Kate and her uncle and aunt had been invited to the Nelson house. Kate didn’t want to go but there was no use in her protesting. Her aunt was flattered, and though she knew her uncle would have much preferred to stay at home he was obliged to go to his employers for a party.
They stayed the night. Kate was admired. She didn’t care about being admired, the whole thing rather bored her, especially since Charles Nelson danced with her several times. Kate had, for some months now, done her best to discourage him but it didn’t seem to work. He even called in at the mine office on any pretext. Kate punished him by talking to him about the pit. It seemed the only way to get rid of him.
They stayed until late on Sunday and then set off for home. Kate was full of relief and everything was well until they reached the village. They had to go past the miners’ rows to get home and there was a crowd of men gathered in the dusk. It was raining hard by then and Albert had no intention of stopping but Mr Farrer insisted.
As they heard the approach of the horse and trap the men scattered and Kate had a clear view of what happened after that. Two men were left there. One of them hurried away immediately and, as her uncle jumped down and went over, the second man walked off quickly too. Kate could see somebody lying on the ground. Albert held the reins. Her aunt protested at the interruption and Kate got down and went slowly across.
Even in the bad light she wasn’t deceived. If somebody had told Kate the day before that she would have been upset at seeing Jon Armstrong hurt she would have denied it. She thought that he had done unforgivable things, but now she saw that she had been wrong. He was still and there was such a lot of blood. Kate was horrified. She got down into the road on her knees. Her uncle looked carefully, felt for a pulse.
‘He’s not dead, is he?’ Kate croaked, her throat was so dry.
She thought her uncle would make a funny remark because Jon was all right but he didn’t.
‘No, but he’s in a bad way. Go with Albert and fetch the doctor.’
‘But he’s lying in the rain.’
‘He doesn’t know it and I daren’t move him. Go on.’
Kate went. The doctor came and they took Jon back to their house so that he could be looked at properly, and after that the doctor said he wasn’t to be moved any more. Kate wasn’t very happy about that. If Jon wanted to get himself beaten unconscious why couldn’t he have done it somewhere more discreet? she thought irritatedly, and during the few days which followed pretended that he was not in the house. Not that it made any difference. Mrs O’Connor reported that she had never heard anyone talk less. Kate thought it hardly surprising that Jon appeared to have lost the art of conversation.
Even when he started to get better Kate didn’t go near. It was a full week before she asked Ellen about him.
‘He doesn’t do nothing,’ she said, putting an untouched dinner tray on to the kitchen table. ‘He doesn’t say nothing and he doesn’t eat nothing.’
Mrs O’Connor looked regretfully at the uneaten food. Kate ventured upstairs. The room where Jon was lodged was pretty. There was sunshine beyond the window but he couldn’t see it because he wasn’t turned that way. He was turned in towards the wall and was motionless. He must have heard her, she thought, but he gave no acknowledgement. Kate sat down on the bed and waited for him to turn over. Nothing happened.
‘How are you?’ she asked briskly.
‘I’m fine, thank you.’ His voice was level and polite.
‘You didn’t eat anything. How do you expect to get better if you don’t eat?’
He didn’t answer that. Kate went round to the other side of the bed and sat there. It was difficult to see Jon’s expression. He didn’t look at her and his face was badly bruised.
‘What happened?’ she said.
When he didn’t answer she said, ‘I was there with my uncle. Were you fighting?’
‘No.’
‘What were you doing?’
‘Nothing.’
Mrs Armstrong had been a frequent visitor to the house during the past two weeks and May had been with her more than once. Kate wondered if Jon had talked to them.
After another week Jon was well enough to get up and said that he wanted to go home but Kate’s uncle wouldn’t hear of it.
‘I don’t want any injured men down my pit,’ he said, ‘and if you go home you’ll be back at work in no time.’
Kate thought that she understood her uncle less and less, especially when at work she questioned him and he said abruptly, ‘I like the lad.’
She was astonished.
‘You like him? After all the trouble he’s caused?’
‘You don’t like people for how good they are,’ her uncle said. ‘Besides, he isn’t fit to go back to work, in body or in mind.’
