Free Above the Harvest Moon by Rita Bradshaw Page A

argue with anyone.
     
    ‘Happy New Year,’ he said a little shyly.
     
    She smiled at him and said, ‘The same to you, Joe.’
     
    The next moment Joe was pushed aside by his brother but good-naturedly and the two grinned at each other before Joe turned away. ‘A happy New Year, Hannah.’ Adam didn’t kiss her, he didn’t even touch her. His eyes holding hers, he said, ‘When are you sixteen?’
     
    Her heart raced. ‘March the tenth.’
     
    He nodded slowly. ‘I’ll have to be patient till then.’
     
    Hannah stared at him. She was shivering inside, not with cold but exhilaration. She felt she could drown in the vivid blue of his eyes. And then Mrs Fraser bustled between them, stopping to say, ‘Happy New Year, lass, happy New Year,’ and when she had gone Adam was hugging his mother.
     
    For the rest of the night she was aware of exactly where he was even though they didn’t talk again. She sat and chatted to Joe for a little while once everyone had calmed down. He startled her somewhat by saying quietly, ‘What do you want out of the new year, Hannah?’
     
    ‘Want out of it?’ She shrugged. It wasn’t the sort of question folk asked.‘I don’t know. Happiness, I suppose. Doesn’t everyone want that?’
     
    He didn’t answer this directly but even more quietly said, ‘I’d like to get out of the pit but I can’t see that happening.’
     
    ‘Why not?’
     
    ‘I’m a miner. Da’s a miner, Adam is and I suppose Stephen and Peter and the twins will follow suit.’
     
    ‘But you don’t like it?’
     
    There was a look on his face she hadn’t seen before when he said, ‘I hate it. I mean, no one really wants to be underground but . . .’ He shook his head, looking down at his hands which were resting on his knees. ‘I hate it.’
     
    ‘But you don’t have to go down the pit just because your da does surely?’ She searched her mind for something positive to say to take the look of desolation away. ‘I mean your brother, Mr Fletcher, decided to do something else. Couldn’t you work at the farm with him? There might be a job there.’
     
    Joe looked at her, a long look.‘Adam wouldn’t understand it if I did that.’ It ended the conversation.
     
    Just after one o’clock, Hannah left the house. It was so cold outside it took her breath away. There was the odd light still burning in one or two houses as she picked her way along the frozen pavement. She let herself into the shop as quietly as she could and then stood with her hands pressed to her cheeks.Adam Wood wanted her for his lass, he’d all but said so. She couldn’t take his remark about him waiting until she was sixteen any other way, could she?
     
    The shop’s normal rich blend of smells - smoked bacon and mature cheese, coffee, peppermint and liquorice - washed over her. From a small child she had loved being in here, often creeping down without her mother knowing. At those times her uncle had slipped her a penn’orth of bull’s eyes or a big fat bar of Fry’s chocolate cream.
     
    She glanced round the interior, breathing deeply. Lately, since she had been working alone here with her uncle, the shop had lost its allure but tonight the magic was back. She walked across to a row of big glass jars of sweets and unscrewed the top of one containing love-hearts. Drawing out a handful, she sorted out one but couldn’t make out the little message inscribed on it in the dim light shining in from the street lamp outside.
     
    Popping it in her pocket she passed through the shop and climbed the stairs leading to the flat. Her mother had promised to leave the flat front door unbolted for her return. On entering the hall she placed the key for the shop on the small table by the front door so her uncle could open up in the morning. All her actions had been silent, she didn’t want to bring her mother’s wrath down on her head for waking them. Not after the wonderful night she’d had. Neither did she want to talk to