‘Even so, tha’ll need his permission to be wed,’ he told her and she detected a glimmer of hope that his son might not be able to go through with a marriage after all. It was a complication that Mary hadn’t considered and she very much doubted that her father would give his permission for her to be married. He would refuse just to spite her.

They all sipped their tea in awkward silence and Mary wondered how long she would have to endure their censure before William decided it was time for them to leave. Surely he could see that they would never approve of her, and now that she realised she would need her father’s agreement to a wedding she knew that the whole visit was pointless anyway.

‘They didn’t like me,’ she said as she and William came down the stairs after an interminable time of polite but stilted conversation.

‘I’m sure they did really.’

‘Tha’s foolin’ thyself!’ she told him as they got out on to the street. She wished he would see reason. His grand gesture could never be. His parents wouldn’t allow it, and her father certainly wouldn’t agree. ‘Besides,’ she told him. ‘I’d forgotten about needin’ to ask my father.’

‘We could go round to see him now,’ William suggested. ‘Will he be in on a Sunday afternoon?’

‘No! He’ll not speak to me. They’ll not let me in!’ protested Mary.

‘I’m sure they will. He can’t be that bad,’ insisted William. ‘Lots of families have a falling-out, but they make up again. Perhaps it’s time to make peace with them. This could be the best opportunity.’

‘But tha doesn’t know what they’re like! They’re not like thy parents!’ She wondered what on earth William would make of her family. His parents seemed genuinely fond of him, even willing to meet her and be polite to her when it was obvious they were dead set against her becoming his wife. He’d probably never known anything like hers with their shouting and their arguing and their picking fights with all and sundry. Besides, she didn’t even want him to meet them. She’d told him nothing about what her father had done to her – and she never would. It was bad enough him knowing about Mr Starkie.

‘Where do they live?’

‘Paradise Lane. Opposite t’ mill.’ She knew there was no point lying.

‘Come on then,’ he said as he grasped hold of her hand. ‘We’ll go to see them too and tell ’em as we mean to get wed.’

She walked with him reluctantly, wondering how she could persuade him that it wasn’t a good idea, that it would only cause more trouble.

They turned on to Paradise Lane and as she approached number eight she could hear them arguing with one another even though the door was shut.

‘This is it,’ she said. ‘It doesn’t sound like it’s a good time though. Maybe we should come back later.’

‘But we’re here now,’ said William as he knocked on the door.