"Thank ye, Miss." Ellie responded smiling with a tiny curtsey, as if Anne were a lady of a higher class. Then she took her neighbour's arm They both deserved a bit of fun this afternoon, a few moments to forget. They both had to back and live the Cragg after all.

The two girls walked by the water, arm in arm. Anne's back was straight and she was glancing at every young man passing by. "I think that one over there was lookin' at us, Ellie," she whispered.

"The one with the flatcap? I think his neck is too long." Ellie commented quietly on the man Anne had pointed out. "What about him?" she asked about another lad they were approaching in the bustle of people by the water.

Was it? Anne looked. She didn't know that a long neck on a man was a bad thing, but she made a mental note.

She looked at the young man Ellie pointed out and felt a little nervous for having no opinion on him. "Erm... I don't like blonde men."

Apparently.

It was as if the two girls were choosing dresses, deciding on what they liked, what looked good, what they wanted. Except with men, well boys really. Like the Aniseed and the lemon drops, it was all a question of taste.

"Would ye prefer a redhead? Go on, it's yer turn."

Would she?

Tobias came to mind and her stomach churned.

"No. I think I like darker hair. What about that guy?" she pointed over at a young lad with dark curls sticking out from under his nose. Just then, he brought his finger up to pick his nose.

"Eww. Grot!" Ellie recoiled as the lad led his digit on a nasal fishing expedition to catch something gross. Until then, the overall picture hadn't been so terrible. "Next! What about a man in uniform?" Ellie asked spying a policeman plodding down towards them next to the water.

Anne wrinkled her nose at the disgusting display. Perhaps not.

She looked over to the policeman Ellie pointed out. Policemen looked so severe in their uniforms - except Elijah. If she were older and he asked, she'd marry Elijah. Elijah was always nice to her and she really liked being around him.

Oh! Did this mean she was in love with him? She suddenly felt shy and warm. She had finally fallen in love! She should tell - The warmth left her. She wasn't allowed to talk to Kate.

Anne snapped out of her thoughts and responded a few seconds too late: "Don't like his moustache. It makes him look silly," she said. "What about that lad there in the band. The one playing the trumpet?"

Ellie waggled her head in understanding as the policeman walked on before turning her judgement to the pavilion and the band. "He looks cute. Like a squirrel eatin' nuts with his cheeks puffed out."

That made Anne giggle lightly. Then, feeling particularly bold, she grabbed Ellie's wrist. "Let's get closer so you can catch his eye!" And she began to drag the other girl in the direction of the bandstand.