her parents had kept schtumm on the delicate subject of Sophy’s disgrace, and if they’d talked about it between themselves Alice had never heard them doing so.
‘I don’t reckon you’d give away your own nipper,’ Geoff said and slanted a penetrating look at Alice.
Alice felt the blood fizz in her cheeks again. ‘I wouldn’t get meself in that sort of trouble for any lad,’ she scoffed. ‘Anyhow,’ she continued quickly, feeling odd, ‘Sophy ain’t in trouble; it’s all come right.’
‘Eh? How’s that then?’ Geoff shot a puzzled look at her.
‘I suppose your mum wouldn’t have told you,’ Alice began then hesitated, feeling foolish and embarrassed. Of course Margaret wouldn’t have said anything. All women’s stuff was unmentionable, especially to men; Alice had picked that knowledge up from Sophy when it was her time to know a few months ago. ‘Sophy ain’t in the family way,’ Alice muttered quickly. ‘So that’s alright, thank Gawd. She’s just been right poorly though.’
‘She got rid of it after all?’ Geoff asked in surprise. He remembered the day Sophy had screeched that no skewer was ever going anywhere near her.
Alice shook her head and averted her burning cheeks. ‘Wasn’t got rid of, but I ain’t saying any more.’ In fact she wasn’t really sure what had happened to Sophy. After it was all cleaned up, and Margaret had gone home, Alice had met her mum coming down the stairs with Lucy balanced on her hip. Her mum had said very little, other than Sophy wasn’t pregnant; but she was allowed to rest in bed for the day to get her strength back. Then Tilly had muttered about going to the back yard to peg out the wet sheets on the washing line.
Aware of Geoff’s thoughtful gaze on her Alice rushed across the road to avoid his questions, and to hide her confusion. She halted outside the factory gate and tipped back her head. She pointed. ‘I want you to get that down for me.’
Geoff joined her and squinted up at the vacancy board. ‘You want me to get that for you?’ He started to laugh. ‘You gone nuts or somethin’, Alice Keiver?’
‘No, I have not!’ Alice said forcefully, her cheeks blooming now with a different sort of embarrassment. ‘It’s my job and I want it. There ain’t a vacancy. I already took it. It weren’t my fault our place was in uproar and I couldn’t get here to start on time. Ain’t fair! Mr Wright give me the work. I want you to take down the notice before someone else sees it and goes in and gets me job.’
‘You was supposed to start work here today?’ Geoff asked in surprise. ‘Didn’t think you was old enough to be out to work.’
‘Nor was you old enough, Geoff Lovat, when you was first out to work,’ Alice came back quickly at him.
Geoff gazed down at her pretty, fierce features then up at the notice. His amusement died. ‘You late turnin’ in ’cos Sophy weren’t well earlier?’
Alice nodded and frowned into the distance. ‘Just my luck, ain’t it, to lose me first job before I even started it.’
Without another word he pulled a penknife out of a pocket and, flicking it open, worked at each corner of the block of wood until the board came loose. A yank with both hands and it was off. ‘There y’are,’ he said and handed it over.
Alice gripped the cumbersome board to her small chest. ‘Thanks,’ she mumbled and gave him a sweetly shy smile.
‘Right, I’m off then,’ Geoff said, having given her a long, contemplative look. Without further ado he turned and sprinted off up the street.
Alice watched him disappear round the corner, feeling a surge of warmth steal over her at his kindness. She’d always liked him but never before noticed that he had a nice smile and long, strong fingers. She turned back and stared at the factory gate. With a deep breath she walked through it with the vacancy board wedged under a slender arm.
‘Give that to me at once!’ Simon Wright snatched the board from Alice’s grasp and leaned it against the office wall. Inwardly he tried to keep an astonished smile from softening his expression. She had a lot of guts for a girl of her age. He looked sternly at her. ‘I told you earlier, young lady, that timekeeping is of the utmost importance at this company. You’re not hired. Now go away, Alice Keiver, or there’ll be trouble.’
‘But you gave me a job. It weren’t my fault I couldn’t get here on time. Why won’t you let me explain? Please!’ Alice demanded, sounding angry.
After the awful events that morning she’d set out for work, having first poked her head into the back room to see how Sophy was. Her sister had been flaked out on the bed, face white as chalk, so Alice had called a soft farewell and started off at a run for the factory. As soon as she had turned in the factory gate she’d noticed that the vacancy board was up. She’d stretched up for it but was unable to reach it, let alone remove it.
She’d found Mr Wright in his office. He’d scowled at her and gestured her away muttering she’d had her chance and it was obviously more than someone from The Bunk had deserved. Alice had taken the dismissal meekly and started off home again. But slowly a simmering sense of injustice had overcome her depression. She’d decided that she wasn’t going to accept her fate so readily, or her mother’s wrath when she came home later and found out she’d lost a good job. As Alice had paced back and forth on the pavement outside her home mulling it all over, she’d decided to go back and hope to find Mr Wright in a better mood after his dinner. Perhaps he might let her start on the afternoon shift for half a day’s pay. She’d work late and wear her fingers down to the bone if he’d agree to that.
But now, as she took a wary glance at the manager’s forbidding face, she realised he didn’t look any more lenient than he had earlier. Nevertheless Alice tried one final time to put her case. ‘It weren’t my fault. Honest. I was all ready and about to set out early this morning when something dreadful happened to me sister. I had to find me mum and bring her back home to look after her so’s I could come here to work. That’s why I was so late. It won’t ever happen again, promise.’
‘And what was dreadfully wrong with your sister?’ he asked in a voice that sounded sarcastic. Alice hesitated and looked away. If she told him she’d be revealing her family’s private business to a stranger and she hated doing that. But she desperately wanted this job. ‘She was in the family way … now she isn’t,’ she reluctantly muttered while her cheeks flared.
For a moment Simon Wright remained quiet. He coughed and stuck a couple of fingers between his neck and his shirt collar. ‘I see,’ he eventually said. ‘And is she … er … feeling better now?’
Alice nodded. ‘Think so. She’s home in bed. Looks like death warmed up though.’
‘Well … that is a very … unusual circumstance,’ he said gently.
Alice recognised the change in his tone. She looked at him with a glimmer of hope shining in her blue eyes.
‘One more chance then, Alice Keiver. If your timekeeping is bad again …’
‘It won’t be, swear,’ Alice interrupted breathlessly.
‘As you know Annie Foster, I think you can start this afternoon in Room 4, with her, when she gets back from dinner. She can show you what to do.’
Alice suppressed an urge to leap forward and hug him. She simply nodded vigorously then blurted,
