.

Only a few minutes later one of the new motor lorries that were starting to replace horses and carts came into view, moving far more quickly than a horse ever could. Nell had never ridden in a motor vehicle before and felt a bit nervous about this part of the journey. She didn’t like the smell it made but the faster they got away the happier she’d be.

‘Here’s my cousin,’ Cliff said unnecessarily as the lorry drew up next to them.

The driver got down from his high seat at the front, grunted something that could have been a greeting, and came round to lift the back edge of the tarpaulin covering the goods. ‘They can shelter from the rain under it,’ he said to Cliff. ‘You come in the front with me.’

‘We should have gone on by train,’ Renie said, scowling at the dirty floor of the truck.

‘How many times do I have to tell you? My cousin’s giving us a lift so that your damned father won’t be able to trace where we’ve gone from Swindon. He’s taking this load to Gloucester and from there we’ll go by train to Manchester.’

‘Are we still going to Rochdale?’ Nell asked. Cliff hadn’t wanted to talk about details.

His voice was sharp. ‘Why do you keep asking that? You know I’ve got relatives in Rochdale who’ll help us get started. That’s better than going among strangers. My mother’s written to them. In between crying her eyes out because I have to leave.’ He looked at her as if that was her fault.

Nell shut her mouth with a snap. They’d never agree about his mother, who had spoilt him rotten and would never consider anyone good enough for him. The few times they’d met, Mrs Greenhill had looked down her nose at Nell. She hadn’t liked visiting them. It was a dark, mean little house and his mother set a poor table, even when guests were invited.

Cliff helped her up into the back of the lorry, where she and her sister had to squeeze in uncomfortably between two crates.

As he got Renie settled, Nell couldn’t stop another tear tracking its way down her cheek and didn’t bother to wipe it away.

‘Damned well stop crying!’ he yelled suddenly. ‘What have you got to cry about? I’ve given up my job and family for you. You’re getting a wage earner to look after you and the baby, aren’t you? That’s what you women want, isn’t it? All I can say is, it’d better be bloody worth it. Make sure you give me a son.’

She stared at him in shock, never having seen him like this. As if it wasn’t his baby too. As if she could do anything about whether it was a son or a daughter.

Scowling, he yanked the edges of the tarpaulin round them and went to sit in the front next to his cousin.

She exchanged quick glances with Renie, but didn’t make any comment. What could you say? Done was done.

Nell felt lost today, not her usual self at all, and to top it all, she was worried sick about Mattie, who still hadn’t recovered from a bad cold and shouldn’t be out in such weather. To her surprise, she was also more than a bit nervous of this new Cliff, who’d just spoken to her harshly and looked at her as if he hated her. When they started courting, he’d been so nice, so loving, but he’d changed.

She got annoyed with herself for being so timid. He might have had to give up his job, but that was more his fault than hers. He was the one who’d forced himself on her, so why was he blaming her for the baby? And once he’d done it, he’d expected her to let him use her body every time they could steal an hour together.

She couldn’t understand what he saw in it. She found it an uncomfortable business and it must look so silly. No wonder people did it in secret. But it was what men and women did together when they got married, and it seemed to please him, so she’d just have to put up with it as other wives did.

Renie reached out to take her hand, and as rain began to fall more heavily, the two sisters pulled the tarpaulin right over themselves and huddled close to one another for warmth.

‘We’ll be all right now we’ve got away,’ Renie whispered.

A little later she said, ‘Your Cliff’s grumpy today, isn’t he? Is he often like that?’

‘No, he isn’t. He’s worried about getting away from Dad, that’s why he’s so bad-tempered. He’s not a big man, like Dad, would never hold his own in a fight.’

But Nell wasn’t nearly as sure as she pretended that they’d be all right. She wasn’t sure of anything today, not even the man she was going to marry.

The industrial parts of Lancashire came as a shock to the two girls, so smoky was the air and so grimy were the buildings. It was far worse than the centre of Swindon and the railway works. Whole towns seemed to be wreathed in black smoke as you passed through them by train.

The station in Manchester was crowded, but they were lucky and found a train to Rochdale ready to set out.

The railway station there wasn’t even in the town centre, so they had a long walk to get to Cliff’s relatives. The man they were going to was some sort of second cousin and had sent a letter telling them how to get there. Cliff had never met him before, but family helped one another in times of trouble.

