the steadfast eyes, the confident chin.
Who is this woman?
she thought. A fire burned in her daughter’s eyes. Had it been there before and she merely hadn’t seen it? Or was it new?
She turned away, not wanting to face the fact that Lizzie was very much following her own dictates. She wondered if there was another man.
‘You’re probably right,’ she said, glad of the chill air on her face.
‘Something will turn up – and anyway, will you really miss our Daw that much?’
‘She’s not the easiest person to live with.’ It was a sad thing to admit to, but Daw could be a bit overpowering at times. ‘I’ll miss Mathilda though.’
‘Of course you will.’
Mary Anne bit her lip. The thought of not seeing her granddaughter so often was the hardest thing to bear. She’d got used to doing things for and with her. The child was a joy, far more amiable than her mother had been at the same age.
Lizzie noticed. ‘What else, Mother? You look worried.’
Arm in arm now, they stood before the house, sometimes looking at the tumbled bricks, and sometimes looking at each other.
‘I’m not getting daft in my dotage – in fact I don’t think I’m quite in my dotage yet – but the other day I took Mathilda out in the pushchair and I lost her. I left her outside the Red Cross shop whilst I popped in with some items they could make use of, and when I got back outside, she was gone. I found her, of course – or at least the ladies from the Red Cross found her. And then today …’
She went on to tell Lizzie about the shed being broken into and about the things she’d saved from the stock being found scattered and dirty all over the yard. Not to mention the shop being damaged beyond repair.
‘And you think Dad did it?’
‘Who else?’ Mary Anne’s expression darkened. ‘I’m going round there to tackle him about it. I can get a tram to the centre and then another to Barton Hill.’
‘There you are then. Fancy even considering going back with him!’
Girls turning a skipping rope parted as the two women passed by. The breeze blew colder, blowing Mary Anne’s hair across her face. Her hand shook as she pushed it back behind her ear. Lizzie noticed it.
‘Mum …’
‘No comments about my nerves, please. Yes, things are getting to me. But I’ll get through it. You just see if I don’t.’
Lizzie withheld what she was going to say about her mother visiting a doctor or taking some rest. She certainly wouldn’t get much rest living with Daw, that was for sure.
‘What about moving in with Biddy? Doesn’t she have a house to herself?’
Mary Anne shook her head. ‘She did have. Apparently she had to move out to make way for a family that got bombed out at the beginning of December. They’re asking a lot of people to double up and take people in. Biddy didn’t want to stay there, so got moved into the ground floor rooms in the same house as your father. He’s got the upper floor.’
Lizzie looked shocked. ‘I bet me dad wasn’t too pleased about that!’
‘I doubt it too. I saw her the other day. She was visiting her sister down in the Chessels. She was telling me that she’s got the downstairs rooms, and he’s upstairs. She made a point of telling me that there was no funny business going on, mind you.’
Lizzie grimaced. ‘Did she now! I wouldn’t put it past her. I know she’s your friend, but you know what a trollop she can be. Goodness. I wonder how long they’ll be living there.’
Mary Anne shook her head. ‘Who knows? Everyone has to make do with what they can get and crowd in where they can. Stanley’s there too.’
She looked back along the street to the corner shop. Its windows were half covered with adverts for Fry’s Cocoa, Cherry Blossom boot polish, and Colman’s mustard. A mist was rising from The Cut and drifting inland along with its nefarious smell of stale mud and old drains.
‘So you have to find somewhere else to live,’ said Lizzie, following the
Who is this woman?
she thought. A fire burned in her daughter’s eyes. Had it been there before and she merely hadn’t seen it? Or was it new?
She turned away, not wanting to face the fact that Lizzie was very much following her own dictates. She wondered if there was another man.
‘You’re probably right,’ she said, glad of the chill air on her face.
‘Something will turn up – and anyway, will you really miss our Daw that much?’
‘She’s not the easiest person to live with.’ It was a sad thing to admit to, but Daw could be a bit overpowering at times. ‘I’ll miss Mathilda though.’
‘Of course you will.’
Mary Anne bit her lip. The thought of not seeing her granddaughter so often was the hardest thing to bear. She’d got used to doing things for and with her. The child was a joy, far more amiable than her mother had been at the same age.
Lizzie noticed. ‘What else, Mother? You look worried.’
Arm in arm now, they stood before the house, sometimes looking at the tumbled bricks, and sometimes looking at each other.
‘I’m not getting daft in my dotage – in fact I don’t think I’m quite in my dotage yet – but the other day I took Mathilda out in the pushchair and I lost her. I left her outside the Red Cross shop whilst I popped in with some items they could make use of, and when I got back outside, she was gone. I found her, of course – or at least the ladies from the Red Cross found her. And then today …’
She went on to tell Lizzie about the shed being broken into and about the things she’d saved from the stock being found scattered and dirty all over the yard. Not to mention the shop being damaged beyond repair.
‘And you think Dad did it?’
‘Who else?’ Mary Anne’s expression darkened. ‘I’m going round there to tackle him about it. I can get a tram to the centre and then another to Barton Hill.’
‘There you are then. Fancy even considering going back with him!’
Girls turning a skipping rope parted as the two women passed by. The breeze blew colder, blowing Mary Anne’s hair across her face. Her hand shook as she pushed it back behind her ear. Lizzie noticed it.
‘Mum …’
‘No comments about my nerves, please. Yes, things are getting to me. But I’ll get through it. You just see if I don’t.’
Lizzie withheld what she was going to say about her mother visiting a doctor or taking some rest. She certainly wouldn’t get much rest living with Daw, that was for sure.
‘What about moving in with Biddy? Doesn’t she have a house to herself?’
Mary Anne shook her head. ‘She did have. Apparently she had to move out to make way for a family that got bombed out at the beginning of December. They’re asking a lot of people to double up and take people in. Biddy didn’t want to stay there, so got moved into the ground floor rooms in the same house as your father. He’s got the upper floor.’
Lizzie looked shocked. ‘I bet me dad wasn’t too pleased about that!’
‘I doubt it too. I saw her the other day. She was visiting her sister down in the Chessels. She was telling me that she’s got the downstairs rooms, and he’s upstairs. She made a point of telling me that there was no funny business going on, mind you.’
Lizzie grimaced. ‘Did she now! I wouldn’t put it past her. I know she’s your friend, but you know what a trollop she can be. Goodness. I wonder how long they’ll be living there.’
Mary Anne shook her head. ‘Who knows? Everyone has to make do with what they can get and crowd in where they can. Stanley’s there too.’
She looked back along the street to the corner shop. Its windows were half covered with adverts for Fry’s Cocoa, Cherry Blossom boot polish, and Colman’s mustard. A mist was rising from The Cut and drifting inland along with its nefarious smell of stale mud and old drains.
‘So you have to find somewhere else to live,’ said Lizzie, following the
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