Northern Girl (34 page)

He pulled a couple of grainy, yellowed photographs from his inside pocket, and showed them to Hannah. ‘Look, I picked these up from a pile of stuff that was being chucked out while ah was there. I didn’t know why I wanted them at the time, but I think I do now.’

Was this really
her
son talking? Hannah, dumbfounded, sat on the nearest chair.

‘Mam! Mam! Ah’ve brought Ee-an ’ome for ’is tea!’ Jeannie came running through the shop.

‘
Jeannie!
What have I told you about running through the shop and shouting like a … a fisherwoman?’

‘Oh, ah’m sorry, Mam, but there’s no customers in on a Sunder, is there?’ Jeannie said, crouching down and lifting the curtain of one of the three fitting rooms to peer inside.

The day is “Sunday”, Jeannie, not “Sunder”. And this is not your “’ome”, but your “home”.’ She gave Jeannie a meaningful look, then, smiling apologetically at Ian, said, ‘Oh, just get yourselves upstairs, I’ll be up in a minute.’ Jeannie’s grammar had got even worse since they’d moved to Bishop Auckland, Rene thought.

‘Do you think you could finish up in here, Hilda?’ she asked her under-manager.

‘No problem,’ Hilda said, surfacing from under the pile of coats that she’d been unpacking ready for the first day of the sales. ‘Una will help me, she’s just gone to powder her nose, like. And ah’ll tell yer what, ah’m glad we decided to come in today to do all this unpacking. It’d be a right carry-on if we’d left it till Monday, like we were goin’ to.’

‘You’re right there, Hilda. Thanks for coming in. I do appreciate it, you know.’

‘Oh, ah know that, Rene. Mind you, ah wouldn’t do
it fer just anybody, like,’ Hilda said. ‘But yer a fair boss, and we want ter be fair ter you in return.’

Rene nodded towards her. ‘Thanks,’ was all she managed after such a compliment.

Before she even turned to go up the stairs she could hear crackling and whistling sounds coming from the wireless. The odd burst of Glenn Miller, interspersed with a comedy show and snatches of the news fading in and out, reminded Rene that it had been a mistake buying a second-hand wireless: she should have bought brand new. But there’d been so many bits and pieces to buy when she’d moved in, that a wireless had been low on her priorities. Had she realized just how much pleasure Jeannie
and
herself, for that matter, would get from it, she would definitely have given it more priority.

She walked into the sitting room and there they both were, Jeannie and Ian, kneeling in front of it each desperately twiddling the knobs. Jeannie looked over her shoulder as her mother came in.

‘We’re trying ter get the thing ter work, Mam! But the needle thing that goes on the programmes keeps getting stuck,’ she exclaimed in frustration. ‘Ee-an wants ter listen ter his favourite comedy programme, but the needle won’t seem ter stop at t’ right place.’

Rene, her arms folded, stopped and observed with a grin, ‘Oh girl, what am I going to do with you? Move over, and let’s have a look at it.’ She crouched down beside them.

‘Ah’ve put the beans in a pan ready ter heat up, and shall ah make some to-ast, Mam?’

‘I think you mean “toast”, Jeannie,’ Rene sighed, in her relentless quest to improve her daughter’s speech.

Jeannie understood, and sighed. ‘Yes, Mam, ah mean “toast”.’

Ian was tipping his prize marbles from a small drawstring bag on to the brightly coloured clippie rug in the middle of the polished wooden floor, and didn’t seem to take any notice of the exchanges between Jeannie and her mother.

‘Well, shall ah, or shan’t ah, do the toast?’ Jeannie asked.

‘No, you entertain your friend, pet. I’ll do it. I don’t like you using the grill. It gets a bit too hot.’ Rene got up from fixing the wireless. ‘Anyway, I thought you two were teaching each other how to speak?’

‘We are,’ said Jeannie defensively.

‘I haven’t heard much evidence of it yet,’ Rene called from the kitchen.

‘Rene! Rene!’ A voice called from downstairs. ‘Telephone!’

‘OK! Just coming, Hilda!’ she called, hurriedly dividing the beans and toast between the two plates before calling Jeannie and Ian to the table.

‘Who is it?’ she called back.

‘It’s yer mam!’ Hilda shouted.

Rene ran downstairs and picked up the receiver. ‘Hello, Mam,’ she said cautiously, knowing that it must be important, because Hannah had to go all the way to a telephone box, or ask Mrs Atkins at No. 1.

