The Harbour Girl by Val Wood

‘I think mebbe I’ll take a walk now,’ she said. ‘Just to stretch my legs. Shan’t be long.’ She set off in a casual manner away from the harbour and towards the Foreshore Road. She was curious to know if the stranger was alone, and where he would go next. She had suggested the Grand Hotel because it was a long way from the haunts of anyone she knew, especially Ethan, who would be down by the harbour later, preparing to sail.
    And there he was in front of her, the stranger, walking with two other young men towards Blands Cliff which led up to the town, no doubt in search of a hostelry in which to quench their thirst.
    Mary watched Jeannie, wondering where she was going. As she’d walked back from her break she had seen the young man talking to her and had deliberately slowed her steps, stopping to speak to an acquaintance.
    She works hard does the lassie, she mused, turning her eyes away as she saw Jeannie start to head back; she deserves a little fun. But who was he? Not a Scarborough man, not one that I know at any rate, unless he’s from up town. I bet he’s a visitor come to flirt with the local girls. Still, no harm in that. She smiled as she recalled Jack’s flirting with her on her first visit to the fishing port. Little did he know that I was determined to have him right from the start. He didn’t stand a chance.
    The afternoon seemed to drag for Jeannie. She made several mistakes with her knotting and had to undo her work and begin again, and at half past five she began to pack up.
    ‘I’ve had enough for today,’ she told her mother. ‘I’m going home.’
    Mary nodded. ‘All right. I’ll just finish this and then come up. Put the kettle on to boil and we’ll have a cup of tea.’
    ‘I’m not hungry,’ Jeannie said. ‘I might go for a walk and have supper later. Shall I get a crab? I’ve got some change.’
    ‘Yes, good idea. Tom can have some cold beef when he comes in.’
    Jeannie bought a crab from the fish market and dashed up the hill towards home. She didn’t want to tell her mother that she was going to meet someone but neither did she want to lie to her. But I won’t, she persuaded herself. I am going for a walk. Just not by myself.
    She put more wood on the fire and swung the kettle over it, then quickly washed her hands and face and brushed her hair, which was tangled from the wind, and changed her skirt. She always wore a heavy apron but sometimes the nets caught her skirt hem and left a black mark. She knew that she probably smelled of fish. Would he notice, she thought, or if he was a fisherman perhaps he wouldn’t?
    She had a quick cup of tea and a piece of bread and then told her mother, ‘I’ll eat later. Save me a bit of crab. Shan’t be long.’
    Mary smiled at her. ‘Have a nice time.’
    Jeannie stopped with her hand on the door. ‘I’m only going for a walk, Ma.’
    ‘But you might meet someone nice to talk to,’ was her mother’s rejoinder. ‘Ethan stopped by, by the way. He asked where you were.’
    ‘What did you say?’
    ‘Just told him you’d gone home.’ And he said nothing more, Mary thought. He just nodded and went to his boat and yet I felt that he was surprised that Jeannie wasn’t there as usual, as if her absence had changed his day from its usual routine. As if he took it for granted that she would be sitting there, as if she were part of his life, and yet, she mused as Jeannie went out of the door, he has never, to my knowledge, asked her to share it.
    Jeannie wasn’t late for the meeting but she still hurried, anxious to be there first so that she could watch out for him. What if he doesn’t come? she thought, and gave a mental shrug. No harm done. At least no one will know me up there, and nobody will know I’ve come on a fool’s errand. But he was there already and standing on the hotel steps with his hands in his pockets as if he owned the place; as if he wasn’t concerned that it was reputedly the biggest hotel in the whole of