Home Fires Read online

  Annie kissed her cheek, wished her a good night, and returned to bed with thoughts of the following day swirling in her head. She felt a little foolish for having been so anxious over a silly dream. Talking to her mother always made things better.

  Pulling her covers over her shoulders, Annie heard the creak of the old rocker in the kitchen. She smiled; her mother was humming an old song.

  I wish I could banish that nightmare from my head, she thought. As she drifted off to sleep, she tried to focus on her mother’s soft tune to keep the dream at bay.

  Chapter Three

  It happened on a cold, drizzly grey day late in November. The news arrived in an official letter delivered to the house. Annie’s mother held her composure long enough to take the envelope from the young delivery boy and give him a small tip, but tore it open as soon as he turned to leave. Reading the single sheet of paper, her face grew ashen with shock. She collapsed on a kitchen chair as the note slipped from her hand.

  “What’s wrong, Mother? What has happened?”

  Annie slowly picked up the note from the floor and read the terrible words. The captain of the Cowrie “regrets to inform Mrs. Larsen that her husband, Henry Larsen, 51, of 52 Morton Street, South Shields, England, ship’s carpenter on the vessel Cowrie, drowned August 29 1898, 25.55 North 120.58 East.” Had Pappa been swept overboard by a rogue wave?

  She dropped the letter as if it was burning her hand, ran to her bedroom and muffled her sobs with a blanket. She tried to remember her last minutes with her father before he left, but couldn’t. She cursed her nightmare for tempting fate; she felt a surge of anger and punched her pillow. It was an hour before she could calm herself enough to return to the kitchen and try to comfort her mother.

  Annie was heartsore with grief. Her eyes were puffy and she seemed to have a permanent lump in her throat. Alfie and James held their feelings in and kept themselves occupied with their work at the shipyard. Georgie wandered through the house aimlessly for several days and was visibly relieved when Annie suggested he go back to school. Annie herself had stayed home three days to be with her mother, but had returned to work for fear of losing her new position at the insurance office. Her mother was so quiet, it alarmed her.

  The Master Mariner’s Annuity Society along with many local seamen who knew Annie’s father, donated to a fund for the family. Neighbourhood women brought prepared food, and some made tea for her mother and sat with her. But she just stayed in her old rocker, not talking, not eating.

  Annie often replaced her mother’s cold tea with a fresh cup, knowing it would not be touched, but at least she was doing something. Annie watched her became a ghost of her old self; she grew thin and pale. Annie was at a loss for how to help her.

  Several months later, on a cool, rainy April day, Jack returned. He looked like he had aged ten years since he was last home, although he’d only been away ten months this time. There were a few strands of grey in his dark hair. He carried their father’s weather-beaten chest into the house. The appearance of the old battered trunk made the death real; the family mourned him anew. They now knew for certain that he would never return.

  The trunk sat unopened for a week. Annie’s mother stared at it but didn’t move from her rocker, while it grew harder and harder to ignore. Finally Annie decided to sort through it herself, to save her mother from the sad task. She gave James a few of their father’s carpentry tools and they decided to sell the rest. At the bottom of the trunk, under some shirts, Annie found a small, red silk bag with a gold tassel. She gently picked it up and handed it to her mother. At first, her mother just held the pouch for several minutes. She sat for so long that Annie began to wonder if her mother had forgotten it, lost once again in her despair. But then, as if she had summoned all her strength, she finally spilled the contents onto her lap. Annie gasped at the sight of an exquisite pearl necklace.

  Before her mother could suggest something practical like selling it, Annie gathered the string of pearls and said, “Pappa held these in his hands. Wear them and you will feel him close to your heart.” Her mother shook her head, but Annie continued. “You can tuck the necklace under your jumper and nobody but you and I will know that it’s there. They will give you comfort. Pappa bought them for you.”

  Before her mother could object, Annie placed the necklace around her neck and closed the clasp. The pearls were lustrous against her pale skin and for the first time in months, she smiled. She placed her hands over the necklace, and tears streaked down her mother’s cheeks.

