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Authors: Dilly Court
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curiously over the rim of the tin cup. ‘Why do you stay here, Bailey? You could get a proper job and have a decent life away from this place.’
He scrunched up the piece of newspaper that had been wrapped around the pie and tossed it onto the fire. ‘I remember the day that Indian woman brought you here. The fog was so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, let alone where you was stepping, and she almost tripped over me. She was looking for Biddy and I led her here, although God help me I don’t think I done you any great service. In fact if I’d known what you was going to suffer all these years I’d have run away and left her to take you back home, wherever that was.’
‘But I’d never have known you,’ Cassy said, smiling despite her pain. ‘And you’re me bestest friend in the whole world.’
He reached across the table to pat her hand, but his eyes were bleak. ‘You might not think that when I tell you me news, Cass.’
He did not seem to be able to look her in the eyes, and suddenly Cassy was afraid. ‘You’ve found work somewhere and you’re going to leave me here with her.’
‘I got to go, Cass. I’m seventeen and I want to make me way in the world. If I can earn good money I’ll make a home for you and me. I’ll come back for you, I promise.’
A wail of despair rose in Cassy’s throat and she struggled to contain it, clenching her teeth and hands in an attempt to prevent the scream from escaping her lips.
‘Don’t take on, little ’un. It ain’t settled yet; I only met the recruiting sergeant today. He were looking for blokes like me, he said, and he made life in the army sound just the job. When I got enough money together I’ll rent a house and you can keep it for me. We might even be able to take young Freddie with us.’
A glimmer of hope punctured the black cloud that had descended upon Cassy. ‘And Sammy too, and Anna and the twins?’
‘Hold on, nipper. I ain’t starting up in competition to old Biddy. I said maybe we could take Freddie, but that’s just supposing everything goes well. What do you say, Cassy? Should I enlist in the army? It would mean I’d have to leave you for a while, but it wouldn’t be forever, and we can’t go on like this.’
Forever was a word that held little meaning for Cassy. She lived minute by minute, never knowing when the next blow was going to fall or where the next meal was going to come from. For a few brief moments she had dared to hope that her ma would take her away from this place, but Biddy had sent Mahdu off with a flea in her ear and Cassy’s dream of being permanently reunited with her mother had disappeared like a puff of smoke from Biddy’s clay pipe. Now she was in imminent danger of losing the one person who meant everything to her. She knew what he said made sense, but that did nothing to ease the agony of fear that threatened to overwhelm her. She said nothing, staring at Bailey as if she had been struck dumb. His face creased into lines of worry. ‘Say something, Cassy. Tell me you understand.’
She shook her head and the tears that she had been struggling to hold back spilled from her eyes in an unstoppable bout of sobbing that wracked her small body. Bailey leapt to his feet and moved swiftly to her side, rocking her in his arms. ‘Don’t cry, nipper. Nothing’s settled yet.’
‘D-don’t leave m-me. I’ll d-die if you goes away.’ Cassy had tried to be grown-up and brave, but the fear of living without Bailey was too great to bear. ‘S-stay with me, p-please.’
He stroked her hair back from her forehead. ‘Yes, yes, little ’un. Don’t fret, I’ll not desert you. The army can wait a bit. I daresay they can manage without Bailey Moon for another year or maybe two.’
Cassy rose from her palliasse early next morning. She had slept on her stomach to avoid hurting her back but the pain had awakened her several times in the night. She had lain petrified in the small hours when
He scrunched up the piece of newspaper that had been wrapped around the pie and tossed it onto the fire. ‘I remember the day that Indian woman brought you here. The fog was so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, let alone where you was stepping, and she almost tripped over me. She was looking for Biddy and I led her here, although God help me I don’t think I done you any great service. In fact if I’d known what you was going to suffer all these years I’d have run away and left her to take you back home, wherever that was.’
‘But I’d never have known you,’ Cassy said, smiling despite her pain. ‘And you’re me bestest friend in the whole world.’
He reached across the table to pat her hand, but his eyes were bleak. ‘You might not think that when I tell you me news, Cass.’
He did not seem to be able to look her in the eyes, and suddenly Cassy was afraid. ‘You’ve found work somewhere and you’re going to leave me here with her.’
‘I got to go, Cass. I’m seventeen and I want to make me way in the world. If I can earn good money I’ll make a home for you and me. I’ll come back for you, I promise.’
A wail of despair rose in Cassy’s throat and she struggled to contain it, clenching her teeth and hands in an attempt to prevent the scream from escaping her lips.
‘Don’t take on, little ’un. It ain’t settled yet; I only met the recruiting sergeant today. He were looking for blokes like me, he said, and he made life in the army sound just the job. When I got enough money together I’ll rent a house and you can keep it for me. We might even be able to take young Freddie with us.’
A glimmer of hope punctured the black cloud that had descended upon Cassy. ‘And Sammy too, and Anna and the twins?’
‘Hold on, nipper. I ain’t starting up in competition to old Biddy. I said maybe we could take Freddie, but that’s just supposing everything goes well. What do you say, Cassy? Should I enlist in the army? It would mean I’d have to leave you for a while, but it wouldn’t be forever, and we can’t go on like this.’
Forever was a word that held little meaning for Cassy. She lived minute by minute, never knowing when the next blow was going to fall or where the next meal was going to come from. For a few brief moments she had dared to hope that her ma would take her away from this place, but Biddy had sent Mahdu off with a flea in her ear and Cassy’s dream of being permanently reunited with her mother had disappeared like a puff of smoke from Biddy’s clay pipe. Now she was in imminent danger of losing the one person who meant everything to her. She knew what he said made sense, but that did nothing to ease the agony of fear that threatened to overwhelm her. She said nothing, staring at Bailey as if she had been struck dumb. His face creased into lines of worry. ‘Say something, Cassy. Tell me you understand.’
She shook her head and the tears that she had been struggling to hold back spilled from her eyes in an unstoppable bout of sobbing that wracked her small body. Bailey leapt to his feet and moved swiftly to her side, rocking her in his arms. ‘Don’t cry, nipper. Nothing’s settled yet.’
‘D-don’t leave m-me. I’ll d-die if you goes away.’ Cassy had tried to be grown-up and brave, but the fear of living without Bailey was too great to bear. ‘S-stay with me, p-please.’
He stroked her hair back from her forehead. ‘Yes, yes, little ’un. Don’t fret, I’ll not desert you. The army can wait a bit. I daresay they can manage without Bailey Moon for another year or maybe two.’
Cassy rose from her palliasse early next morning. She had slept on her stomach to avoid hurting her back but the pain had awakened her several times in the night. She had lain petrified in the small hours when
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