Her uncle, she thought, was at least unpredictable.
*
Eddie had gone home with bleeding knuckles and an uncertain temper. Lizzie met him at the door and knew before a word was spoken what had happened. She was only glad that the baby was upstairs sleeping because anything could happen now.
‘Why?’ she said.
‘You went to him.’
Lizzie lowered her eyes.
‘After what he did, you went to him.’
‘He did no worse than you’ve done. It wasn’t his fault Greta and the baby died. He lost me and then he lost them.’
‘Don’t you talk about it in my house. He as good as killed her.’
‘He did no more to her than you’ve done to me. Did you think of that when I was having the bairn? That I might die, that I was in pain the like of which I didn’t know existed. Did you care for any of that? No, of course you didn’t. You’d had what you wanted.’
Eddie lifted his hand but she stood there.
‘Yes, go on,’ she said, ‘and I’ll take the bairn and leave and never, ever come back. If he’s badly hurt you needn’t think there’ll be a soft word between you and me from now until hell freezes!’ And she walked out. She went to Harold’s, hammered on the door, and when he opened it she rushed into the kitchen where her mother and Enid were cuddling a twin apiece.
‘What happened? Is Jon hurt?’
‘If he is, Miss, we all know whose fault it was, don’t we?’ her mother said. ‘Going around there! You had no right.’
Lizzie ignored her.
‘Is he hurt?’
‘Yes,’ Harold said in a low voice, coming in after her.
‘Bad?’
‘Yes.’
‘So where is he?’
‘At Farrer’s.’
‘What?’
Harold walked her back out of the house. Lizzie let him.
‘I tried to stop it. They wouldn’t let me, and don’t you go thinking you can go up to Farrer’s and see him. Try to do the right thing for once. It was partly you to blame. Whatever were you thinking about?’
‘I don’t know,’ she said miserably.
‘You go up there and your marriage is finished. I’ve never seen Eddie like that. He nearly killed Jon.’
‘Didn’t Jon do anything?’
‘He got hurt too fast.’
‘I want to know. Will you go to the house?’
Harold hesitated. ‘Aye, I’ll go, but promise me you won’t do owt more? Eddie’s bigger than me.’
*
Jon sat by the window looking out over the garden. He had been at the Farrers’ for several weeks now and had stopped asking if he could go home. He was sitting there every day when Kate came back from the office. He had nothing to say. She sat with him while her aunt busied about, telling him everything that had gone on at the pit that day though he made no remarks nor asked any questions. He went back to his room before dinner and afterwards Kate went upstairs and read to him. She didn’t know whether he liked her reading since he didn’t say anything.
One Sunday afternoon they were sitting together in the drawing-room, her uncle and aunt having gone for a walk, when she heard the sound of a horse outside.
‘Oh no,’ she breathed, ‘it’s Charles Nelson.’
Ellen trotted in with the news and Kate had no option but to invite Charles into the drawing-room to sit with one of his hewers. The funny part was that Jon was wearing a dark suit and, dressed by Mrs Farrer, was indistinguishable from anybody else. Charles took him for a gentleman, frowned at seeing an intruder, but came over to shake his hand. Jon got up and walked out of the room.
Charles did not seem inclined to leave. His father had died some time back and now he was more arrogant than ever, Kate thought. When her uncle and aunt came back, Aunt Rose invited Charles to stay for dinner. When Charles had finally gone it was late but on her way to bed Kate slipped into Jon’s room. He wasn’t in bed but standing by the window with his hands in his pockets, as he might at home.
She went to him.
‘Are you going to talk to me?’
‘You shouldn’t be in here.’
‘Goodness me. A remark! No, you’re right, I shouldn’t.’
Jon’s eyes flickered.
‘He likes you a lot.’
‘I thought I was safe,’ Kate said, leaning back against the wall, ‘you know, in the office. I never see anyone but the men and the officials. I felt safe there. I like it. My uncle and aunt try to make me go places all the time.’
‘Oh, you know.’
‘I don’t.’