‘Hello, pet,’ said the voice at the other end. ‘Ah
wondered if you and our Jeannie could come over tomorrow, cause our Tom and the lass and the bairn are arriving in the morning. Ah’d like yer ter be here if yer can, fer a bit of moral support, like?’

‘Good grief, Mam! Tom only went back over there a couple of days ago. I didn’t expect them back so soon! Of course I’ll come. That’s if I can sort something out here in the shop. I’ll ring the school in the morning and get Jeannie the day off.’

‘Ay, thanks, pet. Get here as early as yer can, eh?’

‘Will do. Bye, Mam, and don’t you be worrying on!’ Rene instructed, knowing what Hannah was like. She put the receiver down slowly.

‘Everything all right?’ Hilda asked.

‘Yes. Yes, thanks,’ Rene answered absent-mindedly. ‘Would you mind opening up the shop for me in the morning, Hilda? I’ve got to go out, maybe even for the whole day.’

‘Of course ah will, but—’

‘I know. It’s the first day of the sales. But Mary is coming in to help out, anyway, so there’ll be three of you, and I’ll do my best to get back in the afternoon.’

Hilda started to ask what the problem at home was, but Rene, not wanting to explain right then, cut her off gently. ‘I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow, when I get back. I’d better go up and see to the children now. Thanks again, Hilda.’ She smiled. ‘I’ll see you all right for this.’

‘Oh, no bother!’ Hilda replied, delighted by the prospect of a bit of extra money.

Tom and Madeleine stepped off the train at Ramshaw Station. Baby Francine was fractious and tired, and the stationmaster ran over to help Tom, who was struggling to get two hefty cases down from the train. Tom pushed a sixpenny piece into his hand and thanked him.

‘Oh, a tanner! Thanks, mate!’ he said gratefully.

Tom, a case in each hand now, led the way, while Maddie had to keep stopping to tuck in Francine’s shawl, which seemed to slip down every few steps she took. She tried in vain to keep up with Tom, but guessed that the cases were so heavy he didn’t dare slow down.

They had travelled all night, and Maddie was not only tired, but scared and miserable. Leaving her parents this time had been quite different from when she’d left them to run away to Boulogne. This time she felt powerless and dependent. How could she feel otherwise, when she didn’t know what sort of place she was going to? And as for the language that she’d heard on the train, well, in no way did it resemble
any
English
she
knew. And, with Tom marching ahead of her now, she suddenly felt lonely.

Tears had streamed down her face for most of the journey, and she certainly wasn’t up to meeting Tom’s family right now. Tom turned to look at her when she mentioned her swollen face and puffy eyes. ‘You look gorgeous, they’ll love you,’ he encouraged. ‘Come on, just under half a mile to go.’ He tried to sound positive.

‘Half a mile!’ she said, horrified. ‘Can’t we get an autobus?’

‘It’s too early in the morning for a bus.’ He smiled. ‘Come on, it won’t take long from here.’

Tom had been very kind to her on the journey, but right now she would rather have been anywhere but here, walking along this footpath, beside this cemetery wall. She suddenly realized that this was the wall Tom had described to her, and had told her was like the one between Marck and Calais.

‘See?’ he said, stopping to rest for a second, and reading her mind. ‘What did I tell you? It’s like the wall in Marck, eh?’

‘
Oui
, it is,’ she lied, hardly looking up. To her, this was nothing like the cemetery wall at home. This could never be home, she thought, looking round at her dismal surroundings.
Mon Dieu
, what have I done?

Maman and Papa had been wonderful to her when Francine was born at home in Marck. And afterwards they had taken their new grandchild to their hearts. Madeleine’s eyes filled with tears each time she remembered Maman giving Francine one last cuddle before they left. She’d had to avoid thinking about those last goodbyes or she would have spent the whole journey crying even harder.

Instead, she’d thought of Dominic, and how happy he’d been lately, since meeting up again with Yvette. After he’d received that first letter from her he’d written back at once. And at the end of the first day they’d spent together he’d come home filled with joy. Since then,
Yvette had been to visit the family at home, and had fitted in so perfectly that Madeleine had felt they could be good friends. But alas, she’d had to leave all her friends behind. Even though she hadn’t seen her school friends much recently, she still mourned their loss, too.

‘Madeleine, the quiet and sensible one … with a baby!’ they’d said, taken aback, when they first heard her news. But once they’d come to terms with the idea they’d all been excited. They’d been envious of her starting a new life with the man she loved, in a new world. They thought it incredibly romantic, and she wondered – a little sourly – if any of them would have been brave enough to do the same. There had been promises to write and to meet up, but in her heart Madeleine knew that she would probably never see them again.