  The day before Jack had to return to his ship, Annie impulsively suggested, “Let’s have a family party!” She spent a week’s salary on food and treats. Their mother even agreed to help Annie prepare the farewell dinner.

  That evening, everyone but Georgie was in the kitchen. The other three brothers were noisily teasing each other and their mother seemed at ease while preparing the food, more content than she’d been in a long time. Since finding the necklace from her husband, she had slowly begun to come back to life. Her kitchen was filled with the tantalizing aromas of fresh baked bread and roast beef sizzling in the oven. She looked at her sons and said, “Would you boys stop horsing around! Dinner’s almost ready. I just have to pop the Yorkshire pudding in the oven.” Annie laughed; it was reassuring to hear her mother scolding her brothers like old times. “Annie, be a dear and run over to the Kidds’ house to get Georgie, he’s there with Charlie.”

  As she left the house, Annie glanced back at her family in their bright welcoming kitchen; she was happy that the heavy sorrow seemed to have lifted, if only a little. She took a short-cut through their small backyard vegetable garden, which was bordered by flowers. Her favourite was the showy, fragrant lilac bush growing near the kitchen door. She had picked a large bouquet earlier for the table but couldn’t resist stopping again a minute to bury her nose in the aromatic blossoms.

  The Kidd’s home was just one street away, a sooty red-brick row house similar to the Larsen’s home. Annie knocked at the kitchen door and walked in to the delightful scent of mutton stew and rhubarb pie. Jane Kidd stood by the stove, stirring the pot. She was a portly woman, worn out before her time after giving birth to nine children, but she had a comely face. Jane was her mother’s friend, and Annie was fond of her. Since Annie’s father’s death, Jane had often sent over a fresh loaf of bread or a pot of soup and had regularly sat with her mother while Annie was at work.

  “Hello, Mrs. Kidd. It smells wonderful! I’ve come for our Georgie.”

  “Oh Annie!” said the woman, wiping her hands on her apron. “It’s lovely to see ya, dear. Georgie’s out back. How’s your poor mother?”

  “She’s slowly getting back to her old self. I can’t thank you enough for sitting with her while I’m at work.”

  Annie had the sense that she was being watched. Looking around, she realized that Charlie’s older brother, Jim, had been sitting at the kitchen table the whole time, quietly studying her. Annie felt her face grow warm and she quickly looked away.

  “You’re jist starin’ at a bonny lass, Jim!” Jane teased him. Jim’s face turned scarlet. “Go on, get Annie’s brother.”

  He left, but not before Annie snuck another look at his handsome face. His eyes were as blue as a warm summer sky. She had known who he was but had only glimpsed him occasionally. She’d heard that he had been working in Newcastle until recently. She wondered if he had a female friend and resolved to casually ask Georgie about that later.

  As Annie left, Jane reminded her, “I’m here if ever Mary needs owt.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Kidd. And please tell Georgie he’s to come straight home for Jack’s going away tea.”

  That night, the Larsen family enjoyed the hearty meal and treats that Annie had splurged on. The brothers joked, teased and laughed just like when they were young. Annie looked at her siblings, and then at her mother, and realized what a difference it made to have their mother joining in daily chores and conversation again. Mother may never again
be the same but I do believe she is enjoying herself tonight. She watched her mother unconsciously place her left hand over the hidden pearl necklace.

  Jack was excited about returning to the Orient. “There are amazing sights in the Far East,” he told them. “The weather is warm and the countryside is lush with green mountains and bamboo forests. There are acres of rice and tea and temples older that you could possibly imagine.”

  “I long to see the world, too,” Georgie added as he loaded his fork with a large slice of beef. “One day I’m going to join the merchant marine or maybe the Royal Navy.”

  Bloody Larsen men and the sea, Annie thought. I’ll have none of that in my life. What’s wrong with wanting a permanent home?

  She chided herself to lighten up and enjoy her family while they were together. Her mother looked happier than she’d been in a long time, surrounded by all of her children. It warmed Annie’s heart to see her smile. She even heard her mother chuckle at her brothers’ antics. There was a lump in Annie’s throat whenever she looked at Jack; he looked so much like Pappa. She wished that this moment could freeze in time.