‘Dances and parties and things. I don’t like it. I like the office. I like the papers and the figures and the work and being part of things. I like the mine.’
‘You must be the only person who does.’
‘I wish I could go to classes and learn engineering.’
‘Useful for you, engineering.’
‘Why shouldn’t I? I should be able to learn it, shouldn’t I, if I want to?’
‘I don’t see why not.’
‘My aunt is convinced that Charles Nelson is going to make me an offer. He can’t. I’m not good enough for him socially though I’m far too good for him in every other way. I have no background. I thought it would matter to him but it doesn’t seem to. I talked freely to him when he came to the office. I didn’t know. I didn’t understand.’ Kate folded and unfolded her hands as she talked.
‘He’s very rich.’
‘That’s why I thought I was safe. He could have anybody, not one of his manager’s nieces. I mean, I know that I’m fairly passable but I’m not startling, and when he’s there I daren’t even wear a pretty dress. What am I going to do?’
‘You’re probably the only girl in the county who isn’t after him. That’s got to be more interesting than anything else.’
‘Do you think that’s it? I’d rather die than marry him. My aunt has asked him again for next Sunday. You will still be here, won’t you?’
‘I don’t think so, no.’
‘You can’t go and live back there, Jon.’
‘Yes, I can.’
‘Because I choose to.’
*
There was silence at Lizzie and Eddie’s house and it was not the kind of silence which blew over in a few hours, but went on for days. Lizzie worked. She looked after her child, cleaned her house and saw to Eddie’s clothes and meals, but she didn’t speak to him. Eddie went to work and came back and tipped up his pay every fortnight and did not complain about anything. He went to as many events at the chapel as he could and Lizzie was glad to have him out of the house and she suspected that he was glad to go.
When Eddie came back with the information that they were to have a lodger she was startled. And it was obviously not good news to him; his grey eyes were alight with temper and his mouth was grim.
‘We’ve never had a lodger before,’ she said. Plenty of people did.
‘Armstrong’s losing his house and moving in with us,’ Eddie said.
‘That’s not funny.’
‘Farrer called me into his office especially to tell me. His mother has taken Greta’s lad and gone to May’s, and Armstrong is no longer entitled to a house.’
‘Didn’t you object?’
‘Yes.’
‘Doesn’t Mr Farrer know what happened?’
‘I expect he knows very well.’
No more was said on the subject. On the Friday of that week Jon came home. Lizzie watched him hover in the back lane before he walked in at her gate and up her yard. She flew to the door, looking him over carefully, dragging him in by the sleeve and saying, ‘You are going to be all right?’
‘Yes.’
‘Does your arm hurt?’
‘No. Where’s Eddie?’
‘On the backshift. Mr Farrer turned out to know more tricks than a monkey, didn’t he?’
Lizzie made tea. Jon cuddled Mary, the baby.
‘Do you like babies, Jon?’
‘Not when they look this much like Eddie.’
She didn’t laugh.
‘I don’t want any fighting.’
‘You tell him.’
‘Don’t worry, I will.’
Meanwhile there was the weekend to be got through. Eddie slept late and Jon went out. When he came back Eddie had gone to the chapel meeting and when Eddie came back Jon had gone - Lizzie didn’t quite know where but he made sure it was late enough when he got back that Eddie and she would have gone to bed.
He had brought nothing with him but his clothes and two boxes of books. Rob and May took the furniture. On the Sunday Jon went there for his dinner. He came back at teatime and Eddie was again at chapel but when he came in at seven Jon was lying on the sofa in the front room with Mary asleep on him.
Eddie picked up the child, pushed her into Lizzie’s arms, and as Jon got up he hauled him on to his feet and against the wall. There he put one arm under Jon’s chin.
‘You keep your mucky hands off my bairn. You’re only here because Farrer says you are. You have no rights.’
Jon said nothing. He didn’t even look at Eddie.
‘You don’t touch my wife or my bairn. Get it?’
When Jon didn’t answer, Eddie hauled him away from the wall and pushed him back hard against it.
‘Get it?’
