Of course he got the full inquisition as soon as he walked into the kitchen. Didn’t even get a chance to sit down.

Bill had just sent the last of his children off. John was mercifully out on his own accord. Ruth away as a maid. He had surprised Joe and Pearl (and everyone else) with train tickets to spend a day in Scarborough to make up for their lack of a honeymoon. And now Kate had been given Bill’s beer money to take Anne Ward out to see the Magic Lantern show in Silver Street.

He took his time, pulled out a chair slowly. Sat down. Twitched his moustache again. Made a low rumbling noise as he sighed. “I didn’t want to say it in front of the bairns. My sister, Jane, is in Whitby. She would like to meet you.” There. It was out. He wished that was all he had to say for the rest of the afternoon. He feared it wasn’t.