The Girl on the Doorstep: from the bestselling author of The Workhouse Children (A Black Country Novel)

by Lindsey Hutchinson

  ‘How do you think Lucy would be after you left her high and dry?’ Rosie snapped harshly.

  Jake hung his head.

  Good, you should feel ashamed! Rosie thought.

  ‘I have to go, I’m very busy.’ She spun on her heel and marched away leaving him in no doubt as to how she was feeling.

  Her heart hammering and her breath coming in short gasps, Rosie walked quickly back past the wharf. She felt in no mood to be conducting ‘readings’ now so she hurried away home.

  As Rosie walked in through the front door, Fanny and Molly rushed in through the back.

  ‘Them gypsies am back!’ Fanny exploded.

  Lucy merely raised her eyebrows.

  Rosie sighed wishing Fanny would learn to curb her tongue.

  ‘You should get over there an’ challenge that Jake!’ Molly added.

  ‘No. I will not chase a man who doesn’t want me. Besides, I’m a married woman now. ‘Ow would John feel if ’e ’ears I’ve been seein’ Jake again?’

  Rosie put her arm out to drape it round Lucy’s shoulder but Lucy sidestepped it.

  ‘I’m all right, Rosie, I knew he’d come back sometime and I’m over ’im.’

  Lucy was very definitely not over the man who had left her pregnant, but Rosie couldn’t justify upsetting her further.

  Fanny however would not let it rest.

  ‘You aint’ over ’im, Lucy, and well you know it.’

  ‘I am! Please don’t question me on my feelings!’

  ‘So, you’ve stopped loving ’im then?’ Fanny pursued.

  ‘Yes!’

  ‘You swear?’ Fanny was like a dog with a bone. She repeated the question. ‘You swear?’

  ‘Every bloody day!’ Molly quipped.

  In an instant the tension snapped like a whipcord and everyone burst out laughing.

  ‘I can’t see ’im. It wouldn’t be fair on anyone – especially me,’ Lucy said quietly.

  Rosie was relieved. ‘I think we should all sit and have some food. I have a bacon joint if you’d care to join us Fanny – Molly?’

  Nodding their thanks, they helped Rosie prepare the meal.

  *

  Meanwhile the ‘Two Hearts’ chugged into its mooring place at Bilston and Frank was excited. He hoped and prayed Tad Jenkins’ boat the ‘Gypsy Dancer’ was still there. His eyes had scanned the other boats as they moved slowly along until at last he saw what he was looking for.

  Frank’s heart skipped a beat as he searched frantically for sight of the green-eyed young man.

  ‘I’ll go and pay our fee, Dad,’ Frank yelled. Seeing his father nod, he jumped down onto the towpath. Racing to the kiosk at the end he handed over the money, before sauntering back the way he’d come.

  Reaching the ‘Gypsy Dancer’ he saw the flowers that once adorned it were gone. Just then Tad Jenkins popped up through the hatchway. Frank stood staring, the blood pulsing through his veins.

  ‘Frank!’ Tad called down.

  ‘Hello, Tad,’ Frank croaked. His throat was dry and his hands began to sweat.

  ‘How’s tricks?’ Tad shouted.

  ‘Busy, what about you?’ Frank swallowed hard.

  ‘Stuck ’ere until the boss decides what to do with me!’

  ‘He must be well off if he can let his boat idle,’ Frank said surprised.

  ‘Ar, ’e is, but it won’t be long now afore ’e chucks me off.’

  Frank shook his head then heard his father whistle. ‘Sorry, I have to go. See you later maybe?’

  ‘I ain’t goin’ nowhere,’ Tad said with a laugh.

  Frank ran across to the ‘Two Hearts’ and clambered aboard.

  ‘Problems?’ Bill asked.

  ‘No, I was just chatting with Tad Jenkins. It seems he might be sacked if he can’t find someone to help run the boat.’ Frank endeavoured to keep the excitement of seeing the boy again out of his voice.

  ‘Not that again,’ Bill said a little sharply.

  ‘I was only saying what Tad told me!’ Frank shot back.