By now, Nell felt so weary she could hardly put one foot in front of the other. Even Renie, usually full of energy, was quiet and pale. And it was raining again. Would it ever stop?

Cliff’s cousin George and his wife Pauline looked at Nell disapprovingly and hardly said a word to her. She wanted to yell out that it wasn’t her fault she was expecting a baby, but was afraid of being shown the door if she upset them, so kept quiet.

Lodgings had been found for the two sisters a few doors away, and Cliff was to sleep on the sofa at his cousins’. Before they knew it, Nell and Renie had been taken along the street and left for the night, even though it was only half past eight.

‘I’m not doing food at this hour,’ the landlady said as the front door closed behind Cliff. ‘I don’t serve meals after half past six.’

‘But we haven’t had any tea!’ Renie protested.

‘Nothing to do with me. You should have come earlier if you wanted tea. Won’t hurt you to go without food for one night. I went to bed hungry many a time when I were a little ’un.’

Nell shook her head at her sister, who looked at her incredulously then snapped her mouth shut. After the landlady had left them, she said, ‘I’m sorry to have brought you to this.’

‘It’s not your fault.’ Renie came to sit beside her on the bed. ‘Shall we nip out and buy something from the corner shop?’

‘No. We’ll manage tonight and she’ll feed us in the morning. We need to save every single penny of our money.’ She hadn’t given any of their wages to Renie, who always spent any coins she got straight away, buying sweets, magazines or other rubbish. Not that any of them had had much chance to treat themselves because their father took nearly all of their wages. ‘We might as well go to bed. It’s cold and damp in this room.’

‘But I’m thirsty.’

‘There’s water in the bathroom tap.’

In spite of her complaints, Renie was soon asleep but Nell lay awake worrying. If this was an example of how Cliff kept his promise to look after her, what was the rest of her life going to be like? He hadn’t even asked the landlady about their evening meal, and had gone quickly back to his cousins’ for his own tea.

Only, what could she do but marry him with a baby on the way?

She didn’t cry, was beyond tears now. She’d expected to feel happy at escaping from her father, but instead she felt apprehensive about the future.

Before she went to sleep, she murmured a prayer for her eldest sister, hoping Mattie had found somewhere better than this for her first night.

She was woken next morning by a nearby mill hooter, which was nearly as loud as the one at Swindon’s railway works. It was soon followed by others, then the clatter of clogs on pavements. She was so tired, she dozed off again, and of course Renie never stirred till someone shook her awake.

There was a knock on the door and the landlady yelled, ‘Get up, you two! Everyone else has gone to work and I want you out of the house.’

‘What about breakfast?’ Renie asked when they went down.

‘What about it? You’ve missed it. I cleared the table half an hour ago. It’s up to the Greenhills to feed you now. Don’t take long. I want to clean the house. And remember, no lodgers are allowed inside during the day, so don’t come back till teatime.’

‘But we need something to eat,’ Nell protested. ‘We didn’t have tea last night, either.’

‘Well, you’re not getting anything from me now. I don’t usually have your sort staying here. I only took you in for the sake of poor Pauline Greenhill.’ She looked at Nell’s stomach suggestively.

Nell could feel herself blushing, and as soon as the door had closed behind the landlady, she said, ‘Hurry up. We’ll have to buy something to eat.’

She staggered as they went out into the street and Renie caught hold of her. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Just a bit dizzy. I don’t feel well in the mornings at the moment.’

They went along the street and knocked on the door to find Cliff waiting impatiently for them. ‘You’re late. I have to go and see about a job. It’s not looking like rain, so you might as well walk into town with me and start getting to know your way round.’

‘What time will we meet you?’ Nell asked, feeling as if she was talking to a stranger.

‘Come back here at twelve.’

‘What about food?’ Renie asked. ‘We haven’t had anything to eat since you bought us those sandwiches yesterday. That landlady didn’t give us anything last night and not this morning, either. She said we’d missed the time for breakfast. But no one called us down, did they? She’s just trying to cheat us.’

He looked at them in surprise. ‘I thought tea and breakfast were included in the board. She’s certainly charging enough.’

‘She told us to clear out and said the Greenhills would have to feed us.’

‘Just a minute.’ He went along the street and knocked on the door of their lodgings.

They could hear the sounds of an argument but couldn’t make out the words.

Nell was still feeling faint, so leant against the wall.

