‘Not just you. It would be the same with any girl. I think she wants to be the only woman in my life. But forget about her. Did you enjoy yourself this afternoon?’

‘Yes, I did, very much.’

‘So I can see you again?’

‘If you like.’

‘I can’t get Wednesday afternoon off. But perhaps next week you will come to Exchange Flags again?

‘Yes. I should like that.’

‘Good. And afterwards we will go and eat ice cream.’

At the door of Nan’s house he took her hand. ‘Thank you for coming with me this afternoon.’

‘No, I should thank you.’

He leaned closer and kissed her on the lips. It was the lightest of touches and as he stepped back she saw that he was blushing and guessed that it was the first time for him, too.

They smiled at each other and then he turned and walked swiftly away.

May had to suppress an impulse to skip like a child as she went into the house. She had a boyfriend, and she had had her first kiss!

Thirteen

With Christmas almost upon them, May made a determined effort to track Gus down and eventually succeeded in running him to earth in his Mersey Street lodgings. When she asked him tearfully why he had cut off all contact with her, he shifted from foot to foot and mumbled something about not belonging in her world.

‘Gus, that’s rubbish,’ she protested, ‘and you know it! We’re brother and sister. We both came from the same place. Our lives have been different lately but that doesn’t mean we can’t still see each other. We’ve had so little time together. Even in the workhouse we weren’t allowed to mix. Now we’re both free we have a chance to get to know each other properly. Please, let’s at least try.’

‘All right’ he muttered. ‘What do you want me to do?’

‘Come and spend Christmas afternoon with me. There’s going to be a special Christmas dinner at the store for all the staff but after that I’m free. We can go back to Nan’s. I don’t mind betting she’ll be off to spend the afternoon in a pub with her friends, so we’ll have the place to ourselves.’

He agreed, but the afternoon was not as pleasant as May had expected. Gus seemed to have withdrawn into himself and their conversation proceeded by stops and starts. It came as a relief when it was time to say goodnight.

Christmas passed and Freeman’s Department Store was festooned with banners wishing all its customers a happy, healthy and prosperous 1866. In recognition of the fact that she had worked there for a year, May was given a pay rise.