She felt very apprehensive as they came out into the street. I hope I’m doing the right thing. Suppose Delia wants to keep him with her when she sees him? He’ll be right back to where he was before, leading a nomadic life; he’ll become a drifter himself, or a wandering actor, never settling down to anything much. I could just take him into one of the shops and buy him a present and then we could go back home again.
But that would be unfair, she told herself, and I do believe that although he is only a child still, he’s capable of knowing what he wants. The choice should be his, and I hope, I really hope, that he chooses to come back with me to Paull – where he really belongs. She added this defiant thought, justifying herself for interfering.
The Maritime Hotel was close to the railway station, and as they arrived it began to rain.
‘We haven’t brought an umbrella, Auntie Jenny,’ he said, as she pushed open the door. ‘We might get soaked going back.’
She smiled, instantly cheered by his positivity. ‘We’ll borrow one,’ she said, and opening the door into the foyer she saw Delia sitting by the fire with her back to them. Fortunately there were no other guests there. ‘Close your eyes now,’ she said quickly, and moved in front of him.
‘Hello,’ she called out. ‘Close your eyes, I’ve got a surprise for you!’
Delia turned, saw Jenny and closed her eyes as commanded. ‘You were always such a tease, Jenny. What are you up to?’
Jenny heard Robin take a sudden breath as he heard Delia’s voice, and as he rushed past her she felt a prickling in her eyes and knew she had done the right thing as the boy charged towards his mother and wrapped his arms around her.
‘Mother,’ he sobbed. ‘It’s you. It’s really you!’
Delia wept. She couldn’t believe that here was her boy, sturdy and rosy-cheeked. Grown too, in the short month since she had left him.
‘Do you forgive me?’ she said, hugging him and kissing his cheek as he sat on her knee, something he hadn’t done in many years; now it seemed that he couldn’t get close enough to her.
‘For what, Mother?’
‘Leaving you behind.’
‘Oh, I knew you’d come back eventually,’ he said earnestly. ‘I had every faith in you.’
Delia heard Jenny give a strangled laugh at his solemn assertion.
‘And I’m having such a splendid time with Granny Robinson and Aaron and all the little girls. Aaron calls them bairns,’ he chuckled. ‘Isn’t that such a nice thing to say? Is that what your parents called you?’ he asked in all innocence.
Brat, more like, she thought, but lied and said yes, glancing at Jenny as she did so.
Jenny ordered coffee for her and Delia and hot chocolate for Robin, whom Delia kept calling Jack until eventually she said, ‘I understand you’ve changed your name to Robin?’
He nodded. ‘It wasn’t because I didn’t like the name Jack, it was because it was linked to Robinson and you remember what I’d said about it before?’
‘I do,’ she said. ‘And I said that you should change it if you didn’t like it.’
‘It’s a good thing I did,’ he went on, ‘because there’s another Jack Robinson living in the house, so it would have been very confusing.’ He frowned. ‘I don’t think he likes me being there, but I don’t think he likes children much anyway; but they’re moving after Christmas,’ he added, ‘so it won’t matter. I’m going to have the girls’ bedroom upstairs after they’ve gone.’ He sounded excited. ‘And you can see the estuary from up there and great big enormous skies.’
Delia took a deep breath, and, unnoticed, so did Jenny. ‘So are you happy to stay there for a little while longer?’ Delia asked cautiously.
‘Oh, yes please,’ he said, and glanced at Jenny. ‘Jenny said I could go back.’ He paused. ‘Is – that all right, Mother?’ He bit on his lip. ‘You won’t be too unhappy without me?’ and added without waiting for an answer, ‘And if you’re staying in Hull for now, I’m sure I could travel by train on my own to come and see you.’
‘I’ll be staying until the end of February,’ she said. ‘I have a contract until then, but afterwards I might have to move on elsewhere. You know how it is, don’t you?’
He nodded. ‘I’d like to know where you’ll be going,’ he said earnestly. ‘Perhaps you could write to me?’
‘Of course I can.’ She gave a sad smile, and then said, ‘But I want to ask you something. Can you keep it secret about who I am, just for the time being? A secret, maybe, between the three of us?’ She glanced at Jenny for confirmation.
Jenny shook her head. ‘Four of us,’ she said. ‘I must tell my mother. It wouldn’t be fair otherwise. At the moment all she knows is that I’ve found Robin’s mother and she’s living in Hull.’
‘Of course!’ Delia put her hand to her chest. ‘Of course you’re right, Jenny. I’m sorry; your mother is so kind that it would be unfair to take advantage of her generosity. And I must recompense her for Jack’s – Robin’s, I mean – for his care and board, and the new clothes that I see he’s wearing.’
‘I’d grown out of my breeches because of all the lovely food,’ Robin told her, ‘and also it’s
