Constant Lovers Read Online Free PDF Page B

earth, the sense of eternity disturbed. And harder still to hoist it up on to the cart, then cover it, ready for the morning and the journey out to Horsforth.
    Lizzie was waiting, a warm smile from her his welcome. She set the mending aside, pushing the needle into the fabric, and came over to kiss him. Down on the pallet bed, James turned over and burrowed back into sleep.
    â€˜How’s he been?’
    â€˜Up and down,’ she said. The boy had a summer cold, but they both knew it took so little for things to become worse. To live without money was to always walk on a knife edge. ‘He’s slept a few times today.’ She reached down and ran her fingers lightly across James’s forehead. ‘I think he’s over the worst of it, he seems cool enough now.’
    Lizzie had been a whore he’d known from his work. They’d shared jokes on night-time corners, her laughter genuine and infectious. She’d offered herself to him a few times, and once or twice, when things had been bad at home, he’d accepted. After Sedgwick’s wife had run off with a soldier, she’d turned up at his door, wondering who’d look after his son.
    She’d been living with him since the previous autumn and he was still surprised at the joy it brought him every day. He looked forward to coming home, to the feel of her lips on his, to the pleasure in her eyes when she saw him.
    He picked up some bread and began to chew.
    â€˜John?’ Her voice was tentative, unsure, so unlike her that he turned.
    â€˜Do you think I’m a good mother with James?’
    â€˜Of course I do,’ he told her, meaning it. She loved the lad properly, giving him ample care and attention. He’d blossomed with her, revelling in life, playing on the riverbank as she watched, discovering mischief, all the things he should be doing. He reached out and took her hand. ‘Why are you asking?’
    She smiled shyly.
    â€˜Well, it looks like you’re going to be a father again.’

Five
    He loved this time of day, the soft minutes between waking and sleep when his mind could wander freely. Mary’s head rested on his chest, her hair loose and tickling his cheek as she slept. The window was open wide and from the woods in the distance he could hear the restless hoot of an owl.
    Earlier they’d walked out past Burmantofts, taking a stroll in the quiet evening. It was a good way to put the cares of the day behind him, a chance for restful conversation. He understood that their new situation, just the two of them, was hard on Mary. She was alone all day, tending the house and the garden, feeling the emptiness and the silence of the place. When he came home she drank in his company, eager for words, a touch, a soft smile, the pleasure of talking.
    He stroked Mary’s shoulder through her shift and felt her stir slightly. Years before, he recalled, they’d discussed all the wonderful things they’d do once the girls had gone. Now that time was here and they were groping their way into it. Yet Mary was already gazing ahead to the day he’d retire.
    â€˜Richard,’ she’d said as they passed the old burgage plots, heavy now with fruit and flowers and herbs, ‘we’ll be able to spend all our time together. We can do things.’
    He smiled at her, happy to hear the eagerness that seemed so girlish. After Rose’s death in the winter he’d watched helplessly as some of the light leave her. Now it seemed to have returned, her eyes twinkling as she dreamed of the future.
    â€˜We’ll have precious little money,’ he’d pointed out. It was true; the city would grant him the house and a tiny pension – if he lived that long. He took her hand and tried to stop her thoughts. ‘Besides, that’s a long time off yet. Let’s just enjoy what we have now, shall we?’
    She laughed, pulling him down the lane towards home.
    He gazed at her later as she let