Suddenly their bulging shopping bags were hurled out on to the pavement, spilling clothes all over the place. Renie ran along the street to help Cliff pick them up, but not before some of them got wet and dirty. Nell was feeling so queasy she didn’t dare move for a minute or two.

Cliff came back with her bag, still looking angry. ‘She should have given you meals. I’ll ask my cousin for something. You can’t go without food.’

He left them standing outside, and when he came back, said, ‘There’s some bread you can have. Don’t use too much marge on it. They’ve not got a lot of money, not with five children. We’ll buy them another loaf while we’re out. You can leave your bags here in the front room.’

Five children, Nell thought with a shudder. She didn’t want that many. Just this one was causing so much trouble. She felt more tired than normal and sick every morning.

When they left his cousins’ house after being given one thin piece of bread and scrape each, he said, ‘You’d better come with me and wait outside the upholstery place while I go and see about the job. We’ll get something else to eat after that, then go and look for some other lodgings for you. If I get this job, you can start looking for work as well. It’d make a big difference to have us all bringing something in.’

After they’d waited a few minutes outside the upholstery factory, Cliff came outside again. He looked so downhearted, Nell could tell at once that he hadn’t got the job. She didn’t like to remind him they were still hungry. Renie had wanted to buy a loaf, but she’d told her to wait. They weren’t spending a penny unless they had to, because who knew what they’d need their own money for? Cliff had far more than them. He’d been saving for years. She’d heard his workmates tease him about being tight-fisted.

He looked at her. ‘I didn’t get it.’

She went to pat his arm. ‘I’m sorry, Cliff. What shall we do now?’

‘The foreman said there might be a job in somewhere called Milnrow. I have to go there by train, but I think you’d better stay here in Rochdale. I don’t want to pay three lots of fares for nothing. I’ll see you later at my cousins’. Don’t go back there till teatime, though.’

He was gone before they could do anything. He seemed quite desperate to get a job, and she could understand that, but it was only their first full day here, so if it took him a few days to find one, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. It clearly meant a lot to him, though. When she thought about it, he’d had a job right from school, working for Great Western, first as a lad who did anything asked of him, then as an apprentice, then as an upholsterer, one of the better jobs in the railway works.

This must be the first time in his life he’d not had a wage coming in and he was panicking. That would explain why he was so … tense.

But he could still have given some thought to them, and he hadn’t. Not even one minute’s consideration.

She linked her arm in her sister’s and they started walking along by the river in the centre of town, which was crossed by several bridges. One of them was quite new, and when they stopped to look over the edge at the muddy shallow river, an old woman passing by stopped to chat and told them the Esplanade Bridge had only been finished the previous year.

‘Why is the water red?’ Renie asked.

‘From the dyeworks, love. It often changes colour, depending on what they’re using there.’

Renie wrinkled her nose. ‘It doesn’t smell very nice.’

The woman laughed. ‘Where there’s muck there’s money!’ She moved on, and as it started raining again, they followed her to the more sheltered Yorkshire Street, with its rows of shops.

It was a long cold day and they didn’t always find shelter from the showers, so got wetter and wetter. At noon, Nell bought a stale lardy cake, cheap because it’d been baked yesterday. It gave you quite a lot for your money, and they shared that, finding a drinking fountain to wash it down.

The next time it began to rain hard they went into the library for a while. Nell read the newspapers while Renie found a book about a maid who fell in love with her mistress’s son.

They kept quiet, trying not to be noticed, but after a while a man came over to them. ‘Are you members of the library?’

‘Er … no. We’ve just come to live in Rochdale and we’re waiting to see if my … husband gets a job. I thought I’d see if I could find a job too.’ She indicated the newspaper.

‘Well, you can stay another hour till you’ve checked out the jobs, but we can’t have every Tom, Dick and Harry using the library as a shelter when it rains.’

Nell remembered to keep her hand hidden inside her skirt so that he didn’t see her lack of a wedding ring. When he looked at her as if expecting a reply, she nodded and said, ‘Thank you.’ What a mean fellow! She went back to looking down the columns of jobs. Many of the job names meant nothing to her, because they were in the mills, and what did she know about mill work?

Anyway, once she and Cliff were married, she’d have a house and husband to look after and wouldn’t be able to work full-time. That left jobs like cleaning or doing people’s washing privately, which didn’t pay much. She sighed. Cliff wasn’t the only one who’d come down in the world. The supervisor at the laundry in Swindon had said she was a good worker and might be put in charge of two other girls soon. She’d lost her chance at that now, as well as everything else she’d dreamt about. And it was all his fault.