  ‘Sorry, son. I can see he’s in a fix but—’

  ‘Dad, the lad will be out of a home and work if his employer lays him off,’ John put in on his brother’s behalf. He had moved to lay an arm around Frank’s shoulder in a show of a united front.

  ‘I see that, but I don’t see how we can help.’ Bill continued to peel the vegetables to go with the pie they were having for tea.

  ‘How about this? If Tad’s employer would go for it, and with your permission, our Frank could help work the boat for a year. If it doesn’t work out, he could come back here to us.’ John pushed.

  ‘A year isn’t too long, and it would help Tad out I’m sure.’ Frank’s eagerness was evident.

  Bill saw the sparkle in the boy’s eyes and sighed.

  ‘Dad, you’re doing what mother did. You’re trying to hold on to us. I’m a married man and now it’s time for Frank to flee the nest.’ Leaving his words to sink in, John gave his brother a surreptitious wink. Frank’s smile told he was grateful for the support.

  Bill looked at the twins, blue eyes glinting and blond hair shining. Where had all the years gone? It was as if only now he realised they were men. He had to admit John’s idea was a good one, but he still had his reservations. Finally reaching a decision Bill spoke quietly.

  ‘Frank, get along to see Tad and see what’s what. Mind, make sure that boss of his agrees first. Then, I want a meeting with that lad.’ Bill tried to be firm, but the smile on the boys’ faces caused him to grin along with them.

  Frank was out through the hatch and away before Bill could say ‘Jack Robinson’.

  ‘Good decision.’ John laughed.

  ‘Let’s hope so,’ Bill said with mixed emotions.

  A couple of hours later Frank and Tad joined Bill and John on the ‘Two Hearts’.

  ‘Mr Mitchell, John, nice to see yer again,’ Tad said as he shook hands.

  ‘Now then, young Mr Jenkins, I think we should have a chat about this here boat you worked with your dad,’ Bill said as he sat at the small table.

  Tad again related the tale of working the ‘Gypsy Dancer’ with his father since he was a little boy. He explained that his employer was interviewing men to take over the running of her, and once decided – Tad would be finished.

  ‘So, you two got your heads together and thought about working her between you, is that right?’ Bill asked.

  Tad nodded.

  ‘What will your boss think of that?’ Bill pursued his line of questioning.

  ‘He’s already agreed,’ said a very excited Frank.

  Tad laughed and added, ‘We’ve just been to see ’im, Mr Mitchell, and ’e said as it was all right with ’im if you agreed.’

  ‘He said the men he’d interviewed he wasn’t happy with, so it would save him the bother of finding someone he could rely on to take over!’ Frank added.

  Bill cast a glance at the three young men eagerly awaiting his answer.

  ‘Right, this is what I propose. It was John’s idea initially and I think it’s a good one. You two work the boat for twelve months together to see how you get on. If you can’t manage then Frank comes back here to us and you, Tad, go your own way. I want constant updates via the “cut grapevine” as to how you are getting on. If there is ever a problem, you let me know immediately.’ Bill ended with a sigh.

  ‘We will!’ Frank said all of a bluster.

  ‘Thanks, Mr Mitchell, you’ve saved my ’ide.’ Tad shook Bill’s hand once more.

  The twins threw their arms around each other and danced a little jig much to the amusement of the others.

  The following morning Frank gathered his belongings and threw them to Tad who was waiting on the towpath.

  Hugging his father and brother, Frank left the ‘Two Hearts’ to start a new life on the ‘Gypsy Dancer’.

  Frank was extremely excited at the prospect of a grand new adventure, but he was nervous too. How would this situation pan out? Would they g
et on well together? He knew he was taking a huge risk, but the safety net of returning to his family if it all went wrong was a great comfort.

  A while later the pair returned from getting Frank signed on with the boss who had arranged for a consignment of nuts and bolts to be shipped to Manchester.

  Frank quickly learned that Tad was no chef; he had allowed their eggs for lunch to boil dry.

  ‘Looks like I’ll be doing the cooking then,’ Frank laughed as he searched the cupboards for something with which to make a meal.

  During the afternoon, both worked hard stacking the crates of cargo and agreed to set sail early the next day.

  The lads laughed and chatted together throughout the evening and eventually retired to their respective cabins.

