Jim looked at his wife thoughtfully. Nell was loved and cared for now. She was plump and rosy cheeked, with her shining hair neatly coiled, her apron crisply starched. But it hadn’t always been so. He knew a little about her past, as much as she had been able to bring herself to tell him. But he never pried, never demanded explanations. He loved her unconditionally for the girl she was now. But even though he had no conceit, he could see that her life could have been very different.
Silently, Jim vowed to redouble his efforts to find the missing Peggy. There was only one way he could think of; he would go out on his nights off in his own clothes. He would act like a man in search of female company, the kind of company to be found waiting on street corners.
But first, he knew he must confide in his older colleague. Much as he wanted to help find the girl, he was determined not to risk his career and the happiness of his little family to do so.
‘Ah, well, now lad, I don’t know about that,’ Constable Robinson said when Jim told him of his plans. ‘You could be getting yourself into a bit of bother doing that.’ He chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully. ‘Does it mean so much to Hannah and this – er – Mrs Morgan, is it?’ He still remembered Hannah with affection. He’d been taken with the golden-haired girl with the startlingly blue eyes.
‘Yes, it does,’ Jim answered. ‘Peggy’s Mrs Morgan’s daughter.’
‘Ah.’ The older man was suddenly full of understanding. He had daughters of his own and whilst he was obliged in his job to take a firm line with prostitutes, he was often filled with a great sadness. Some of them were hard-nut cases, loud-mouthed, vulgar and beyond sympathy, but for a few, it was the only way they knew how to survive and he could find it in his big heart to pity them. ‘Tell you what, lad. I’ll have to clear it with the inspector, but I don’t want you going out on your own. I’ll fix it so you an’ me get some nights off together and I’ll come with you.’
Jim stared at him. ‘You’d do that?’
‘Aye lad, I would. Call it my good deed for the day.’ He grinned ‘But not a word to the wife, mind. Far as she need be concerned, it’s all in the line of duty.’
*
Jim and Constable Robinson tramped the streets on their nights off for several weeks. Not knowing anything of the efforts going on to find her daughter, Bessie grew more and more despondent, sinking further into silent misery.
Christmas had come and gone. Bessie had made a valiant attempt to rouse herself for the sake of the others, but her heart wasn’t in merrymaking. And despite their own efforts, Bessie’s sadness put a damper on all their spirits. Hannah, Nell and Jim discussed the matter endlessly, but they could think of nothing else to do other than what was already being done.
‘I was so hoping she’d appear again at the pub round the corner on a Saturday night. But maybe, if it was her dad she was looking for, her courage failed her to do it again.’
‘Or maybe someone at the pub told her he’s dead,’ Jim suggested.
Hannah sighed. ‘I never thought of that. You could be right.’
There was silence until Jim said, ‘Well, we’re not giving up hope just yet. Mr Robinson is willing to carry on a bit longer and so am I.’
‘Thank him for us, won’t you, Jim?’ Hannah said quietly.
Jim smiled and nodded.
On the next Saturday night following their talk, Hannah was restless. She couldn’t explain why, but she couldn’t sit still. She had to get out of the house. She felt stifled and edgy. She reached for her shawl from the peg. ‘I’m just going to get a breath of air, Auntie Bessie, and I might pop into Nell’s for half an hour, so don’t wait up for me.’
Bessie, sitting staring into the fire, didn’t seem to hear her. Hannah sighed. Normally, such a remark might have been met with a teasing, ‘Now don’t you go keeping those lovebirds from their bed,’ but now, there was nothing. Not even a warning to be careful out and about in the frosty darkness of the January night.
Hannah slipped out of the house and, pulling her shawl closely about her, walked around the corner. For some inexplicable reason she was being drawn towards the pub. She saw a figure walking towards her and her heartbeat quickened. But then, with a stab of disappointment, she saw that it was Flo.
‘’Evenin’, Mrs Harris,’ she forced herself to say cheerily, and she heard the woman sniff.
‘Going to work, are you, love?’ Flo asked sarcastically.
‘Not tonight. Too cold to be hanging around street corners. Thought I’d give it a miss tonight.’
To her delight, she heard Flo gasp, ‘Well, I never . . .’