‘Come on, pet!’ Tom’s voice broke into her thoughts. ‘You’re dawdling way behind. Is the bairn all right?’

‘
Oui
, she sleeps.’ Madeleine quickened her pace.

‘We’re nearly there,’ he said, stopping to rest the suitcases again. ‘Aww, just look at her,’ he said. ‘She’s like a little angel when she’s asleep.’ He gazed at his daughter with pride.

‘A heavy angel.’ Madeleine hitched the baby up, trying to find a more comfortable carrying position.

Half an hour later they stood in front of the house in Glamis Terrace. Everything was quiet, and there was no one around. Tom looked at his watch. It was seven thirty. He guessed his da must have left for work, and his mam was probably in the scullery having a wash.

‘Here we are, pet,’ he said, looking very pleased with himself as he lowered the cases to the ground and stretched his back.

Madeleine was so nervous she had to fight the urge to vomit. ‘Are they sleeping?’ she said. ‘We don’t wake them.’ She started to back away, desperately trying to put off the moment when she’d have to go into the house.

‘We can’t stand out here now, can we?’ Tom put his arm around her. As he rapped on the door Madeleine looked round at the other houses, sure that the whole street must have heard.

When a man’s voice called from within, she held her breath.

‘Just a minute,’ the voice called, and after much rattling, the door was opened by a very startled-looking man.

Francine began to murmur as he spoke.

‘Ay, come on in,’ he said, glancing at her shyly. ‘Yer must have been travellin’ all night ter be arrivin’ at this hour?’

‘Aye, Da, we have,’ Tom answered. He brought Madeleine forward. ‘Meet my wife, Da. This is Maddie. And Maddie, meet my da.’

Jack held his hand out for a shake. Maddie didn’t take it. Instead she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

‘Well, well, well,’ he said, pleased and flustered. ‘And this’ll be little Francine, eh?’ He smiled at the sleeping bundle in Maddie’s arms.

As they stepped inside, Tom saw Hannah standing at the bottom of the stairs, with their Rene close behind. Both looked slightly dishevelled.

‘Well, ah didn’t expect ter see you here, our Rene,’ he said, surprised. He was slightly put out. He’d hoped for a quiet time alone with his little family and his mam and da on the first day.

‘Come on, lass,’ Jack said to Hannah. ‘Get them a cup of tea made, they must be parched after that journey.’

Rene went to do it, while Hannah walked up to Madeleine.

‘Eee, pet, yer must be shattered. Come and sit down,’ she said, leading her into the sitting room. ‘Oh, and look at that poor bairn! She should be in bed!’

‘She’ll be all right, Mam. We’ll take her to bed in a bit,’ said Tom, looking at Maddie, who so far hadn’t spoken a word.

Rene, still in her nightie, filled the kettle and pushed it into the fire before she came over to Madeleine. ‘Hello, Maddie, I’m Rene, Tom’s sister,’ she said, smiling. ‘You’ll have to excuse us. We’re all a bit shocked. We weren’t expecting you so early.’

Maddie spoke at last. ‘I ’ope you excuse us also. The afternoon of yesterday was the time of the boat …’ she was saying, when Jeannie, also in her nightie, appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

‘Oh, Mam! She talks just like Dominic,’ she said excitedly.

For the first time Madeleine smiled. She said to
Jeannie, ‘Dominic, he is my brozer. I am Maddie.’ Seeing Jeannie’s eyes on the baby she said, ‘This is Francine.’

‘She’s bonny,’ said Jeannie, in awe of the little bundle.

Tom had gone off to the toilet by the time Hannah brought the mugs of hot sweet tea, and when Rene offered to take Francine to give Madeleine a chance to get her coat off and drink the tea, Maddie shook her head and held on protectively to her baby. There was no way she was going to hand her over to strangers. She was acutely aware of what seemed to be a roomful of people, all looking at her and smiling, and their awkwardness made her uneasy.

The ticking of the clock dominated the room and she was beginning to feel herself flush with embarrassment, when suddenly Jeannie broke the ice. ‘Can ah take the baby out later on? And show her off ter me friends?’ she asked.

Tom, who was just coming back, saw the look of horror on Maddie’s face. He stepped in quickly, ‘Not today, pet, that’s for sure. The baby’ll need to rest, you see, and get used to the place, don’t you think?’

‘Well …’

Silenced for a second by a meaningful look and shake of the head from Hannah, which she understood as a warning not to say any more, Jeannie whispered quickly, ‘Will she wake up in a minute?’