deserted by both of them though she knew it was silly to think like that. As she stood, biting her cheek, the wind caught in her nurse’s cloak, billowing the material out in a bell and she clutched it closer to her, shivering suddenly. She wished that the Liverpool train would come in quickly, that it was over. At least when they were gone she would be free of this feeling of desolation, this silly hope that it was all a mistake, Dave and Joe were playing a joke on her. She jumped when Joe looked straight at her over Mam’s head and spoke her name.
‘Karen? What are you standing there for? Howay, come and give us a hug. You’re not letting us go off to Australia without so much as a hug?’
Karen smiled quickly and moved forward to be enveloped in a tight circle of her family. She kissed her frail mother who was struggling to hold on to her own composure. And then her father, tall and stern, grey-haired and with a hectic colour in his cheeks betraying the presence of the lung disease which plagued so many of the men of Morton Main. And Kezia, strong and practical, was there of course. There was no sign of Jemima though Karen had thought she would manage to get home to say goodbye to Joe.
‘Wish me luck, Karen,’ Joe said softly, and she gazed up into her brother’s strong, intelligent face, a face so like her own with its dark eyes and frame of almost black hair.
‘Oh, I do, I do, Joe,’ she mumbled and looked away quickly so that he did not see the tears ready to brim. And there was Dave, just lifting his head from his mother’s and staring straight at her so that she felt a tiny pang of guilt that she had not gone to him first.
‘Dave,’ she said, disengaging herself from her family and going to him. Dave, her husband of so short a time it still felt strange to think of him as such. Dave, who was going to Australia to make his fortune.
‘So you came, then,’ sniffed Mrs Mitchell. She glared at Karen, her expression mirroring her firmly held opinion that Dave was only going to Australia to get away from his wife and it was the wife’s fault.
‘Of course I came, Mrs Mitchell,’ Karen replied. ‘I got the after noon off from the hospital specially.’
She spoke to the older woman but she was looking at her husband.
Dave stepped forward and took her hands in his and held them to him in that way he had, smiling down at her with his lop-sided grin, his head cocked on one side. And though she told herself he was emigrating for her sake as well as his own, she still felt a sense of betrayal.
‘I must go straight back to Newcastle,’ she said, looking down at his hands on hers, not wanting to lose hold of her resentment. Wasn’t he going away for God knows how long? Hadn’t he fooled her enough already?
‘But not yet, not before we catch the train,’ said Dave, drawing her away from his mother and the rest of the party from the village.
‘Look at me, Karen,’ he murmured, ‘look at me.’
Reluctantly, she raised her gaze to his face. She looked at the light blue eyes and the fair, almost red hair; the freckled face. Dave was a handsome man, she thought with one part of her mind; with another she was thinking, Dave is my husband and he is leaving for the other side of the world. He didn’t even consult me before he booked his passage on the emigrant ship. What will people think? The resentment welled up in her.
‘I’ll send for you, Karen, I promise I will,’ he was saying. ‘I’ll find a house, you’ll see, then as soon as you finish your training you can come out. Nurses are needed in Australia just as much as they are here.’
‘Why do you keep on repeating that?’ she asked. Surely he would send for her, couldn’t she take that for granted?
‘Well, I will,’ he answered.
He’d been telling her he would send for her ever since the day he first told her he was going, she thought. Only now did Karen suspect he had been thinking of emigrating even before they were married, else
‘Karen? What are you standing there for? Howay, come and give us a hug. You’re not letting us go off to Australia without so much as a hug?’
Karen smiled quickly and moved forward to be enveloped in a tight circle of her family. She kissed her frail mother who was struggling to hold on to her own composure. And then her father, tall and stern, grey-haired and with a hectic colour in his cheeks betraying the presence of the lung disease which plagued so many of the men of Morton Main. And Kezia, strong and practical, was there of course. There was no sign of Jemima though Karen had thought she would manage to get home to say goodbye to Joe.
‘Wish me luck, Karen,’ Joe said softly, and she gazed up into her brother’s strong, intelligent face, a face so like her own with its dark eyes and frame of almost black hair.
‘Oh, I do, I do, Joe,’ she mumbled and looked away quickly so that he did not see the tears ready to brim. And there was Dave, just lifting his head from his mother’s and staring straight at her so that she felt a tiny pang of guilt that she had not gone to him first.
‘Dave,’ she said, disengaging herself from her family and going to him. Dave, her husband of so short a time it still felt strange to think of him as such. Dave, who was going to Australia to make his fortune.
‘So you came, then,’ sniffed Mrs Mitchell. She glared at Karen, her expression mirroring her firmly held opinion that Dave was only going to Australia to get away from his wife and it was the wife’s fault.
‘Of course I came, Mrs Mitchell,’ Karen replied. ‘I got the after noon off from the hospital specially.’
She spoke to the older woman but she was looking at her husband.
Dave stepped forward and took her hands in his and held them to him in that way he had, smiling down at her with his lop-sided grin, his head cocked on one side. And though she told herself he was emigrating for her sake as well as his own, she still felt a sense of betrayal.
‘I must go straight back to Newcastle,’ she said, looking down at his hands on hers, not wanting to lose hold of her resentment. Wasn’t he going away for God knows how long? Hadn’t he fooled her enough already?
‘But not yet, not before we catch the train,’ said Dave, drawing her away from his mother and the rest of the party from the village.
‘Look at me, Karen,’ he murmured, ‘look at me.’
Reluctantly, she raised her gaze to his face. She looked at the light blue eyes and the fair, almost red hair; the freckled face. Dave was a handsome man, she thought with one part of her mind; with another she was thinking, Dave is my husband and he is leaving for the other side of the world. He didn’t even consult me before he booked his passage on the emigrant ship. What will people think? The resentment welled up in her.
‘I’ll send for you, Karen, I promise I will,’ he was saying. ‘I’ll find a house, you’ll see, then as soon as you finish your training you can come out. Nurses are needed in Australia just as much as they are here.’
‘Why do you keep on repeating that?’ she asked. Surely he would send for her, couldn’t she take that for granted?
‘Well, I will,’ he answered.
He’d been telling her he would send for her ever since the day he first told her he was going, she thought. Only now did Karen suspect he had been thinking of emigrating even before they were married, else
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