  Chapter Four

  Annie saw Jim occasionally while walking home from work; she would nod and smile in reply to his greeting. He seemed to like her. She knew from Georgie that Jim wasn’t seeing another girl and she nursed a small hope that he might consider courting her. She worked long hours at the office and sometimes went out with her friends on Sundays to walk in the park or the beach. Sometimes they’d treat themselves to a tea and pastry in the hotel restaurant. But still she longed for something more. Just when she decided that Jim must not be interested in her, he surprised her.

  She was walking home after work, accompanied by a young man from the insurance office, and saw Jim coming towards them with his head down. “Hello, Jim,” she called out.

  He looked up at the sound of Annie’s voice, and his initial smile was replaced by a downtrodden look. At first, Annie was confused, but then it dawned on her. He does care for me! He’s upset that I’m with another man. She pretended to adjust her hat, ducking her head to hide her smile.

  The following Sunday, Jim arrived unexpectedly at Annie’s door and asked, in his Northumberland Geordie accent, “Would ye like ta come fo’ a walk to the beach?”

  Jim had made a considerable effort in his appeal. His short dark hair was freshly washed and his face clean-shaven, emphasizing his blue eyes. He was wearing what was likely his best shirt and trousers in his effort to make a good impression. There was a small wicker basket by his feet. Annie smiled at Jim and said, “I’d love to walk with you.” She quickly wrote a note with her regrets to the friend she had planned to have lunch with, and asked Georgie to deliver it. Lifting her summer bonnet from the coat hook, she turned to Jim and said, “Shall we?”

  Annie boldly slipped her arm through Jim’s as they strolled down the cobbled lane, past the shops and busy streets on their way to the sandy beach near the pier. Cool breezes blew briskly in from the coastline and she had to hold her hat with her other hand. Jim appeared to enjoy the approving nods from some of his mates as they strolled through town. When they stopped to cross a crowded intersection, Jim turned to look into Annie’s eyes.

  “Yer a bonny lass, Annie Larsen,” he said. “Ye must hev many admirers. Ah … are ye a good friend wi’ that bloke who walked ye home last week?”

  Annie blushed at the compliment. “Andrew is not a special friend. We just work in the same building and he was walking my way.” She laughed. “Having four over-protective brothers seems to scare any admirers away!”

  “Well, I’m happy te hear that!” Jim grinned. “And yer brothers aren’t so scary!”

  At the shoreline they took off their shoes and stockings to walk through the cool lapping waves. Later they spread a blanket over the sand and unpacked their lunch from Jim’s wicker basket. They ate in silence as the ocean breeze dried their cold feet. Annie saw Jim surreptitiously admiring her slim ankles below her skirt. She made no move to cover them. Annie asked him what he had been doing in Newcastle. “Ah served two years in the militia,” he said, “in the Durham Light Infantry. Right now, ahm workin’ in the docks but ah hear that the copper works are hiring.”

  Annie couldn’t resist. “Have you ever thought of working on a ship?” she asked.

  “Lord no! I need to feel firm ground under me. Ma stomach does flip-flops just thinkin’ about spending months on the waves.”

  A handsome man with his feet on the ground!

  She smiled and said, “My dream is to own a house one day. I don’t want to move every few years to rented flats in different cities and towns. That’s all my family ever did.”

  Jim looked into her eyes, placed his hand on her cheek and boldly kissed her on the lips. She knew she should be shocked, or at least act it. She felt her face grow warm as her heart skipped a beat. But today was not an ordinary day. She placed her hand on his upper arm and kissed him back, right there in the middle of the public beach.

  After that day at the beach, Jim met Annie at the insurance building every day that he was not working at the shipyard, and walked her home. Sometimes he stayed at the Larsens’ for tea and other times Annie ate with the Kidds.

