‘they’re on different ships from me. I might look for a different company to work with when I get back.’
‘I think you should,’ she said. ‘You need to be sure the vessels are seaworthy. It doesn’t sound to me as if the one you’re on is!’
He squeezed her waist. ‘Listen to ’expert!’ he teased.
‘I’m serious,’ she said. ‘My brother Tom’s an apprentice boat builder. I listen to him telling us how important it is. We all know the sea has to be taken seriously.’
‘I know that,’ he said sharply. ‘I’ve been working on ships all my working life.’
She’d touched a raw nerve and was puzzled, but said nothing more on the subject. They continued their walk up towards the castle, taking all the short cuts through alleyways and up steep steps, and she made him laugh when she said they were in Paradise. He stopped and took a breath and then kissed her passionately on the mouth. An old woman shouted at them to move on, and they laughed and continued.
‘I’ll know when I’m in paradise, and it won’t be here in full view of everybody,’ he whispered in her ear, and once again she felt weak at the thought of what he was suggesting.
They paused by St Mary’s church. ‘This is an ancient church,’ she said solemnly. ‘My parents and grandparents were married here.’
Harry glanced at the clock on the tower. ‘Come on. We haven’t much time before I’m due back at ’station.’
She was disappointed that he hadn’t said that here, then, was where they would be married too. But perhaps, she thought, men are not as romantic as women about continuity.
They reached the castle grounds and headed towards the edge of the cliff to look down. Jeannie pointed out the North Bay, accessible by a pathway down the cliff, and the red-tiled roofs of the town in the South Bay.
‘It’s the best place in the world,’ she sighed.
‘How do you know?’ He laughed. ‘Where else have you been?’
‘Nowhere,’ she said. ‘But I still know.’
‘You must come to Hull,’ he said, his arm round her waist. ‘You’d like it there.’
She allowed him to lead her back across the grass towards the ruined castle and they entered its broken walls. ‘I’d like to come,’ she said, and didn’t object as he unbuttoned her blouse. ‘Wh-whereabouts do you live?’
‘Hessle Road,’ he murmured, fingering her nipples. ‘All ’fishing community live there.’
Jeannie swallowed. ‘I don’t think you should do that,’ she whispered.
‘Why? Don’t you like it?’ He gently pushed her down on the grass and ran his hands over her belly. ‘I’m sure that you do, Jeannie. It’s what you want, isn’t it? Say that you do and you’ll make me a very happy man.’
His hands roamed her body, beneath her blouse, beneath her skirt, touching her flesh so that she wanted to moan. There was no one to see or hear; not another single person was there, only the two of them and the sea birds and the family of rabbits she could see from her position on the grass.
‘I do like it, yes,’ she breathed. ‘But – I think we should wait.’
‘I’ve waited.’ His voice was hoarse. ‘Waited and waited and I want you, Jeannie. Do you know what that means?’
‘I think so.’ She could barely speak.
‘And you needn’t think that I’ll change my mind about marrying you, cos I won’t, but I need you now. I’m desperate for you, Jeannie. I need to show you how much I want you.’
He pressed himself upon her and his warm moist mouth found hers, his tongue found hers and his fingers found places that she hadn’t known were there.
She cried, ‘I love you, Harry.’
‘I know,’ he said. ‘I know. So everything will be all right, Jeannie. Everything will be all right.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
ETHAN CALLED AT their house the following morning. Mary opened the door. ‘Won’t you come in, Ethan?’
The two families had become quite close since the death of Ethan’s mother. Susan had taken on the role of
‘I think you should,’ she said. ‘You need to be sure the vessels are seaworthy. It doesn’t sound to me as if the one you’re on is!’
He squeezed her waist. ‘Listen to ’expert!’ he teased.
‘I’m serious,’ she said. ‘My brother Tom’s an apprentice boat builder. I listen to him telling us how important it is. We all know the sea has to be taken seriously.’
‘I know that,’ he said sharply. ‘I’ve been working on ships all my working life.’
She’d touched a raw nerve and was puzzled, but said nothing more on the subject. They continued their walk up towards the castle, taking all the short cuts through alleyways and up steep steps, and she made him laugh when she said they were in Paradise. He stopped and took a breath and then kissed her passionately on the mouth. An old woman shouted at them to move on, and they laughed and continued.
‘I’ll know when I’m in paradise, and it won’t be here in full view of everybody,’ he whispered in her ear, and once again she felt weak at the thought of what he was suggesting.
They paused by St Mary’s church. ‘This is an ancient church,’ she said solemnly. ‘My parents and grandparents were married here.’
Harry glanced at the clock on the tower. ‘Come on. We haven’t much time before I’m due back at ’station.’
She was disappointed that he hadn’t said that here, then, was where they would be married too. But perhaps, she thought, men are not as romantic as women about continuity.
They reached the castle grounds and headed towards the edge of the cliff to look down. Jeannie pointed out the North Bay, accessible by a pathway down the cliff, and the red-tiled roofs of the town in the South Bay.
‘It’s the best place in the world,’ she sighed.
‘How do you know?’ He laughed. ‘Where else have you been?’
‘Nowhere,’ she said. ‘But I still know.’
‘You must come to Hull,’ he said, his arm round her waist. ‘You’d like it there.’
She allowed him to lead her back across the grass towards the ruined castle and they entered its broken walls. ‘I’d like to come,’ she said, and didn’t object as he unbuttoned her blouse. ‘Wh-whereabouts do you live?’
‘Hessle Road,’ he murmured, fingering her nipples. ‘All ’fishing community live there.’
Jeannie swallowed. ‘I don’t think you should do that,’ she whispered.
‘Why? Don’t you like it?’ He gently pushed her down on the grass and ran his hands over her belly. ‘I’m sure that you do, Jeannie. It’s what you want, isn’t it? Say that you do and you’ll make me a very happy man.’
His hands roamed her body, beneath her blouse, beneath her skirt, touching her flesh so that she wanted to moan. There was no one to see or hear; not another single person was there, only the two of them and the sea birds and the family of rabbits she could see from her position on the grass.
‘I do like it, yes,’ she breathed. ‘But – I think we should wait.’
‘I’ve waited.’ His voice was hoarse. ‘Waited and waited and I want you, Jeannie. Do you know what that means?’
‘I think so.’ She could barely speak.
‘And you needn’t think that I’ll change my mind about marrying you, cos I won’t, but I need you now. I’m desperate for you, Jeannie. I need to show you how much I want you.’
He pressed himself upon her and his warm moist mouth found hers, his tongue found hers and his fingers found places that she hadn’t known were there.
She cried, ‘I love you, Harry.’
‘I know,’ he said. ‘I know. So everything will be all right, Jeannie. Everything will be all right.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
ETHAN CALLED AT their house the following morning. Mary opened the door. ‘Won’t you come in, Ethan?’
The two families had become quite close since the death of Ethan’s mother. Susan had taken on the role of
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