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‘Was he pleased about the baby?’

‘When I told hi season’ She snorted

‘Not the romantic kind’ Frances smiled

‘Joe wouldn’t know roaret said ‘I don’t h I’m not really one for all that sappy stuff Live with four farh, it’s hard to associate ro nose-pickings at you under the kitchen table’ She grinned, took another e was just lanced down at herself, and the grin disappeared ‘I still ask ed to end up like this’

‘I’m sorry about your aret noted – the baby’s position estion – yet she was as thin as a rake Pudding had been a ‘bathing beauty’, blanc, because it shivered and had lovely curves

‘How did she die? Sorry,’ said Frances, hurriedly, as Margaret’s pale skin coloured ‘I don’t ’

‘Nono’ said Margaret

They clutched the table, which was cla out to stop salt, pepper or beakers sliding off

‘It came out of nowhere,’ she said eventually, as the wave subsided ‘One one’

The canteen was al of those woh to contemplate food, and the occasional crash as a piece of crockery or a tray fell victim to another swell The queues of the early days had evaporated, and the few girls with an appetite dawdled in front of the serving dishes, taking their tio,’ said Frances Her eyes, when she looked at Margaret, were clear and steady, a vivid blue ‘She wouldn’t have known a thing’ She paused, then added, ‘Really There are far worse things that could have happened to her’

Margaret er had it not been for the giggling in the corner Distantly audible as background noise for so and falling in volume as if in conjunction with the waves outside

The tomen turned in their chairs to see that soer alone: they had been joined by several nised one – she had exchanged a greeting with him as he had scrubbed the decks the previous day The men had closed in around the wo a little aret, absently, and turned back to her food

‘Do you think we should take theet it there,’ said Margaret ‘Besides, I don’t fancy Jean bringing it up over h in there as it is’

Frances stared out of theat the water heaving and churning around the the salt-stained ith an earet, the kind who always see place in her head even as she spoke ‘I hope Maude Gonne’s all right,’ she said aloud

Frances turned, as if brought back reluctantly fro tolike I can’t stand one’

Frances nodded alaret suspected, to outright agreement But she leant forward, so that her voice could just be heard over the noise in the canteen ‘We could take a walk round the decks later, if you want Give her a bit of air Maybe you could put her in that wicker basket and we could hide her with a cardigan’

‘Hello, ladies’

It was the engineer Margaret juirls he had just left, so over their shoulders at hi to ht I’d let you ladies know that there’s a little "welcoht’ He had an accent, and an ease born of long-rewarded confidence

‘Nice thought,’ said Margaret, sipping her tea ‘But we’ve got a bloke posted outside our door’

‘Not tonight you haven’t, ladies,’ he said ‘Big shortage of ht or two of freedo ‘It’ll just be a bit of a laugh We’ve got solish custo ‘Not for us, thanks’

‘Cards, missus, cards’ His expression was of shock and offence ‘I don’t knohat you had in mind Bliaret laughed ‘I don’t ame of cards,’ she said ‘What do you play?’

‘Gin ruame there is,’ she said, ‘but I only play for stakes’

‘My kind of girl,’ he said

‘I’ll probably thrash you,’ she said ‘I’ve learnt from the best’