After an hour, the man who’d spoken to them before came to stand nearby, so they left the library, to find it still raining steadily outside.

‘We can’t just walk the streets,’ Renie said. ‘I’m soaked already. Surely Cliff’s cousin will let us wait in the house?’

They went back, but when Pauline opened the door, she didn’t invite them in, just kept them standing on the doorstep.

‘I wonder if we could shelter in your house?’ Nell asked. ‘Cliff’s gone to somewhere called Milnrow and we’ve nowhere else to go.’

‘You should have been more polite to your landlady.’

‘Polite? She refused to give us any tea or breakfast. And it was Cliff who quarrelled with her because of that, not us.’

‘She told me you’d turned up your nose at bread and marg.’

Nell drew herself up and said quietly, ‘Not one crumb was offered, and she didn’t give us a cup of tea, either. But if you’d prefer to believe her, I can’t stop you. Don’t let us prevent you from getting on with your housework.’ She turned away and put her arm round Renie, who was shivering. ‘Come on, love.’

‘I suppose you’d better come in.’

‘Not if we’re unwelcome.’ Nell began walking away, calling over her shoulder, ‘We’ll be back at six. Cliff should be home by then.’

‘You should have gone in, even if she was unfriendly,’ Renie said. ‘I’m so c-cold.’

‘Not when she thinks we’re immoral and liars. And she hasn’t called us back again, has she? She’s just let us walk away.’

‘What are we going to do for the rest of the afternoon?’ Renie asked.

‘Find shelter, if it’s only at a bus stop. Cheer up. Things will get better once Cliff finds a job.’

‘He looks at us as if he hates us.’

‘He’s worried about money, isn’t himself at the moment.’

‘We’ve lost our jobs too.’

‘It’s different for a man.’

‘I don’t see why,’ Renie muttered.

‘Because he’s the breadwinner.’

‘We all have to buy food. And I’m starving hungry again.’

‘Don’t let’s argue, love. Now, keep your eyes open. There must be somewhere we can shelter.’

Chapter Two

Cliff found the upholsterer’s shop he’d been told about and stopped in dismay. It was an upholsterer’s all right, but it was small and looked run-down. There was a roughly written sign saying, ‘Man wanted, must know the trade’, so he went inside.

An older man shuffled out from a door at the back. ‘Yes?’

‘I’ve come about the job.’

‘Know anything about upholstery?’

‘Yes. I’ve served my apprenticeship.’ He pulled his papers out of his inside pocket.

The man barely glanced at them before handing them back and saying, ‘Got your own tools?’

‘Of course.’

‘Come through, then.’ He led the way into a much larger workshop at the back, which was in chaos. ‘Sorry about the mess. I’ve been without help for weeks, except for my grandson here, and he’s not up to much, poor soul.’ He tapped his head and indicated a spotty youth with a dopey

expression, who was sweeping up half-heartedly. ‘I’m Don Rayner.’ He offered his hand.

‘Clifford Greenhill.’

‘Where have you been working?’

‘On railway upholstery for Great Western in Swindon.’

‘Good job, that. Why did you leave?’

Cliff hesitated, then decided on the truth. ‘I got a girl in trouble and her father’s a brute. I had to leave town quickly.’

Rayner frowned at him. ‘Nay, I don’t want someone working here who’d leave a lass in trouble.’

‘I didn’t leave her. She came with me. Her father would have beaten her senseless if he’d found out she was expecting. Me too. He crippled a fellow who was courting her older sister. We’re going to get wed as soon as we find somewhere to settle.’

‘Oh. Well, I suppose I could give you a try.’

Cliff looked round. ‘It’s mostly domestic work, I suppose?’

‘It’s all domestic, but I don’t expect it’s much different from what you did.’

‘How much are you paying?’

‘Thirty shillin’ a week.’

‘I was earning two pound five shillings a week in Swindon.’

‘Well, thirty’s all I can afford. Take it or leave it.’

Cliff hesitated, then said, ‘I’ll take it.’

‘You can start this afternoon, then. I’ve got a rush job on.’

‘All right. But I’ll have to leave at five o’clock. I’m meeting Nell at six in Rochdale.’

Later, as they were working together on a button-backed sofa, Cliff had a sudden thought. ‘Know any houses to let near here?’ That’d mean he’d not have to waste money, time and shoe leather on travelling.

