The wind was whipping up, snaking its way around the crammed ravine of the Wear and bringing a cold blast from across the North Sea. It was a taste of the winter now lurking around the corner, eager to descend on the town and torment those who worked under the canopy of an unforgiving sky.
‘Platers’ shed,’ Rosie said, pointing over to the huge metal warehouse where the metal scales of the ships-to-be were stored.
Polly, Gloria, Martha, Dorothy and Angie nodded and leant forward as they hit a wind tunnel that stretched the hundred yards to the entrance of their lunchtime sanctuary.
‘Bloomin’ weather!’ Dorothy complained as they almost fell over the threshold.
‘I do hate the wind,’ Gloria said.
‘Yeah, cold over wind any day,’ Martha added, rubbing her eyes, which had just got some dirt in them.
Spotting a five-gallon barrel fire, Rosie led the way, dumping her haversack on the ground and waving across to a group of caulkers who had also decided to swap the canteen for the airier domain of the platers’ shed.
The women got to work, pulling up wooden boxes and pallets as makeshift seats, and getting out their packed lunches.
‘So …’ Dorothy looked across at Polly. ‘Do I even need to ask?’
Polly had her sandwich in both hands. She looked round her circle of friends, all staring at her expectantly.
‘Yes!’ she declared. A big smile on her face. ‘You’ll be pleased to know I finally did it! I finally told Tommy!’
‘Hurrah!’ Dorothy exclaimed.
‘About bloody time,’ Gloria said, delving into her haversack to get her sandwiches.
‘Oh my God, Pol.’ Angie’s expression was grave. She still couldn’t believe what Polly had done. ‘What did he say?’
‘He was fine about it … Thank goodness,’ Polly said, taking a bite of her sandwich.
‘Fine?’ Rosie said curiously, unscrewing the top of her tea caddy.
‘Actually …’ Polly said through a mouthful of bread and spam.
The women all looked at her in great expectation.
Polly swallowed.
‘ … he burst out laughing!’
‘He laughed?’ Angie couldn’t believe her ears.
‘Not laughed in a way that he thought it was funny,’ Polly explained, wiping her mouth of crumbs. ‘It was more like he was relieved.’
‘Relieved?’ Martha asked, puzzled.
‘Yeah, what do you mean “relieved”?’ Angie said, now totally confused. ‘Why would anyone in their right mind be “relieved” ’cos you’d just chucked away a load of their hard-earned dosh?’
‘I think he thought there was a chance I might have gone off with someone else … you know … when he was declared missing,’ Polly explained.
‘As if!’ Gloria said, blowing on her tin cup of steaming hot tea.
‘I don’t understand.’ Martha looked baffled. ‘What’s giving his money away got to do with you having another bloke?’
‘Because,’ Dorothy butted in, ‘Polly’s reticence about setting a date for the wedding must have made Tommy wonder if she’d gone off with someone else. You know? While the cat’s away, the mice will play?’ She looked at Polly. ‘Am I right?’
‘That’s about the nub of it,’ Polly said.
‘So, what are you going to do?’ Rosie asked, unsurprised by Tommy’s reaction.
‘About?’ Polly asked, taking care not to spill her tea as she poured it into her cup.
‘About getting married,’ Gloria said. She had told Jack about Polly’s charitable donations when they’d spoken last night. At the end of the call he had suddenly blurted out that he longed for the day when he could free himself from Miriam, marry Gloria and be a proper father to Hope. It had made her feel so happy – and also so sad.
‘Well,’ Polly said, taking a slurp of tea, ‘we decided we were no worse and no better off than most couples who want to get married these days, and that we’d just have to do it on the cheap. I mean, you don’t have to have a load of money to have a great wedding, do you?’
The women murmured their agreement, but it lacked conviction.
‘I suppose you could wait a while till you’re able to save up a bit of money,’ Gloria proposed.
‘Mmm, I did suggest that,’ Polly said, ‘but Tommy said he didn’t want to wait. And if I’m honest, I don’t really want to wait either, especially as it’d take us ages to save up. Even if Tommy’s well enough to work again and we’ve two wages coming in, it’ll still take us ages to make up what I gave away.’
‘Cheap ’n cheerful. And better sooner than later, eh?’ Gloria said, sensing the woman’s slightly deflated mood. Polly had been everyone’s happy-ever-after. They’d all agreed that their workmate would make a beautiful bride and look amazing in white, floating down the aisle towards the man she was batty about.
‘You know that Kate will make you a wedding dress, don’t you?’ Rosie said. ‘And she won’t expect paying.’
‘I know she would,’ Polly said. She had dreamed of the kind of beautiful wedding dress she knew Kate could create for her, but she would never admit it. ‘But that’s not fair on Kate. Especially as she’s got her hands full with Lily’s wedding dress and all her seamstress work. No, I’m going to ask around. See if perhaps I can borrow one. Or get a second-hand one cheap.’
‘So, have you both thought of a date?’ Martha asked.
‘Well,’ Polly said with a big smile, ‘Tommy’s getting out of hospital this weekend …’
‘That’s great news!’ Gloria said, surprised.
‘That’s soon,’ Rosie said. ‘I thought they were going to keep him for a while longer?’
‘I know, so did I,’ Polly said. ‘But he said Dr Parker’s discharging him this weekend.’
‘That doesn’t mean you’re getting married this weekend, does it?’ Martha asked.
Dorothy and Angie hooted with laughter.
‘Course she’s not, yer dafty!’ Angie said, nudging Martha, who didn’t budge an inch. ‘Even if they’ve got no money, they’ve still got lots to plan. And yer gorra get booked in – even if it’s at the registry office. Isn’t that right, miss?’ Angie looked at Rosie.
‘That’s right, Angie.’ Rosie tried to keep a straight face. ‘And the only reason I got married so quickly was because Peter got us a special licence, but even that took some organising. And you have to give a reason for wanting to get married so quickly.’
‘Anyway, you’re still going to get married in a church, aren’t you?’ Dorothy’s question was more a plea.
‘Oh, yes,’ Polly said. ‘Definitely. We’re going to go and see the vicar at St Ignatius and ask when he can fit us in.’
At the mention of St Ignatius, Gloria had a flash of Hope’s christening and the drama of Jack turning up in the middle of the ceremony. That day had been the start of Jack getting his memory back. They had been reunited. It was the first time he’d held Hope. She knew she had a lot to be thankful for, but still, the longer they were parted, the more she yearned for him. They might speak on the phone and write to each other, but they still hadn’t actually seen each other, held each other, since the start of the year.
‘So, when do you think you’ll be getting married?’ Martha asked, having listened intently to what everyone was saying. She’d never realised it was all so complicated.
‘We reckon by the time it takes him to read the banns out—’
‘Which the vicar has to do three Sundays before the actual ceremony,’ Dorothy informed Martha.
‘And with the time it’ll take us to organise everything,’ Polly continued, ‘hopefully we’ll be able to set a date in the first two weeks of December. At the very latest a week before Christmas.’
Dorothy clapped her hands in glee.
‘Two Christmas weddings!’
As they all started to tuck into their lunches and discuss other ways Polly could still have a fabulous wedding on a shoestring, Gloria suddenly looked at Polly.
‘Have you told Agnes?’ she asked.
‘About the money?’ Polly said.
Gloria nodded.
Everyone stared at Polly and she shook her head.
‘Oh dear,’ Martha said.
‘Oh dear, indeed,’ said Dorothy.