Spinner's Wharf by Iris Gower

Author:Iris Gower
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788639590
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2020-03-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Sweyn’s Eye slumbered in an illusion of peace. Summer had slipped gently by, for russet and gold now splashed hill and dale with rich colour.

With the coming of autumn 1915 the Allied forces had taken Artois and Champagne. The British advance south of La Bassee pierced the German line to a depth of four thousand yards. The village of Loos was captured, as well as the western outskirts of Hulluch.

Honey O’Connor listened to her father reading the news from the Daily Post, but her mind was on other matters. She looked across the breakfast table at Morgan; he caught her glance and winked secretly and her heart was warmed.

‘You’d better be getting off to the station, my girl,’ Stella O’Connor said quickly, rising from her chair and gathering the empty plates into a neat pile. ‘’Tis getting late, can’t you see?’

Honey glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece and its loud ticking in the silence seemed to rebuke her. ‘All right, mammy, I’m going in a minute, give us a chance.’ She had never explained her sudden decision to leave the Richardson household and take a job in the munitions factory – let sleeping dogs lie, she had thought to herself.

‘I’ll give ye the back of my hand if ye don’t shift!’ Her mother leavened the harshness of her words with a smile and dropped a kiss on Honey’s cheek. ‘Now tie a scarf tight round your head – you don’t want your hair turning orange, do you?’

Honey sighed. ‘I’ve told you, mammy, we’ve got our mob caps only some of the other girls don’t like to cover the whole of their head – that’s why their hair is going a funny colour, it’s the TNT that does it.’

She stood up, conscious in a proud kind of way of her thick trousers and the loose-cut jacket pulled in by a belt at the waist. This was the uniform provided for his workers by Mansel Jack and it was almost as good as khaki in the eyes of the townsfolk.

‘Here, stop dreaming, girl, and take your food. You’re thin enough already without forgetting to eat your dinner.’

Outside in the misty morning air, Honey deliberately dawdled, for usually Morgan hurried after her and walked with her from Green Hill to the station, before going off to his shift at the copper works. Today was no exception and they smiled at each other without touching.

‘Nice enough day,’ Morgan said, clearing his throat self-consciously. Honey smiled up at him – her hair, tied back from her face, hanging rich and gold down to her waist.

‘Sure, it’s fine,’ she replied, a blush heating her skin.

They walked in silence for a moment, each tinglingly aware of the other. Honey searched her mind for something to say, anything that would bring Morgan’s eyes to meet hers, but words would not come.

‘How are you getting on at the factory?’ He spoke in a jerky, stilted way and Honey realised that for Morgan it was difficult too.

‘It’s hard enough work, but I have friends there now.

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