‘There’s one close by in Willow Court. It’s not much but it’ll give you a start. I’ll send the lad to ask for the key and you can nip round and have a look at it when we’ve finished this.’

A couple of hours later Cliff nipped along the back alley and found his way to Willow Court, stopping at the entrance to look round in dismay. No wonder the house was cheap. It was a very low form of housing, though at least it wasn’t the worst of its type.

Five narrow dwellings clustered round a tiny oblong courtyard with an old-fashioned water closet near the entrance. Inside the empty house, he found one room and a scullery on the ground floor, two small bedrooms upstairs. ‘Cheap’ was the only good thing you could say about the place, and the fact that it was close to his work.

His mother would go mad to think of him living here. Still, it was only four shillings a week rent and they’d need furniture and everything, so Nell would just have to put up with it for the time being. They could move somewhere better later. And her cheeky sister should be grateful for anything.

Late that afternoon Cliff got off the train in Rochdale, feeling miserable in spite of having found a job and having earned three shillings that day. It was raining again and he shivered as he tramped across town to his cousins’. He’d come down in the world and no mistake. Women! They weren’t worth it. And now he’d be saddled with a child and a sister-in-law.

He’d heard there were ways to stop more children coming, and by hell, he’d make sure he found out about them. If he and Nell had more than one or two children, they’d be poor for the rest of their lives.

Why did he have to fall for a girl with a father like that? He’d been set for life at the railway works, might even have managed to buy his own house one day, and now look at him.

Renie and Nell walked on in the rain, sheltering in an occasional shop doorway for a few minutes. But each time they lingered, someone from the shop came to ask them to ‘Move on, please’.

There were two main streets leading upwards from the town centre and there were plenty of shops along them. They even went into one or two of the bigger places to look at the goods, pretty dress materials that Nell could have made up easily. She was starting to like sewing, or rather, to like the clothes that came from it.

After someone had asked yet again, ‘Can I help you, miss?’ Nell had had enough. ‘Let’s find somewhere else to shelter, Renie. The rain’s eased off a bit.’ She turned off along a narrow side street and followed it aimlessly.

The wind suddenly started blowing hard and yet another squall sent rain driving in their faces. They were passing a small chapel, the door of which was open. ‘Let’s try inside there,’ Nell said. ‘Surely they won’t turn us away.’

They ran for the porch and she nearly bumped into a thin, slightly balding man standing under it near the door. ‘Oh, sorry.’

‘Do come in. You look soaked through.’

She stared down at herself. She hadn’t realised quite how wet she was, but her skirt was actually dripping on the floor. ‘Can we … shelter here for a bit?’

‘Of course you can. The Lord’s house is open to everyone. Have you no home to go to?’ His voice was gentle, his accent posh, but his eyes were kind.

‘Not at the moment, no. We’ve just arrived in Rochdale and my young man’s looking for work.’

‘Then you’re very welcome to stay here out of the rain. I could make you a cup of tea. I have a small spirit stove. Your poor friend’s shivering.’

‘That’s very kind of you. If it’s not too much trouble.’

He smiled at them. ‘I’m Septimus Garrett, by the way. I’m the minister here.’

‘Nell Fuller.’ She realised she should have said Greenhill, but it was too late now. ‘And this is my sister, Renie.’

They sat on hard wooden chairs in his private room, their outer clothes draped over other chair backs, even their indoor clothes steaming from the heat of the fire. He asked a few questions and was so sympathetic about their plight that the whole story came tumbling out.

When she’d finished, Nell looked at him apprehensively, cradling her second cup of tea in her hands, enjoying its warmth as much as its taste. ‘I know I’ve done wrong,’ she faltered.

‘Let he who is without fault cast the first stone,’ he said quietly. ‘And if you’re still homeless at the end of the day, you can sleep in here tonight, as long as you don’t mind sharing a rug on the floor and using another rug as a blanket. My home is just across the street, the house with the blue door. Just knock if you need help. This is quite a poor area and we haven’t any proper beds to offer you, I’m afraid, but others have sheltered here.’

Tears came into her eyes. ‘Thank you. You’re very kind.’

‘It’s my calling to help others.’ His smile was warm and made him look much younger. ‘Now, what time do you have to meet your young man?’

‘About six.’