  Lying awake long into the night, Frank counted his blessings. He was a man in his own right now, with a job independent of his family. He was on the canals where he loved to be, and he was spending time with the person who had captured his heart.

  If they only remained friends, Frank knew it would be enough as long as they were together. He smiled drowsily into the darkness; a smile which stayed as he finally succumbed to sleep.

  Lying in his own bunk on the ‘Two Hearts’ Bill wondered if he’d done the right thing in allowing Frank to leave. Questions loomed in his mind. How would Sarah react knowing her son was out on the ‘cut’ without the supervision of his father? What would Margy and Abner say; Bill felt they would agree with his decision. Then there was Rosie. He would explain to her what had happened and they would adjust the payments made to her as Frank would no longer be drawing a wage.

  Bill sighed heavily. Rosie, the young woman who continued to haunt him. The girl who had given him no reason to think she cared for him as anything other than a friend. Should he approach her regarding his feelings? If she rejected him it would put a massive strain on the good relationship they shared at present. He could not risk losing her as a friend or indeed his employer.

  Forty-two

  The ringing bell of the night soil men in the early hours of a cold spring morning was almost lost amid the howling tempest. The stench from the buckets the tub-men tipped into a cart to be hauled away to the countryside was carried on the winds. Rain pelted down making the pole-man’s task even more difficult as he dug around in the sludge, and the rope-man had a job to hang on to the swinging buckets.

  Lucy lay awake listening to the men cussing and swearing as the wind momentarily died down. She was considering the proposal John had put to her a few days before.

  John was looking for a place of their own. He wanted them to be man and wife proper and not just as written on the marriage certificate. John felt he should be able to visit his wife in their own home where he could relax a while before returning to his work on the boat.

  Knowing he was right, Lucy also knew it would be a lonely life for her with John being away on the canals most of the time. However, she had agreed more out of gratitude than anything else. John had married her even though she was carrying another man’s child. He loved her – of that there was no question. Lucy was certain however she could never love him back – not in the same way.

  Feeling a stirring within her she rubbed her belly and turned onto her side. Resuming her thoughts of a moment before, Lucy felt a deep guilt at having married John in the first place. He had assured her that his conjugal rights could wait until after the baby was born and she was grateful for that at least. However, when the child came into the world she would have to submit to his love making.

  Lucy sighed heavily. There was no way she could see of escaping the trap she found herself in, and shedding tears over this predicament wouldn’t help. She had made her bed and now she had to lie in it.

  In the next room, Rosie was also lying awake, her thoughts around all that had occurred over the last months. Staring out of the window at the dawn breaking, Rosie knew in her heart that the Fates had more in store for her yet.

  It was a couple of weeks later that John bustled into number two Upper Marshall Street bubbling over with excitement. He had found a small house to rent in Lea Brook Square in Wednesbury.

  ‘It’s a terraced house much like this one,’ he said swinging his arm around, ‘and we can afford it on my wages.’

  ‘In Wednesbury? That’s miles away! What ’appens when the babby comes? I won’t ’ave anybody to ’elp!’ Lucy was not at all enamoured with the idea of a move to another town where she wouldn’t know a soul.

  John looked crestfallen and again the guilt weighed heavily on Lucy’s shoulders.

  ‘You’ll soon make new friends,’ Rosie said.

  ‘I s’pose.’ Lucy was about to give in yet again and chided herself for having no backbone.

  ‘Good, because I told them we’d move in right away,’ John’s excitement gave a sparkle to his blue eyes.

  ‘You what John! You should ’ave talked to me first!’ Lucy was furious.

  ‘I know and I’m sorry but I had to be quick off the mark otherwise it would have been snapped up by someone else.’

  ‘Think of it, Lucy, another wild adventure. You’ll be mistress of your own home,’ Rosie tried to placate Lucy but the look on the girl’s face bore testament to failure. Lucy felt miserable about the whole thing.

  ‘You ’ave to talk to me about things John, otherwise this ’ole marriage thing will be a sham!’ Lucy spat knowing it was ungrateful but hardly able to help herself.

  ‘I will, I promise,’ John said.

