She stayed in the sandy hollow until the sun had sunk behind the dunes, waiting. Waiting for the time when she knew Danny would be home from work. Then she climbed out of the hollow and, taking a diagonal line across the marsh, came out at the back of the line of four cottages at the Point. She could hear shrieks of laughter coming from the stretch of grass in front of the cottages and recognized Rosie’s high-pitched excited chatter organizing her younger brothers in their game. She listened intently. Was Danny there, too?

She moved towards the back door of one of the centre cottages where Danny lived. His mother came out of the little wash-house set at right-angles to the back door and almost dropped the basket of washing she was carrying.

‘Why, Kate! You made me jump.’ Mrs Eland peered closely through the shadows at her. ‘You in bother again, lass?’

Kate shook her head and qualified the negative response by saying, ‘Well, not exactly.’ There was no doubt she would be in trouble for having stayed out so late. ‘Where’s Danny?’

She heard Beth Eland’s soft sigh. ‘He’s with his dad up at the headland. They’re at the boat.’

As Kate turned away, the older woman said, ‘Kate – you – you ought to be finding ya’sen other friends now Danny’s working, y’know.’

Kate stood still. Her heart was pounding in her chest as if she had been running a mile. Oh, no! Not Danny’s mother too! And it wasn’t the first time she’d said as much, either. She turned slowly to stare at Beth. The older woman’s brown eyes were troubled. ‘It’d be – for the best, lovey,’ she added softly.

Was everyone trying to keep her away from Danny? Kate couldn’t believe it. She gave a sob and, turning away, began to run. She did not stop until she reached the point of land where the river widened out into the sea.

‘Danny. Danny!’ she shouted, standing on the grassy headland directly above the muddy river bank. The tide was receding and the Elands’ fishing boat was almost stranded on the mud where Robert Eland had moored it earlier in the afternoon at high tide.

She shaded her eyes against the bright gold of the setting sun, low in the western sky. A shadow moved on the boat. ‘Katie? What you doing here? Summat wrong?’ He clambered over the side and swung his way up the wooden planking of the small jetty that straddled the mud to the boat.