‘Then I suggest you stay here until then. I can even lend you a newspaper to read. I have to go and visit a woman from our congregation who’s sick, but I’ll be back before you leave.’

When he’d gone, Renie sighed. ‘It’s horrible being homeless, isn’t it? I never thought it’d be as bad as this, though.’ She gulped and scrubbed at her eyes with one hand.

Nell didn’t have the energy to comfort her. ‘It’s no use crying. It won’t do any good. Things will get better once Cliff finds a job, and in the meantime, we’ll just have to put up with things.’

She hugged her knees and sat soaking up the warmth, too weary to read or chat. What was there to say that hadn’t been said a dozen times already?

When Cliff got back to his cousins’ house, he expected Nell and Renie to be waiting for him there and was surprised not to see them.

‘They wouldn’t stay,’ Cousin Pauline said.

Something about the way she avoided his eyes as she said that made him feel suspicious. ‘On a rainy day like this? Where else would they go?’

She glanced at the children and gestured to him to follow her, leading him into the chilly front room where he’d slept the night before.

‘Have you seen them? Do you know where they’ve gone?’ he pressed when she stood twisting her apron hem, still seeming reluctant to speak.

‘How would I know where they’ve gone? Women like that usually find somewhere, I’m sure.’

He looked at her in shock. ‘What do you mean, “women like that”?’

‘Well, your mother wrote that your … young lady is expecting. Your parents are very upset about you marrying this Nell Fuller, you know. You weren’t even engaged to her, apparently, till this happened. I suppose that’s why you’re in such trouble with her father. And her sister’s a bold piece, if you ask me. Cheek the King, that one would.’

He held back his indignation only because he had nowhere else to turn for help. ‘My Nell’s not like that. She’s never been with anyone but me.’

Pauline sniffed as if she didn’t believe him.

‘I know she hasn’t,’ he repeated.

His cousin George came home just then, slamming the door and stopping in the doorway of the front room. ‘What are you doing in here? Is my tea ready? I’m starving.’

‘It’s nearly ready, love. We were just talking and I didn’t want the kids overhearing.’

She tried to move past Cliff but he barred her way. ‘You do believe me about Nell, don’t you?’

She shrugged. ‘If you say so. We won’t wait for them two, though. My George needs his food after a hard day’s work.’

George rubbed his hands together briskly to warm them. ‘That smells good, love.’ He turned to Cliff. ‘Why aren’t them two back yet? What can they be doing out on a rainy day like this? I warn you, I’m not having any immoral behaviour from anyone who comes into my house.’ He turned to go through to the back.

‘Just a minute, George!’ Cliff looked from one to the other. ‘It seems my mother’s given you the wrong impression about Nell. She’s a good girl.’ He could see that they didn’t believe him and added, ‘I forced her, if you must know, and that’s why she’s expecting.’

‘Oh.’ Pauline went bright red.

‘I’m not proud of what I did. And … I’ve not treated her well since we left Swindon, either, because I was upset at having to give up my job. Her father’s a brute. He nearly killed a man who came courting her older sister.’

George clapped him on the shoulder. ‘Right, lad. I’m glad she’s not that sort. Pale little thing, isn’t she?’

‘She isn’t usually pale. She’s usually very pretty. I’m worried about what Nell and Renie will do tonight, now they’ve been thrown out of those lodgings down the street. That woman’s a right old cheat. She didn’t feed them so much as a crumb, and they only had a piece of bread and scrape here this morning, so they must be starving hungry as well as wet and cold. I’m not paying that landlady the full amount, whatever she says.’

They stared at him open-mouthed.

‘She told me they turned up their noses at what she offered this morning,’ Pauline said.

‘No, they didn’t. Would you, if you hadn’t eaten since the day before?’ He wasn’t finished because a man had his pride, even when it was going to cost him money. ‘If we’re not welcome here, just say, and we’ll find lodgings somewhere else.’

George shrugged. ‘I’m glad we’ve got that sorted out. We’ll let ’em sleep in the front room tonight if they’ve nowhere to go, eh, Pauline, but we’ve no blankets to spare.’

His wife nodded. ‘They can cover themselves with the rag rug from the back room. It’s the best we can do.’

‘Thanks.’ Cliff let her pass, watched them both walk towards the warmth of the kitchen and went to look out of the front door, feeling guilty about Nell being out in the cold and rain all day. He stayed on the doorstep with the door nearly closed behind him, stubbornly watching for them, suddenly desperate to be sure they were all right.

