rough and worn at the knuckles from the hard manual work he did every day on the docks.
Jessica shivered, remembering the way those hands had touched every part of her the night she conceived Penny. She wondered if he was having the same sort of thoughts. There’d only been the once, and neither of them had referred to it again. They’d acted as if the night had never happened, as if he’d never come into the house to get on with the electricity, thinking the place was empty. Instead, he found Jessica, naked in the bath in front of the fire.
He lifted Penny high above his head, his hands almost meeting around her small body, and she squealed in delight. ‘She’s lovely,’ he said, for the first time addressing Jessica directly. ‘But Penelope’s a daft name to give her. What made you think of that?’
‘We call her Penny.’
‘That’s better.’
‘What was the lecture like, Dad?’ Sheila turned to Jessica . ‘He went to a lecture earlier on with his girlfriend.’
Jack flushed a ruddy red. ‘She’s not me girlfriend, don’t be so bloody stupid.’
‘Your womanfriend, then,’ Sheila giggled. ‘Did you ever meet Kate Thomas, Jess? She was the overseer in our Eileen’s factory.’
When Jessica shook her head, Sheila continued, ‘Her and Dad get on like a house on fire – don’t you, Dad? Me and our Eileen really fancy having Kate Thomas for a stepmother.’
‘For Christ’s sake, girl, shut up your nonsense. There’s nothing like that between me and Kate.’ He grew even redder and Penny patted his cheeks curiously.
‘More’s the pity.’ Sheila sighed and winked at Jessica. ‘You’ve been a widower for a long time, Dad. It seems a shame, a man like you going to waste. I bet there’s loads of women dying to get their hands on you – and Kate Thomas is probably first in line.’
‘What was the lecture about?’ asked Jessica, who was finding the conversation irritating.
Jack looked relieved that the subject had been changed. ‘Anglo–Soviet Co-operation,’ he replied. Then his big face twisted contemptuously. ‘It makes you sick, the way the official line on our Russian comrades has changed out of all proportion since June. No-one had a good word to say about them until then. Now, Communism’s respectable, Russia’s our “Great Ally”, and Stalin can’t do a thing wrong. It’s “Uncle Joe” this, and “Uncle Joe” that, and everyone’s falling over themselves to send help, from “Tanks for Russia” week to knitting blankets. They even sent an entire wing of the RAF over there. In fact,’ he said proudly, ‘that’s where Nick is, our Eileen’s husband, Russia.’
‘I know,’ said Jessica.
‘Brenda Mahon’s making gloves and socks for the Russians,’ Sheila put in.
Jack nodded approvingly. ‘They’ll need them, what with the winter coming on.’
The Germans had thought the conquest would be easy – Hitler himself had said Russia would fall like a leaf – but the Russians, although they were retreating, were fighting like demons for every single inch of soil. Not only that, they adopted a scorched-earth policy which meant the enemy might capture a town, but there was nothing left to capture; the people had left, the buildings had been razed to the ground.
‘Did you listen to the news tonight, luv?’ Jack asked his daughter.
‘Yes, Dad,’ Sheila said obediently, ‘but there’s not much happening anywhere, at least not much worth reporting. Everything’s in the doldrums at the moment, except for Russia.’
‘I’d better be getting home,’ said Jessica. ‘Penny must be tired.’ Penny didn’t look the least bit tired. She appeared to be trying to walk up Jack’s chest. ‘Oh, I mustn’t forget the teapot, Sheila, and I’d still like to borrow a bit of milk if you’ve got some to spare, so’s I can have a cup of tea first thing in the morning. I’ll register with the milkman tomorrow.’ She got to her feet. ‘I’ll take them first and
Jessica shivered, remembering the way those hands had touched every part of her the night she conceived Penny. She wondered if he was having the same sort of thoughts. There’d only been the once, and neither of them had referred to it again. They’d acted as if the night had never happened, as if he’d never come into the house to get on with the electricity, thinking the place was empty. Instead, he found Jessica, naked in the bath in front of the fire.
He lifted Penny high above his head, his hands almost meeting around her small body, and she squealed in delight. ‘She’s lovely,’ he said, for the first time addressing Jessica directly. ‘But Penelope’s a daft name to give her. What made you think of that?’
‘We call her Penny.’
‘That’s better.’
‘What was the lecture like, Dad?’ Sheila turned to Jessica . ‘He went to a lecture earlier on with his girlfriend.’
Jack flushed a ruddy red. ‘She’s not me girlfriend, don’t be so bloody stupid.’
‘Your womanfriend, then,’ Sheila giggled. ‘Did you ever meet Kate Thomas, Jess? She was the overseer in our Eileen’s factory.’
When Jessica shook her head, Sheila continued, ‘Her and Dad get on like a house on fire – don’t you, Dad? Me and our Eileen really fancy having Kate Thomas for a stepmother.’
‘For Christ’s sake, girl, shut up your nonsense. There’s nothing like that between me and Kate.’ He grew even redder and Penny patted his cheeks curiously.
‘More’s the pity.’ Sheila sighed and winked at Jessica. ‘You’ve been a widower for a long time, Dad. It seems a shame, a man like you going to waste. I bet there’s loads of women dying to get their hands on you – and Kate Thomas is probably first in line.’
‘What was the lecture about?’ asked Jessica, who was finding the conversation irritating.
Jack looked relieved that the subject had been changed. ‘Anglo–Soviet Co-operation,’ he replied. Then his big face twisted contemptuously. ‘It makes you sick, the way the official line on our Russian comrades has changed out of all proportion since June. No-one had a good word to say about them until then. Now, Communism’s respectable, Russia’s our “Great Ally”, and Stalin can’t do a thing wrong. It’s “Uncle Joe” this, and “Uncle Joe” that, and everyone’s falling over themselves to send help, from “Tanks for Russia” week to knitting blankets. They even sent an entire wing of the RAF over there. In fact,’ he said proudly, ‘that’s where Nick is, our Eileen’s husband, Russia.’
‘I know,’ said Jessica.
‘Brenda Mahon’s making gloves and socks for the Russians,’ Sheila put in.
Jack nodded approvingly. ‘They’ll need them, what with the winter coming on.’
The Germans had thought the conquest would be easy – Hitler himself had said Russia would fall like a leaf – but the Russians, although they were retreating, were fighting like demons for every single inch of soil. Not only that, they adopted a scorched-earth policy which meant the enemy might capture a town, but there was nothing left to capture; the people had left, the buildings had been razed to the ground.
‘Did you listen to the news tonight, luv?’ Jack asked his daughter.
‘Yes, Dad,’ Sheila said obediently, ‘but there’s not much happening anywhere, at least not much worth reporting. Everything’s in the doldrums at the moment, except for Russia.’
‘I’d better be getting home,’ said Jessica. ‘Penny must be tired.’ Penny didn’t look the least bit tired. She appeared to be trying to walk up Jack’s chest. ‘Oh, I mustn’t forget the teapot, Sheila, and I’d still like to borrow a bit of milk if you’ve got some to spare, so’s I can have a cup of tea first thing in the morning. I’ll register with the milkman tomorrow.’ She got to her feet. ‘I’ll take them first and
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