Jenny could hear her mother’s temper rising and knew that any minute now Peggy’s normal good nature would blow and she’d say something she might regret.
‘Let’s calm down,’ she interrupted. ‘Let’s talk about it responsibly. It makes sense for him to stay here, rather than be given up to the police, if you don’t mind, Ma. I suppose you’ve notified the authorities?’
Her mother didn’t answer, but merely nodded and stood with her eyes flashing and her lips clenched.
Then they heard the crash of the scullery door opening and a great draught came wafting through, along with the sound of men’s and children’s voices; Aaron was telling the youngsters to take their boots off and wash their hands before going into the kitchen and a minute later Emma and Rosie came through and headed straight for Jenny, followed by their father and then a boy with hair the colour of dark sand and a merry grin on his face.
Rosie wriggled on to Jenny’s knee whilst Emma stood next to her. ‘Hello, girls,’ Jenny said, adding the obtuse remark which she hated when other adults said it when speaking to children. ‘I do believe you’ve grown since I was last here.’
‘Aye, well, you’d hardly expect ’em not to have done.’ Jack bent and gave his sister a brief pat on the shoulder. ‘Seeing as we haven’t seen you since summer!’
‘I know,’ she sighed. ‘It’s work that gets in the way of doing what we’d like to do. And who is this young man?’
Robin came forward and put out his hand. ‘Hello,’ he said. ‘How do you do? I’m Robin Jackson. I’m – erm,’ he glanced towards Peggy, ‘staying here for now.’
Jenny shook his hand. ‘Are you? Well, how very nice to meet you. I heard you’ve made good friends with Molly and Louisa?’
He smiled rather bashfully. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘We have good fun. They like to hear me read.’
Rosie looked up. ‘He does White Rabbit in a funny voice,’ she chortled. ‘Do it, Robin. Do it for Auntie Jenny.’
‘Oh, it isn’t the same without reading the whole chapter,’ he claimed. ‘Maybe we’ll read it later, shall we?’
‘Good idea,’ Jenny agreed. ‘Maybe before bedtime, or will you get too excited?’ She appeared to be asking Rosie, but was actually looking at Susan, who was clearly unimpressed by this charming boy. Jenny wondered why she had taken against him.
‘I won’t get excited,’ Rosie began, but was cut off when Molly and Louisa came into the room.
‘I’ve found some duck eggs under ’hedge,’ Molly complained, holding two dirty eggs in her hands, ‘but Louisa says they’ll have gone off and we can’t eat them.’
‘No, you can’t,’ her father said, and went to take them off her. ‘They’ll have been there for weeks. You know that ducks go off lay in winter.’
Molly shrugged away from him and dropped one of the eggs on the flagged floor. It broke and a stink of sulphur rose up.
‘You see!’ he said. ‘Now give it here.’
Molly threw the other egg on the floor in front of him and began to wail.
‘Oh, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,’ Robin began.
‘Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,’ Louisa continued, and Molly began laughing through her tears, whilst Peggy hurried off into the scullery to get cloths to clear up the mess.
‘Happy days,’ Jenny said to no one in particular as Aaron scooped up Molly and sat her on his knee in the chair by the fire, and they continued with the nursery rhyme. Then she turned to Susan. ‘I don’t think you need have any worries,’ she murmured. ‘It seems to me that the boy might be a good influence on Molly.’
Susan heaved out a breath. ‘I wish somebody was,’ she muttered. ‘She’s beyond me.’
‘It’s not Molly’s fault, Susan,’ Jenny said softly. ‘No amount of chastising will change her. It’s simply a misfortune of birth that she’s not the same as other children, and no one’s to blame.’ She looked up at Jack as she spoke, and intercepted an ice-cold stare at his wife that made her shiver. I wonder how they’ll survive in their own place without the distraction of all the family here, she thought, but it’s unreasonable to expect Mother and Father to deal with their marriage difficulties. That’s something Jack and Susan have to work out for themselves. Till death us do part, she thought. She gave a deep inward sigh. Definitely not for me, thank you very much.
The wind became stronger and sleet came down heavily as they ate their midday meal; Jack checked on the fire in the parlour, putting on more logs and coal to make a big blaze, whilst Aaron built up the fire in the range. When they’d finished eating they both got up to put on their coats before going outside again.
‘I’ll need to chop some more logs,’ Jack said. ‘It’s a constant job.’
‘Can I help?’ Robin asked. ‘I’ve never done it before but I could try.’
‘Dunno about that,’ Jack muttered. ‘What will your ma say if she turns up and you’ve got toes missing?’
Robin didn’t realize that Jack was being sarcastic and he responded seriously that she might say that he’d been careless.
‘You were splittin’ logs afore you were ten,’ Aaron reminded Jack. ‘Every lad should learn.’
‘Aye, every country lad. Don’t suppose town lads need to,’ Jack retorted.
‘Oh, they do,’ Robin said earnestly. ‘I’ve seen them, and bringing coal up from a cellar.’
‘From a cellar?’ Susan commented. ‘So you’ve always lived in a town, have you?’
Robin nodded, but it seemed to Jenny that he suddenly looked uneasy. ‘Yes,’ he murmured. ‘Or a city.’
‘Aye, well mebbe,’ Jack said. ‘But I’m not doing it right now; we’ve plenty for ’time being. I’ve got ’livestock to feed first.’
‘I’ll give you a hand,’ Aaron said. ‘Then I’m off down to Paull, see who’s about.’
‘You were there last night,’ Peggy admonished him. ‘Your daughter’s come to see you.’
‘Oh, aye. Sorry,’ Aaron said apologetically, grinning sheepishly.
Jenny laughed. ‘Go on,’ she said. ‘We’ll chat later and you