When the two of them came into view, there was a man with them and Nell was smiling up at him, which annoyed Cliff after the conversation he’d just had.

Her smile faded when she saw him scowling at her and she looked at him uncertainly. He was reminded yet again how tiny she was, how fragile she felt in his arms.

‘Where the hell have you been?’ he demanded. ‘I’ve been worried sick to think of you out in the rain all day.’

‘Mr Garrett kindly let us shelter in the new chapel. Mr Garrett, this is my betrothed, Cliff Greenhill.’

The stranger held out his hand. ‘Pleased to meet you.’

Cliff could do nothing but take his hand, but he was suspicious about why a man that age would fuss over two bedraggled young women.

‘He’s the minister there,’ Nell said.

‘Ah. I see.’

‘Actually, I’m the minister there and at a new chapel we’ve just opened in Milnrow. My wife and I will be moving there soon because we want a garden.’

‘Milnrow, eh? We’re going to be living there too.’ Cliff felt himself relaxing a little. ‘I’ve just got a job at Rayner’s.’

‘Don and his wife are members of our congregation, though he hasn’t been to chapel as often lately because he’s been snowed under with work, though I can’t approve of toiling on the Sabbath. Iris will be glad he’s found someone to help him.’

‘Good. Then my job should be safe for a while.’ Cliff could hear how bitter he sounded, but couldn’t help it. He saw Nell wince and felt guilty all over again. He’d been feeling guilty ever since she told him, but angry too. He didn’t want to get married yet, not even to her. ‘I’m pleased to have met you, Mr Garrett. Come inside out of the rain, you two.’ But the man didn’t take the hint and still lingered.

‘I hope we’ll meet again, Mr Greenhill. Are you chapel-goers, by any chance?’

Cliff hesitated, but he knew employers usually preferred their men to go to the same church as they did, so nodded. He’d never cared much about going to church, let alone which one he went to, though his parents attended the parish church in Swindon every Sunday and had done all their lives.

He didn’t like Christ Church, though, so he’d stayed away when he could. The gentry sat at the front still, like in the bad old days. They acted as if they were better than anyone else, expecting you to wait for them to lead the way out. He wasn’t even sure he believed in God anymore. Why would a loving God do this to him?

It was Mr Garrett’s turn to hesitate. ‘From what your young lady has told me, you’ll be setting up house from scratch. I’m sure our congregations, small as they are, will help you find some bits and pieces of furniture. They can be very generous to those in need, true Christians. And if the things they find for you need mending, well, I’m sure a man with your skills will be able to do that.’

Cliff hated to need charity, but he’d been dreading having to spend his savings on buying a whole houseful of furniture. All they had at the moment were his toolkit, the clothes they stood up in and the few things in their bags. ‘Thank you. That’d be very … kind. We’re going to be living in Willow Court.’

‘You’ve found us a house already!’ Nell exclaimed.

‘It’s not very big, but it’s cheap and close to where I work. It’ll do to get us started.’

She flung her arms round his neck and stood on tiptoe to plonk a quick kiss on his cheek. ‘You’ve done so well, Cliff. All this on your first full day here.’

When she looked at him like that, so trusting and admiring, he felt a bit better. ‘I said I’d look after you, didn’t I?’

Mr Garrett smiled at him from behind Nell. ‘If you come to the morning service at the Rochdale chapel tomorrow, I’ll introduce you and ask the congregation for help. Now, I’ll let you get these young ladies into the warmth again, and I’ll go home to my wife.’ He tipped his hat and strolled away.

Pauline was still a bit stiff with Nell and her sister that evening, but she wasn’t quite as sharp and scornful as she had been, especially when Nell made Cliff give her the money to nip out to the corner shop and buy a few bits and pieces of food.

The following day, since it was a Sunday, she even suggested they come to church with her and her family.

‘Thanks, but I think we’d better go to Mr Garrett’s chapel,’ Cliff said. ‘My new employer goes there and the minister’s promised to ask his congregation for help with finding furniture. I’ve paid this week’s rent, so we can move into Willow Court as soon as we have beds and a few other bits and pieces.’

The scornful look returned to Pauline’s face. ‘We don’t have anything to do with that lot. We go to St Chad’s and always have done. And our family’s never had to accept charity.’

Cliff’s expression became thunderous but it was Renie who answered them.

‘Neither had we until one of your family got my sister in trouble.’

