Free Calico Road by Anna Jacobs

bucket into a bowl, dampening a rag in it and wiping away the blood. After the wound was clean, he picked his sister up, ignoring his mother’s wailing and shaking her off as she tried to hold him back at the foot of the stairs.
    ‘What about me, Jack? What about me?’
    ‘You’re not the one who’s hurt.’ As she tried to push in front of him, he nudged her out of the way with his elbow and carried his sister up to her bedroom, setting Meg down gently on the bed next to Ginny. He took her hand and patted it as he said quietly, ‘There’s no need to run away, love. I’ll make sure she gives permission for you to marry Ben.’
    ‘She won’t do it. She’s told me that, taunted me about it.’ Meg lay back and let the tears run down her cheeks, making no attempt to wipe them away.
    ‘She will give permission because if she doesn’t, I’m leaving too.’
    ‘She’ll know you don’t mean that.’
    ‘But I do.’ His voice was quietly emphatic. ‘You’re not the only one who’s sick of all the upsets she causes. Why can’t she be happy like other women? We’ve enough to eat, haven’t we? A roof over our heads? What makes her so miserable?’
    Outside the bedroom door Netta pressed one hand to her mouth and crept back downstairs.
    Jack bent to kiss Meg’s cheek. ‘Leave it to me, love.’
    When he’d gone, Ginny tugged Meg’s arm. ‘Our Jack won’t really leave us, will he?’
    Meg leaned closer to whisper, ‘No. But don’t tell Mam that or he’ll never get her to do anything.’
    When Jack went downstairs he found his mother sitting by the fire, shoulders hunched, staring into it. She didn’t look up as she said, ‘Meg was only knocked out for a minute. I don’t know what you’re making such a fuss about. It was just an accident.’
    He sat down opposite her and said severely, ‘It wasn’t an accident and you well know it. You meant to hurt her and you’re making her life miserable, so I need to make a fuss about it. I’m the man of the house and it’s up to me to see that things are done properly in our family. I’ve decided it’ll be best for Meg to leave and make a new life for herself. The two of you are never going to get on. If you don’t give her permission to wed Ben Pearson, she’ll run away. And if that happens, I’ll leave too.’ He met her eyes steadily as he added, ‘I mean that. We can’t go on like this.’
    Netta chewed on the knuckles of one hand, looking sideways at him and trying to gauge whether he really meant it. ‘We can’t manage without her money.’
    ‘We can and will. You save money each week, I know you do, even if it’s only a penny or two. If we can’t save for a while, it won’t matter.’
    ‘An’ if I let her marry that tosspot, you’ll stay with me, our Jack? Promise.’
    He nodded. He knew he had no choice but to stay, no choice but to deny his own wish to go out walking with a certain pretty lass. His mother’s strident tones made him wince and her next words only made it more vital that he should help Meg get away from her.
    ‘That sister of yours is no good, you know. She’ll come to a bad end, you mark my words.’
    ‘Meg’s just a lass like any other, Mam. All she wants is to marry the fellow she loves. What’s so wrong with that?’
    Netta began to sob noisily but he didn’t try to calm her down as usual, couldn’t bear to touch her if truth be told. Instead he took down the book Parson had lent him, lit an extra candle with a splinter of wood and set it down beside him. He started to read, though the words were meaningless. He heard his mother’s sobs falter to a halt and forced himself to finish the page before glancing up. She was scowling across at him, so he turned to the next page and bent his head over it, listening, waiting.
    For a moment there was silence then she yelled suddenly, ‘Oh, very well! Let her get wed. She’ll soon find out marriage isn’t a bed of roses. And we’ll be better off without her. She’s