Lakeland Lily by Freda Lightfoot Read Free Book Online

Fossburn Street. Rose was polite and quiet on her frequent visits to the house in Carter Street, for all she was an odd little creature, and her innately cheerful nature seemed to be good for Lily, so she was accepted at face value, with no enquiries made into her background - never a wise thing to do in this district, in any case.
    Hannah made over a warm coat for Rose when winter came. She’d meant it for Lily, but the other girl didn’t seem to possess such a garment. Arnie helped her to find a job working on the greengrocery stall at The Cobbles market every Wednesday and Friday. Rose could hardly believe her good fortune.
    ‘By heck, a proper job with money in me pocket every week, and a good coat to keep the cold out. I’m right glad I met you, Lily. And your lovely family.’
    ‘I’m glad too,’ she said.
    ‘I don’t want to end up like my mam, you know.’
    ‘Neither do I.’ And the two girls smiled at each other in perfect understanding.
    ‘It’s changed my life it has, to have a friend like you.’
    It seemed to Lily that the day Dick drowned her whole world too had changed, but unlike Rose’s, not for the better. Their friendship was the only thing which had kept her sane. Not only had she lost her dearest love, but she felt the chains of The Cobbles weigh heavy upon her.
    The subject of her apprenticeship to a Bowness dressmaker had only once been broached.
    ‘You’ll have to ask your father,’ Hannah had said, looking sad and troubled when Lily had ventured to make her request. It had seemed so much harder to ask without Dick beside her for support.
    Arnie’s response had been entirely predictable. ‘Your mother needs you on the fish stall. How would she manage without you?’
    ‘Our Liza could help more.’
    ‘She’s too young, nobbut ten, and can’t add up for toffee. Anyroad, what good would dressmaking do you? Mixing with your betters. No point in getting above theeself, young lady. I hope I’m a man who knows his place.’ Arnie sat on his stool in the back yard and applied his full attention to mending his nets, the subject closed so far as he was concerned.
    ‘Don’t you want me to better meself?’ Lily demanded.
    ‘How would you do that, pray? Thee’s good enough as you are. There’s naught to be ashamed of in being poor. We do an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay and don’t hanker after aught we can’t have.’
    ‘Yes, but...’
    ‘Lily!’ He flung down the half-mended net in exasperation. ‘Don’t you think I’ve troubles enough, without listening to yours? The Board of Conservators are hell-bent on putting an end to commercial fishing in this lake. They say it’s been over-fished for years and stocks are running out, and it’s true it don’t support us like it used to. I have to work at boat building, odd jobs, aught I can lay me hand to.’
    ‘All the more reason for me to get out of anything to do with fish,’ Lily stubbornly persisted. She could hear Mrs Adams next door, shouting at her two sons. She’d be out in a minute to complain to Arnie about how wicked and lazy they were. The yard door creaked open and Bessie Johnson staggered in with a sack of wood she’d collected.
    ‘Evening, Arnie.’
    ‘Evening, Bessie. Winter here already, is it? And here’s me thinking it were nobbut summer.’
    ‘Found a tree down, out in the woods. Waste not, want not, eh? I like a li’le fire of an evening.’ The old woman shot Lily a piercing glance. ‘You all right, lass?’
    ‘Yes, thanks. I’m fine.’
    Oh, but she wasn’t fine. She wasn’t fine at all. How Lily ached for a bit of privacy. A place where a person could have a conversation without being under the scrutiny of every prying busybody. Where ceilings didn’t drip with damp and you didn’t spend half your time scrubbing the stench of urine from the yard flags.
    ‘Well then, if you’re fine, you can help me with this lot,’ Bessie told her.
    By the time Lily had helped the old woman