As she laid the baby in Esther’s arms, she asked, ‘What ya going to call her, lass?’

Two bright spots of colour burned in Esther’s cheeks from her efforts, and sweat still shone on her face. There were dark shadows of exhaustion under her eyes, but she was smiling. ‘I don’t know, Ma, we – we haven’t talked about it.’

She heard Ma Harris give a soft sigh, but it was more the sound of understanding than of disapproval. ‘Men are never very good at making up their minds. Ya’ll end up deciding, lass, Ah can tell ya. So ya might as well think about it now. Just while I gets you sorted out. Now, we’ve got to get this afterbirth. Can you give a cough?’

Esther looked up in surprise. ‘What?’

‘Cough, lass. Just cough.’

Obediently, Esther coughed and felt the afterbirth slither from her. ‘Aye, that’s it. All nicely away. Good, good.’

Esther began to giggle helplessly, the emotion manifesting itself in a gentle hysteria. ‘I – I feel like Curly the pig,’ she spluttered.

Ma opened her mouth and laughed too. ‘Aye, lass, but I hope you’re not going to present me with as many as her.’

The two women shook with mirth, their happy laughter mingling with the wondrous sound of the newborn baby’s wails.

Some time later, when Mrs Harris had washed her and the baby, and both were lying in clean linen, the infant in the crook of Esther’s arm, they heard the back door slam and Matthew’s voice. ‘Esther. Esther! Where are you, woman? Where’s me dinner?’

Ma Harris lifted the latch on the bedroom door and went out on to the top of the stairs. ‘Matthew,’ she called down. ‘Ya’d best come up here.’

Esther heard her husband come to the bottom of the stairs. ‘What? Oh, it’s you,’ she heard him say, then she heard his heavy footsteps mounting the stairs, almost reluctantly, it sounded to her. Ma Harris popped her head round the door.

‘Ah’ll be away now, lass, but Ah’ll be back later. An’ dun’t you fret, our Ernie’ll see to the milking and the dairy work.’

Her head disappeared and Esther heard her say to Matthew, ‘In ya go, lad, Ah’ll let her tell ya ’ersen.’

Slowly the bedroom door was pushed wider open and Matthew stepped into the room. Esther looked up at him and smiled. His face was expressionless as his glance passed over her and to the small bundle, now quietly asleep, in Esther’s arms.

‘You have a daughter, Matthew.’

She saw his mouth twist into a wry smile. ‘Huh, is that all ya can give me? A girl! What use is a girl?’

Esther gazed at him, conflicting emotions struggling on her face. But she said nothing. His reaction to her news had, for once, left her quite stunned and bereft of any answer.