In the darkness, Hannah grinned and walked on. It’d be all round the street tomorrow.
As she drew nearer the pub, her steps slowed, but taking a deep breath, she approached the door and pushed it open. Once more she was met by the stale smell of smoke and drink. One or two glanced up to see who’d come in, but this time the buzz of conversation never faltered. Hannah glanced round swiftly, anxious not to linger. She was about to turn and scan the other side of the bar room when she felt someone take hold of her arm and a rough voice speak close to her ear.
‘I wondered when I’d catch up wi’ you. Run out on me, would yer?’
Hannah twisted round to face the ugly face of the man from whom she had escaped the last time.
‘Hello.’ Hannah smiled brightly. ‘Where did you get to?’
‘What d’yer mean – where did I get to? It was you scarpered. I waited ages. Right till closing time.’ His grip on her arm tightened. ‘You want teaching a lesson, that’s what you want.’
Hannah tried to twist herself free, but his grip was as tight as a man-trap as he began to drag her towards the door. Now Hannah was really frightened. ‘Let go of me. I’m not what you think. I won’t—’
‘Oh yes, you will. Lead me on, would yer?’
‘Let me go,’ Hannah shouted now, her voice rising above the babble of conversation, which at the sound of her terrified tones lessened, and Hannah felt everyone’s eyes turn in their direction. ‘Let me go!’
‘Old Sid ’aving to drag ’em in off the streets now, is he? He’s too ugly even for the regular girls,’ someone guffawed.
‘Get ’er out of here, Sid,’ the landlord called, but before he could weave his way amongst the tables to reach them, another voice spoke from behind, a soft, much younger voice.
‘Let her go, Sid. She’s not one of us.’
Sid gave a growl and turned to face the red-haired girl standing behind him. Hannah glanced at her too and her heart skipped a beat. The girl’s face was unnaturally white and her cheeks were reddened. She wore a low-cut silk dress that had once been rather grand, but was now grubby and stained. But it was her eyes that tore at Hannah’s heart. They were lifeless, defeated and hopeless. Here was a girl who had sunk to the very depths of degradation and could see no way out, except death. The girl smiled at Hannah, but the smile did not reach her eyes. ‘I saw you come in here and knew you’d be in trouble. The landlord doesn’t allow women in here. Go on, love. Go home. This is no place for you.’
Her voice faltered and now she stared hard at Hannah, almost as if she half recognized her. But Hannah had already guessed who she was. ‘Peggy? It is Peggy, isn’t it?’
The girls gasped in surprise. Beside them, the man was forgotten as the two girls stared at each other. ‘Hannah? Is it – Hannah?’
‘Yes, yes, it is.’ Scarcely aware that the man still had a firm grasp on her, Hannah touched Peggy’s arm. ‘I’m so glad I’ve found you. We’ve been looking for you.’
‘Looking for me?’ She was shocked to think anyone could care enough.
‘Yes,’ Hannah said gently. ‘We – we heard you’d been here. Some weeks back. We’ve been looking for you ever since.’
Tentatively, afraid of the answer, Peggy said, ‘Who’s “we”?’
‘Your mam and me. And two other friends, an’ all.’ She forbore to say that one was a policeman. She was afraid that Peggy would disa
ppear into the night without a trace.
Peggy was shaking her head. ‘No, you can’t mean that. They can’t want to know me. Not now,’ she added sadly.
‘Look, are you two going to stand gossiping all night? This girl—’ Sid began, but Peggy rounded on him.
‘Leave go of her, Sid. Like I said, she’s not one of us. I’ll see you later.’
‘Oh no, you won’t,’ Hannah said firmly. ‘You’re coming home with me.’
‘Oho, party time, is it?’ Sid leered. ‘I could fancy a threesome.’
Now the two girls faced him together. ‘Go away, Sid.’
Those sitting close by, listening with avid interest to what was going on, laughed. ‘Come on, Sid, leave ’em alone. You’re not going to get anywhere.’
Grumbling to himself, the man at last released his grip on Hannah’s arm. Absentmindedly, she rubbed her arm where his fingers had bitten into her flesh. She’d have a right old bruise there tomorrow, but she didn’t care.
She’d found Peggy.