  The following day saw Lucy saying a tearful goodbye to her friends and joining her husband on the ‘Two Hearts’ for her journey to Wednesbury.

  It was late morning the next day when Lucy saw her house for the first time and her heart sank. The brickwork was almost black with grime and the windows hadn’t seen a cloth in a long time. Inside it was dark and dreary. The living room and kitchen were tiny and the two bedrooms looked shabby. She was to share a standpipe and lavatory situated out the back with the other residents in the row.

  Watching John carry in her few possessions, she wanted to bawl her eyes out and bolt back to Rosie’s. Taking a deep breath to stem her tears she set to building a fire in the small grate. Things always seemed better with a good blaze in the hearth.

  Bill and John manoeuvred the double bed in through the door and up the stairs and Lucy felt a shiver down her spine. She would be sleeping in that with John whenever he was home.

  Giving herself a mental shake, she took a bucket to fill with water. She had to clean the filthy windows which would then let in some light. She felt she needed to lose herself in some hard work in an effort to beat off the miseries threatening to envelop her.

  John grinned at his father as he watched his wife begin her chores.

  ‘Happy, son?’ Bill asked as they dragged in more furniture from the borrowed handcart. Two arm chairs, a table and two dining chairs, crockery, linen – all bought cheaply at the market and pawn shop.

  ‘Yes, sir!’ John beamed.

  Bill nodded. His twin boys were now pretty much on their own albeit John would still be working with him.

  ‘Right then, you give Lucy a hand and I’ll return this hand cart. I’ll see you in the morning,’ Bill said. Giving Lucy a hug, Bill left them to settle in.

  All day and into the evening the young couple worked to make their new home clean and tidy. After a quick meal of sausages and mash, they sat either side of the fireplace watching the dancing flames. John was lost in joy at the thought of finally holding his wife close when they retired. Lucy was thinking the same and dreading it.

  Eventually the time came and after climbing into the cold bed, Lucy felt John’s arms fold around her.

  ‘I love you so much,’ he whispered.

  Lucy mumbled into the darkness unable to reciprocate.

  It was not long before she heard John’s breathing pattern change and his gentle snores in the quiet of the bedroom. Finally, she began to relax.

  *

  Rosie felt Lucy�
�s absence sting. Already she was lonely for the girl she’d found on the doorstep of the Artists’ Gallery. She had Fanny and Molly next door true enough, but it was in the evenings when she felt the loneliness bite deeper. She found herself brooding as she sat by her fireside; thoughts of Bill and where he was, and how Lucy was faring in her own home. She began to wonder if she would ever be truly happy again.

  Then one morning Rosie was delighted with a visit from Frank with Tad in tow. Giving Frank a hug, Rosie instantly felt the stab of heart-break. Covering her shock with a smile she shook hands with the green-eyed boy and at once knew the reason for the feeling.

  Rosie brought tea and cake to the table and listened as the excited young men regaled her with tales of their travels. They were so happy; it showed on their smiling faces. They had formed a bond in the short time they had been together which only death could break.

  All three spent the morning laughing and joking and Rosie wondered if Tad was aware she knew about the way they felt about each other.

  It was then that Frank piped up, ‘Rosie can tell your fortune!’

  ‘Hardly, Frank, but I can give “readings”,’ Rosie laughed.

  ‘Ooh do mine – please!’ Tad begged.

  Holding the boy’s hand, she closed her eyes. She knew they were grinning at each other but she ignored it and concentrated hard.

  Sighing heavily Rosie did her best to find a way of telling what she saw knowing if she didn’t it would stay with her.

  ‘Tad, you must take care of yourself – I see illness so it’s imperative you stay well. There are gypsies dancing—’

  ‘My boat – ‘Gypsy Dancer’!’ Tad interrupted.

  Rosie held up a finger to stay his tongue.

  ‘Be careful there is a woman out to disgrace you; do not be over familiar in public, she will be watching.’

  Rosie let go of the hand and opened her eyes to see the shocked look on Tad’s face.

  ‘I know how you two feel about each other and as God is my witness, I will never utter a word, but you have to be vigilant.’

  The two young men nodded in unison and Rosie smiled.