‘What kind of sounds?’ Peggy wrinkled her forehead and he saw how her eyes creased as if she were concerned.
‘The birds in a morning; they do such a lot of chirping. And I think I might have heard cows; and a fox, I definitely heard a fox barking the first night we came.’ He was proud to share the knowledge that his mother had passed on. ‘And in cities like London or Manchester there’s a lot of noise from traffic and people shouting in markets and suchlike. It can be quite deafening at times,’ he added.
She nodded. ‘Well, threshing time is a noisy old job here now that farmers are using steam engines and other such new-fangled to-do-ments, and there’s a good bit o’ banter goes on at harvest time, but nowt that would give you a headache. And we also have to be wary of Mr Fox in ’countryside, so it’s a good thing he barks so that we know he’s about somewhere. He’ll be after our chickens, so we must be sure to lock them up securely every night.’
‘Oh, I could do that,’ he said eagerly. ‘I’m very good at locking doors.’
Peggy heaved herself to her feet. ‘Righty ho,’ she said. ‘You and I will have a drive across to Hedon when ’other bairns have gone to school and see if ’local bobby is around, and then we’ll decide what to do about you.’
Then came a clattering of footsteps and a chattering of voices and four little girls came rushing into the kitchen. First was Emma, followed by young Rosie who was rubbing sleep from her eyes, then Louisa shepherding Molly in front of her.
‘Can I go to school today? Please!’ Molly pleaded with her grandmother. ‘I’ll be ever so good.’
Peggy patted the side of her nose with her forefinger and whispered, ‘No. But there’s a treat in store for you.’
‘What? What?’ The little girl jumped up and down. ‘Tell me, tell me!’
Her grandmother shook her head. ‘Go and sit down for breakfast with ’others. Sit next to Robin.’
Molly rushed to claim the seat just as Louisa was about to sit on it, and Louisa gave way to her younger sister.
‘We go to Thorngumbald school,’ Louisa told Robin. ‘We walk on our own now that I’m ten. Gran used to take us, but she says that I’m big enough to be in charge.’ She looked across at Emma. ‘Emma doesn’t always behave, though, and runs off in front.’
‘Tell-tale.’ Emma put her tongue out at Louisa but her grandmother saw her and shook a finger.
‘If you don’t behave, Emma, and stay with ’others, you won’t be allowed to walk with them but will have to wait until somebody’s free to tek you and it won’t be me. It’ll be your ma or da.’
‘Ma can’t,’ Emma said pettishly, ‘cos she’s expecting.’
‘Your da, then, and he’ll be pleased, won’t he?’
The child didn’t answer, but reached across the table to grab a slice of bread, elbowing Rosie out of the way; Peggy made her get down from the table and stand by the window. She then doled out porridge from the pan for all of them, including Emma, but her dish was left on the table.
Emma’s mouth drooped and she glanced at the clock on the wall, but her grandmother ignored her and poured a glass of milk for each of the other children. When they had finished their porridge and milk Louisa asked, ‘Please may we get down, Gran?’
‘You may, and now go to ’privy all of you – not you, Robin – and don’t forget to wash your hands. Come on, chop chop or you’ll be late.’
Robin stayed where he was at the table. He and his mother always ate breakfast and lunch together, unless she had a matinee performance when she gave Robin his first so that she could concentrate on her hair and pack what she called her slap in a make-up box. He used to laugh when he was little and slap his hands together and pretend to put it into the box, but he didn’t do that now that he was nearly grown up. He was astonished that Emma should be so rude and speak to her grandmother as she had.
He looked at her defiant face and wondered what would happen when her father came in and if he would be angry that she hadn’t gone to school with the others, but then he saw her mouth screw up, and she muttered, ‘Sorry.’
Peggy looked round. ‘Did I hear summat just then? Was it a mouse squeaking?’
‘Sorry, Granny,’ Emma said in a louder voice.
‘For what?’
‘For misbehaving and answering back,’ she said sullenly, ‘and not waiting for ’others.’
Peggy nodded. ‘Thank you. Now go and eat your breakfast. You’ve got five minutes. I’ll not have ’others late for school because of you.’
‘I’ll get ’cane if I’m late.’ Emma spooned the porridge into her mouth.
‘You’ll know another time then, won’t you? Now no talking, just eat. You can tek ’bread wi’ you and eat it at dinner time.’
In the nick of time, Emma finished her porridge and dashed to and back from the privy as Louisa and Rosie were putting on their coats and galoshes. Robin saw the palpable relief on her face as she came back from the scullery where she had washed her hands, just as their father walked through the door. Quickly, she pulled on her boots and put on her coat.
‘Off you go, girls,’ Jack Robinson said. ‘Behave yourselves; don’t let me hear of you getting up to mischief. Come on, Emma, look sharp. You’re allus such a slowcoach.’
‘Goodbye,’ Robin called after them, and Molly, glancing at him, put her warm hand in his.
‘Where are we going, Robin?’ she asked. ‘Are you staying to play wiv me?’
Robin looked up at Granny Robinson and then chanced a glance at Jack’s grim expression. ‘I’m not sure, Molly,’ he said. ‘But I think we might
