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THE next day, Katherine sat with Polly Gray in the kitchen of number six Watery Lane, a blanket of silence consuming the two women that sat at the table. The silence hadn't always been there, gnawing away at the room, as comfortable as it may have been, because the two women were previously sat at the table, talking about that bad feeling Katherine's mind had conjured up all about the new barmaid, Grace. Yet, they had fallen silent, with Katherine reading a book whilst Polly took to the newspaper, neither of them (for once) holding a cigarette in between their fingers.
Footsteps echoed from the stairs, growing louder as they then reached the bottom step and turned, heading toward the kitchen where both Polly and Katherine were both sat. Katherine looked up from her book, her lips curving into a smile and when she saw Ada Shelby stood in the doorway.
"Good of you to join us." Polly's monotonous voice spoke up, as she briefly glanced upwards from her paper, to where her niece was taking a seat at the table with the others. Ada nodded, idly, and Polly's brow raised slightly as she spoke. "Where have you been all day?"
"In bed." Ada replied bluntly, as she placed the loaf of bread and the pot of jam (homemade by Tilly herself in a state of boredom) onto the top of the wooden table, as she continued "Couldn't sleep. And then I couldn't wake up. Then I was cold, and then I had to go for a wee. Then I was with this bear on a boat, but that was just a dream. Then I was hungry."
Katherine chuckled at Ada, who quickly glanced to her, sending Katherine an amused smile, before turning to Polly.
"Why are you reading the paper?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Polly asked her niece, a small sigh escaping her lips as she subtly challenged Ada. Katherine's full lips curved into a smirk as she looked back down to her book, her deep, dark brown eyes landing on the printed words on the yellowing pages — She wasn't really reading her book anymore, she just made it look like she was so the Aunt and nice duo didn't speculate that the third-party to the room was listening in to what they were saying. Even though, both Polly and Ada knew the Jordan woman was, in fact, eavesdropping.
"Well. . . I've never seen you read the paper. I've only ever seen you light fires with them." Ada explained, briefly glancing to Katherine; who's eyes flickered up to Ada and the two shared an amused look between one another, Katherine's smirk widening. Ada then took a bite of her food.
"The BSA are on strike, the miners are on strike. The IRA are killing our boys; Ten a day." Polly began to list off the topics that were covered in the paper, all of them producing an uneasy mood when spoken of. A look of realisation washed over Polly's face.