  Jim’s father, Charles, was a serious, stern man. He had a full head of thick white hair and the same summer-sky eyes as Jim. He worked as a train engineer at the copper works and had not known Annie’s father. He was a religious man; every night before the family dinner began, he would read a passage from the Bible, and then say grace. “For what we are about to receive may the Lord make us truly thankful.” Annie could see that he was proud of his large family and that it was important to him to be a good provider. At first she had a hard time placing his peculiar, quaint manner of speech; he was originally from Norfolk, she discovered. As she came to know him better, she found he had a wonderful sense of humour, and he soon treated her as one of his own daughters (unlike many men who favoured their sons over their daughters, Charles treated his children equally). Annie enjoyed the time she spent at the Kidd’s and as the months went on, she grew to love Jane and Charles as well as Jim’s brother and his seven sisters.

  One evening when Jim walked Annie home, nearly two years into their courtship, she invited him in for a cup of tea. As they entered the house, Annie spotted a note on the table. She picked it up and read aloud.

  Annie dear,

  I had to go to the Brown’s for the evening as the granny is feeling poorly and they needed someone to stay with her while the family was in Newcastle. The boys are working late shifts tonight and Georgie’s out, too, so I hope you don’t mind being on your own. I’ll see you in the morning.

  Love, Mama

  “Well, it looks like there’s just the two of us. Come, I’ll find you a sweet to go with your tea.”

  Jim wrapped his arms around her and said, “Annie hinny, you’re all the sweets I want.” He kissed her.

  She punched his arm playfully and he pulled her close and kissed her once again. This time she put her arms around his neck and kissed him back. He took her hand in his and led her to the sofa in the parlour, where he lay down and pulled her down on top of him. He gasped with pleasure as she pressed her body into his.

  Running his hands over her back, Jim kissed her deeply and looked into her eyes. “Annie, will ye marry me?”

  She smiled and kissed him back. She teased, “I’ll have to think about that.” Then she laughed and kissed him again. “Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes!”

  “Ah, Annie me love, you’ve made me a happy man.”

  The families were thrilled. The couple planned to marry the following year, and Jim promised Annie he would find a better job so they could furnish their home properly. He applied for a position as a fireman at the copper works. “There’s stiff competition,” he told her, “but I think I have a good chance.”

  Annie planned to quit her job once they were married, but until then she was enjoying the independence that came with supp
orting herself, and she was also glad to be helping her mother. She had already earned a raise and was carefully saving her money.

  One sunny October day, Jim handed Annie a small package. She was curious and carefully opened the blue velvet circular box. Inside was nestled a gold ring with six tiny red stones.

  “Oh Jim, it’s beautiful, but we can’t afford this.”

  Jim gently took it out of the box and placed it on her left ring finger. “I want ye ta have a proper engagement. I’ve worked extra shifts on the docks, an’ borrowed a bit from me brother. I didn’t touch our house savings.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Besides, we have months ta save for our life together.”

  But their plans were about to change.

  Chapter Five

  “What will I do? I’ll have to quit my job. There will surely be a scandal. Oh, I cannot bear Mother’s disappointment in me. God, why did this happen to me now?”

  Jim gently brushed away her tears with his fingers and replied, “It happened tuh us, Annie. You aren’t alone. I dinna regret that it happened.” He kissed her softly. “It just happened sooner than we were ready. I love ye an’ I want ye to be me wife. I’ve been savin’ me money. You’ll see. Everythin’ will work out.”

  “We’re not ready for a baby yet. We just can’t afford it!”

  Jim held her close to him and whispered, “Dinna fret. I’ll take care of ye an’ our bairn.”

  Annie sobbed. “My brothers will not be forgiving. They’ve been so protective of me since Pappa died.” She couldn’t begin to imagine how she would tell them. “Your mother will likely accept it but your Da will be furious.”

  “Everythin’ will work out, Annie.” Jim reassured her, holding her tightly in his arms. “We’ll have our own bairn, just sooner than we planned. But I’ll be the happiest man around, wi’ you for me wife.”

  Both mothers were shocked and disappointed when first told, but were eventually supportive. Charles, on the other hand, was mortified. He had threatened to disown “a son who would cause such shame to the family.”