‘Sugar?’ he asked as he poured her tea.

‘Aye, put two in – if tha can spare it,’ she added, suddenly feeling guilty at her greed.

He spooned in two generous helpings and handed it to her for her to stir it herself. ‘Would you have let me read your stories?’ he asked. ‘If they hadn’t been lost?’

‘Aye, of course I would,’ she replied, knowing that she would have done no such thing.

They talked for a while about the poems until Hannah had finished her tea. She put the cup of dregs carefully on its saucer and got up to put it on the table. ‘What time is it?’ she asked, hoping that he wouldn’t say it was time to go just yet.

He looked at his watch. ‘Twenty to four. I’d best walk you back.’

She put on her bonnet and tied the ribbons into a bow and he refastened his cravat, which had come loose. He banked up the fire so that no sparks would fly on to the rug whilst he was out and then went to the door. He cast an eye up and down the street. There was no one about so he opened it wider for her to go out and briefly she brushed against him as she passed.

She took his arm and they walked towards King Street. The town was still busy, especially outside the pubs, where there seemed to be nothing but shouting and swearing. She saw him frown.

‘There’s not much respect for the Sabbath,’ he muttered as they passed a group who were singing a rude song about the Parliament.

He opened the gate of the King Street house and walked her right up to the back door and knocked. Hannah wished that he would kiss her, but he only smiled and looked her in the eye and said that he hoped he would see her again soon. She wished she knew what he really thought of her. Did he have feelings for her too? It was hard to tell, but she hoped that he did.

Chapter Twenty-One

Jennet had tugged Titus away when she saw the schoolmaster with an arm around her sister.

‘I were hopin’ to have a word with him,’ he grumbled.

‘Not now. Let ’em have a while on their own. They don’t often get the chance,’ she told him. ‘There’s other things besides elections that’re just as important – if not more so!’ He didn’t look convinced but he followed her across the field and even took Bessie’s hand when he saw that she was struggling to keep her feet on the slippery mud.

As they walked, Jennet caught sight of Mary and saw that she was making her way towards them.

‘I’m right glad to see thee up and about,’ she told her. ‘How’s tha feelin’?’

‘Much better, thanks,’ she said. ‘Is Hannah not with thee?’

‘No. She was, but she got talkin’ with somebody. Did tha want to see her?’