‘Come on,’ she said, taking hold of Peggy’s arm, gently but firmly. ‘You’re coming home.’
As they walked along the street, Peggy said hesitantly, ‘Are you sure this is a good idea? They won’t want me. None of ’em. And my brothers will kill me.’
‘Then why did you come to the pub so close to home? You must have been hoping for – for something.’
‘I just wanted to see me dad. Not to speak to him, just to see him. I heard he’d been hurt at work not long after – after I left. I just wanted to know if he was all right.’ Hannah stopped and touched the girl’s arm. ‘Peggy – there’s something you should know. There’ve been a lot of changes since you left.’
Peggy stared at her through the darkness. ‘Oh no!’ she breathed, guessing at once that it was bad news. ‘Me dad, don’t say me dad . . .’
‘I’m afraid so. I’m so sorry. And all the rest of the family’ve left home. Your mam’s living on her own. At least, she was until I came back.’
It took Peggy, reeling from the shocking news, a few moments to realize what Hannah had said. ‘Oh yes, I remember now. You and your poor mother got turned out of your house. Mam was distraught about it.’
Hannah sighed. ‘There’s a lot happened in the last few years. An awful lot to tell you, but come on.’ She linked her arm through Peggy’s and drew her towards her old home. ‘Your mam is going to be so happy to see you.’
‘Are you sure, Hannah?’ Peggy said doubtfully. ‘Are you really sure?’
Hannah was sure and her certainty was rewarded the moment she opened the door and pushed a hesitant Peggy into the room. ‘Look who I’ve found,’ she called out. Bessie looked round and her eyes lit up. She levered herself up and lumbered, arms outstretched and tears pouring down her cheeks, towards her daughter. ‘Oh, Peggy! Peggy, love.’
The girl gave a sob, ‘Oh, Mam,’ and fell into her arms.
Quietly, Hannah turned and slipped out into the night again, but this time she turned down the street towards Nell’s home. She must tell them the good news.
Thirty-Six
Bessie was happier than she had been in years. She still mourned her beloved husband, but now she had her daughter returned to her as if from the dead. And she cared not one jot for the gossiping neighbours.
It soon became apparent that Peggy’s way of life had affected her health: her skin was sallow and blotchy and she was painfully thin.
‘She’s nowt but skin and bone,’ Bessie whispered to Hannah. ‘We’ll have to feed her up. Look after her.’ Bessie glanced at Hannah, a question in her eyes. ‘You don’t mind, Hannah, do you?’
Hannah gaped at her. ‘Mind? Why on earth should I mind?’
‘Well, she . . . she’s not going to be able to work for a while, and besides, when folks know what she’s been doing, she . . . she might find it hard to get proper work. When you’ve led that sort of life, it . . . it’s difficult to get out of it.’
Hannah touched Bessie’s hand and said softly, ‘About as hard as getting out of the workhouse once you’re in there. Auntie Bessie, of course I want to help Peggy. We’ll manage. When she’s feeling better, she’ll be able to help you with the washing.’
‘As long as none of my customers know. You know what folks are like. They’ll treat her like a leper for a while.’
‘I can still collect and deliver for you in the evening and Nell’ll still help out, I’m sure. Don’t you worry, Auntie Bessie, we’ll manage.’
Hannah was not feeling as confident as she made out. There was now an extra mouth to feed on her one wage. Whilst Bessie still did a lot of washing, Hannah was sure that once word got out that her wayward daughter was home, folks might well take their washing elsewhere. Bessie would suffer the stigma of the life her daughter had led. And now she was married, Nell’s contribution to the household budget had gone too.
And worse than all this, Hannah, though eternally grateful to Bessie, felt the trap closing in on her. Her own plans would have to wait for a while.
The weeks and months passed, and Hannah had been working at the silk factory for almost three years. Peggy’s recovery had been painfully slow, but at last her skin was clearer, she had put on a little weight, and though the haunted look would never quite leave her eyes, at least she was able to smile now. She rarely ventured out of the house – the gossips had long memories. But after she had been home almost a year, Hannah determined it was high time the girl put the past behind her and held her head up high.
As she breezed into the house one evening after work, she called out, ‘Peggy, Auntie Bessie where are you? I’ve got some good news.’
