In truth Nathaniel had mixed feelings about the state of play between David and his parents. When it had transpired that David’s mam had taken against Rose he’d hoped the bad feeling would cause a split between his friend and Rose, because David thought a lot of his mam. At the same time Nathaniel had wrestled with the desire to go round to the house and tell Mrs O’Leary she wasn’t fit to lick Rose’s boots. He hadn’t, of course, but he still harboured a faint hope that the friction would eventually drive a wedge between man and wife although to date that showed no sign of happening. Relaxing back in his seat, he said, ‘It’s their loss, man. Your mam will need you before you need her.’

‘Aye. Aye, I know that, but still’ – David hunched his shoulders – ‘it’s not fair on Rose. She’s never had a family with a mam an’ da and brothers an’ sisters and it would’ve been nice if we could all have got on. She had a rotten time of it being brought up in the workhouse.’ He ate the last spoonful of his baked jam roll and custard before adding, ‘Rose always says all she wants is me an’ the bairn, mind you.’

‘There you are then.’ Nathaniel pushed out his chair with the backs of his knees as he stood up. ‘Time to get back.’

‘She wants a houseful of bairns, does Rose,’ David said as he trotted along at his friend’s side. ‘An’ she’s a right good mam to Betsy, and a grand cook. I eat like a king.’

‘Aye, I know.’ You’ve said so enough times.

‘Keeps the house as clean as a new pin and she’s a dab hand at making a penny stretch to two. I don’t know how she does it but she can make a piece of brisket melt in the mouth, an’ her pastry knocks me mam’s into a cocked hat. And I thought Mam was a good cook.’

As David continued to extol his wife’s virtues Nathaniel got to the point where he wanted to yell at him to shut up. If anyone knew how perfect Rose was, he did. If only he’d seen her first. It wasn’t a new thought but one that haunted him night and day. He would have made sure Davey didn’t get a look in then.

As David’s best pal, he got to see Rose on a regular basis and although it was bitter-sweet he couldn’t imagine not seeing her. David invited him round to the little two-up, two-down terrace he and Rose rented in Sunderland’s East End a couple of times a week for dinner. He was Betsy’s godfather after all, a role he exploited to the full.