Pauline’s sharp intake of breath echoed round the room.

‘Let’s go and get ready,’ Nell said hurriedly into the frosty silence that followed. In the front room, where they’d passed an uncomfortable night, she turned on her sister. ‘Don’t you ever again say anything cheeky like that to people who’re helping us!’

‘I never heard of such grudging help.’

‘That doesn’t matter. At least we had somewhere to sleep last night. Just keep your mouth shut, for once. You’re too quick to say things, you are.’

Renie burst into tears. ‘I wish I’d gone with Mattie. She’d have found us somewhere better than this.’

Cliff came into the front room just then, glaring at them.

‘I’ve told her to mind her manners while we’re guests here,’ Nell said quickly.

‘Good. See that you listen to your sister, who has more sense than you, Renie. Now, are you two ready for chapel?’

‘Nearly.’ Nell went to look into the mirror that hung over the mantelpiece, shivering in the chill damp room. She looked terrible, exhausted and pale, and she was feeling nauseous again. No wonder he wasn’t acting fondly towards her.

All she had to put on her head was the scarf she wore to go to work. She couldn’t afford to give in to her sickness, though, so she took a deep breath and went across to Cliff. ‘It’ll get better than this,’ she whispered.

He clasped her hand and for a moment she saw the old Cliff looking at her lovingly. Then he shook his head and turned back into the sharp new Cliff, with the tight expression on his face. ‘At least it isn’t raining at the moment.’

The small chapel had a few chairs at the front, not matching, and behind them rows of benches. It was nearly full, and people smiled a welcome as the three of them sat down on an empty bench at the rear.

The service was more vigorous than the one in the parish church in Swindon, with people singing hymns as if they meant something, not just droning them out tonelessly. There wasn’t a choir in such a small chapel, but two women in one corner sang a descant to the hymns, and they had lovely voices.

Then Mr Garrett went to stand by the lectern to deliver his sermon. It was short and to the point. ‘I take as my theme today loving your neighbours in deed and truth, from John chapter one, verse three, line eighteen.’ He paused, then went on quietly, ‘Yesterday I met a young couple who’d been driven away from their home by a violent man. They’re here today, new to our congregation, and I’m sure we all welcome them.’

There were mutters of agreement and more people turned to smile and nod at them.

‘These young folk are about to get married and set up a home, without any friends or family to help them. They’re in desperate need of furniture and everything else, and I’m sure you’ll help them if you can. They’re going to live in Milnrow and attend our new sister chapel.’

He left it at that and gave out the number of the final hymn.

Nell blushed to think they’d been singled out as needing charity. She could see that Cliff’s knuckles were white on the edge of his hymn book, so didn’t try to catch his attention. Still, it would be worth the embarrassment. The sooner they could find furniture, the sooner she could leave Cliff’s cousins’ grudging shelter and then surely he’d be his old self again?

And if people helped them now, well, they could help others in return once they were on their feet again, couldn’t they? That way they’d regain their self-respect.

After the service, Mr Garrett came across to speak to them. ‘I’m so glad you came today.’

Cliff nodded, hesitated, then said, ‘We’d like you to marry us as soon as possible, if that’s all right. I’ll get a special licence. I think it’ll be money well spent, because we want to start off as we mean to go on here.’

‘I shall be very happy to marry you.’ He turned. ‘Ah, Mrs Lambden. May I introduce you to Mr Greenhill and Miss Fuller, who are soon to marry and are just setting up home? And this is Miss Fuller’s sister, Renie, who is to live with them.’

An older woman stopped beside him, studying them, then smiling as if she approved of what she saw. ‘Welcome to our congregation. I’ve got an old bedstead that I’ve no use for. You’ll have to mend the webbing, but it’s got years of use in it yet.’

‘Thank you,’ Nell said. ‘We’d be very grateful for it.’

Others came across and she kept a count in her head of the bigger items they’d been offered. Cliff’s face was grim and he clearly was hating this, but she didn’t care. She just wanted to get into her own home.

Mr Garrett whispered to them not to leave yet and went to speak to others. Once the last people had left, he came back. ‘I’ll mention you in my next service today in Milnrow. Oh, and I’m sure I can organise the loan of a horse and cart to take the things to your new home.’

‘We’re very grateful for your help,’ Nell said. She’d repeated those words several times but Cliff seemed not to find them easy to say, so she was doing it for them both.