‘In here,’ came Bessie’s voice from the kitchen where she was laying the table for their evening meal. As she stepped into the room, Hannah lifted her face and sniffed the air. ‘Mmm, something smells good.’
‘Sit down. It’s all ready. Come on, you too, Peg. Leave that ironing, you can do it later.’
‘But, Mam, me irons are hot . . .’ Peggy began, but nevertheless she set her irons back on the hob and came to the table.
‘So, love, what’s your news?’ Bessie said.
‘I’ve got Peggy an interview for a job at the mill.’
Peggy’s mouth dropped open in surprise, but then doubt and fear crossed her face. ‘Oh, Hannah, it’s good of you, very good, but I don’t know if I’m ready to face folk. What if—’
‘Take it a step at a time, Peg. See how it goes, eh? You can pull out any time you like. Just go for the interview with Mr Boardman. If you get the job, give it a try. If it doesn’t work out, you’ve lost nothing, have you?’
‘No, but what if folk know about me? They’ll likely hound me out of the place.’
‘No, they won’t. Not while I’m around anyway.’
Both Bessie and Peggy smiled at the little firebrand. Slim, blonde and blue-eyed, Hannah had the looks of a china doll, but her spirit was like steel. ‘Look,’ she went on, ‘there’s a girl just started in our workroom and there’s been a lot of gossip about her. They say she’s been on the game, got two kiddies and she doesn’t even know who their fathers are. Oh, there was a lot of gossiping and nudging when she first started, but I made a point of being friendly with her and one or two more followed suit. One or two who have no reason to be calling others names, I might tell you. But it’s fine now. You’ll just have to brave it out for a while until it all dies down. You’ll be a nine-day wonder and then they’ll find summat else to gossip about.’ She smiled. ‘Or someone.’
‘Well . . .’ Peggy said doubtfully, but Bessie urged, ‘Oh, go on, love, give it a try. Like Hannah says, you’ve nothin’ to lose. And the washing’s not coming in like it used to. And to tell the truth, it’s getting too hard for me now. With two proper wages coming in and the little bit that Nell gives me for looking after Tommy, we could live like kings.’
Hannah bit her lip. She couldn’t let Bessie go on thinking she would have her wage coming in for ever. ‘Maybe there’s so
mething I should tell you. I’ve got plans. I – I might be leaving.’
Bessie’s face fell and Peggy looked worried. ‘Is it because of me, Hannah, now I’ve come back? Because, if it is—’
‘No, no,’ Hannah reassured her swiftly. ‘It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. But the time’s not been right. I’ve had to wait a while anyway, and then I wanted to be sure Bessie was all right before I left. I thought I could leave when Nell and Tommy were here.’ Her smile widened. ‘But then she had to go an’ get married, didn’t she?’
‘You’re going back, aren’t you? Back to that mill. Why, Hannah? It’ll only cause you more heartache. Put the past behind you, love. It’s what you’re telling Peggy to do.’
‘I know – and maybe you’re right. Maybe I should. But I just know that I have to go back first, before I can get on with my life.’ Her mouth tightened. ‘I’ve unfinished business there.’ Her face brightened. ‘But so long as I know that I can always come back here if—’
‘Of course you can,’ Bessie and Peggy chorused.
*
To Hannah’s delight, Peggy was offered the job, and despite having to run the gauntlet of the gossiping for a couple of weeks, the girl soon settled into the routine of mill life. She was a quick and willing learner. She was quiet and unassuming, and with Hannah as her champion, she was soon accepted by the others.
Now, at last, as winter turned to spring once more, Hannah felt free to make definite plans to return to Wyedale Mill.
‘Nell, can you get me some of that hair dye you use?’
Nell’s eyes widened. ‘Whatever for? You’ve got beautiful hair.’
‘I’m going back.’
‘Back where?’
‘To the mill.’
For a moment Nell looked puzzled and then she gasped. ‘To Wyedale? Whatever for?’
‘I’m not going to let Edmund Critchlow get off with causing Luke’s death, even if his cronies fixed it for him so he did.’
Nell’s eyes were troubled. ‘Oh, Hannah, do be careful. He’s so powerful. What’re you going to do?’
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