‘Yes.’
In the silence which followed Mary started to cry and when Eddie let go Jon went upstairs and didn’t come down again that night.
*
The week which followed was less than comfortable for everybody. Since they were on different shifts, Lizzie had to get up at all hours. Jon told her not to bother but she was concerned about how silent and thin her lodger was. He rarely ate and never again sat with them. When Eddie was in the house he stayed upstairs out of the way. When Eddie wasn’t in to meals Lizzie made sure that Jon ate what was put in front of him.
‘It’s good food and it had to be paid for,’ she said.
‘I don’t want it. I never said I did,’ Jon objected, getting up.
‘Sit down.’ She tried to play on the way that Jon had been brought up. ‘Sit down. We’re having a meal.’ He sat down and ate.
Jon had been back at work about a fortnight when he had a visitor. For the first time Lizzie thought that Kate was dressed up especially to come calling. Mostly she didn’t care what she wore. Her dull brown hat turned her hair to gleaming fire and she had tan leather gloves on her hands. She wore a coat which few people could have worn, very dark against her creamy skin. She made Lizzie feel dull. It was Sunday afternoon and since Eddie and Jon were both at home Lizzie was quite relieved to be rid of Jon for a short time when Kate suggested a walk; though Lizzie thought she was likely to die of curiosity at not knowing their conversation.
‘I’m not going to the beach, mind you,’ Jon said as they set off.
‘I don’t mind where we go.’
They walked up the country roads.
‘Isn’t Charles Nelson visiting today then?’ Jon asked.
‘I cried off. I told him I thought I was getting the ’flu.’
It was a cold day and after an hour Jon stopped beside a gate.
‘Haven’t we walked far enough?’
‘I want you to go to college.’
‘Oh, not again, Kit.’
‘There’s no reason why you shouldn’t. You could take a special course to be a mine manager, do examinations. You could do it standing on your head and then come back and teach it to me.’
‘No.’
‘What are you going to do? Live with Lizzie and Eddie forever? It must be a wonderful arrangement. How does he like it?’
‘He loves it, and so do I.’
‘It must be so comfortable for Lizzie too, you and Eddie likely to kill one another.’
‘Shut up, Kit.’
‘You’re such a gentleman,’ she said.
*
So Jon took to his books and began to work. There were whispers in the village that it was all because of the boss’s niece, that Armstrong was trying to better himself so that he could marry her.
‘What does he think he’s doing?’ Lizzie’s mother said one afternoon when Jon was at work and Eddie wasn’t.
Eddie laughed.
‘Kate marry Jon when the mineowner’s after her? Very likely.’
‘She’s a nice lass,’ Lizzie said.
‘If she is she’ll have nothing to do with the likes of him,’ Mrs Harton declared.
It wasn’t long before Jon was called into Mr Farrer’s office and it was after hours which meant Kate wasn’t there; only the boss. He looked a more severe man than the one at whose dinner table Jon had sat for the last few days of his time there.
‘I’ve got something to say to you, Armstrong,’ he declared, standing in front of the stove.
‘Yes, sir.’
‘My niece is a very headstrong girl. I’m regretting that I ever let her come here to work. My wife said that no good would come of it and now … now it seems that you have abused my hospitality.’
Jon didn’t know what he was talking about.
‘No, sir.’
‘Yes, lad, you have. She sees you, doesn’t she?’
‘Sees me? She doesn’t see me—’
‘Don’t lie.’
‘I’m not. What I mean is … I’ve started going to classes - mining engineering - and you know what she’s like. She wants to learn so I teach her.’
‘You teach Katherine engineering?’
‘Yes, sir.’
George Farrer smiled.
‘All right, lad. I know what she’s like. But if it’s ever anything more than that I’ll come down on you like a ton of bricks.’
‘It’s never going to be more than that,’ Jon said. ‘I’m never going to feel like that again. I just want to work, that’s all, and she wanted to know.’
‘I don’t think Katherine will have the need to learn mining engineering, Armstrong, not for much longer. I think she’ll soon have too many other interests to occupy her time.’