Peggy was livid as she went home, not driving but going out of the gate and climbing the fence into their property and muttering to herself about the inadequacies of her daughter-in-law. Contrary to what Susan had said, she didn’t consider that the younger woman had stirred a finger for this move apart from stripping their beds to take the sheets and bedspreads with them. ‘And those are my sheets if everybody had their own,’ she raged.
She carefully packed the casserole dish into a box, wrapped a loaf of bread that she’d made fresh that morning and put that in as well. ‘I’ll not have those bairns going to bed hungry,’ she muttered. ‘And I suppose I’d better make ’beds up whilst I’m about it.’
When she got back, Susan had filled the kettle and put it on the fire, which was now burning steadily. Aaron had been into the barn and brought in a basket of logs, then returned to fill an old bucket with coal that the Foggits had left behind.
Peggy put the casserole in the side oven. It was only just warm, but she knew it would be hot enough by the time they were ready to eat.
As the afternoon drew on, Jack and Aaron carried the beds and chests of drawers upstairs and she made up the beds for the children, but not for Jack and Susan; that was something that Susan could do herself, she decided.
‘Right,’ she said. ‘Robin and Molly, you’d better come home with me. We’ll tek ’trap and Grandda can bring ’wagon back later.’
‘I’m stopping here tonight,’ Molly told her. ‘I want to sleep here in ’new house.’
‘We haven’t made up a bed for you,’ Susan said abruptly. ‘I thought you were stopping with Gran.’
‘Not tonight I’m not,’ Molly said inflexibly, without looking at her mother. ‘I’ll go back to Gran’s tomorrow.’
‘She can sleep in my bed with me,’ Louisa offered. ‘I expect you want to know what it feels like, don’t you, Molly? You won’t have to mind being at ’bottom of ’bed, though.’
‘Will you mind your own business, miss,’ Susan snapped. ‘Nobody asked for your opinion.’
‘She can stay if she wants,’ Jack interrupted, coming inside with a box of crockery. ‘She doesn’t want to be left out, do you, Molly?’
‘No I don’t.’ Molly pressed her lips together determinedly. ‘If I like it here I might stop wi’ other bairns.’
Susan heaved a deep angry breath. ‘Well, don’t anybody bother to ask me.’
Peggy glanced from one to another. ‘All right, honey,’ she said to Molly. ‘Come and give your gran a big kiss, all of you. I’ll see you sometime tomorrow, won’t I? You all know where we live.’
‘Course we do, Gran.’ Molly put her arms round Peggy’s waist. ‘You won’t be lonely wivout us, will you? You’ve got Grandda and Robin to look after you.’
Peggy was choked as all the little girls came to give her a kiss and said they’d see her the next day, and then Emma and Rosie shot off upstairs to their shared bedroom and the next instant Molly did too. Only Louisa stood with doubt written on her face.
‘Bye, Gran,’ she said quietly. ‘Bye, Robin. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
Peggy kept her eyes firmly ahead as they drove down the track and Robin didn’t speak. He guessed that she was upset at leaving the girls behind and he was too; he’d have to read to himself now and he’d enjoyed reading to the girls and acting with funny voices. He knew he would miss his mother more now that there would be fewer interruptions.
I’ll do a batch bake, Peggy thought, enough for two families; just until they get settled in, though it’s time that Susan and Jack learned about their own family life. I’ll prove some bread tonight and mebbe mek a couple of apple pies; I should have given Susan some apples. She decided to send some over the next day, but as they pulled into their yard she recalled that she hadn’t much sugar left for baking.
By the time she’d put Betsy in her stall and come into the kitchen, Robin had filled the kettle and put it over the fire.
‘I thought you might like a cup of tea, Granny Peg,’ he murmured.
‘Aye, I would.’ She smiled. ‘That’s thoughtful of you, Robin. There’s nothing quite like a cup in your own home, is there?’
‘I don’t know,’ he said, and there was a catch in his voice. ‘I’ve never lived in my own home. My mother and I have never had one.’
She sat down on a kitchen chair and drew him towards her. ‘Well, consider this one yours for ’time being,’ she said softly. ‘Until such time as you feel you want to move on, and there’s absolutely no hurry at all to do that.’
‘Thank you,’ he said in a low voice. ‘I’d like that very much.’ He paused, and then added, ‘I expect you’ll feel rather lonely without the girls here.’
‘Yes, I think I might, so it’s a good thing that you’re here, isn’t it?’
He brightened up considerably. ‘Is there anything I can do for you?’
‘Well,’ Peggy glanced out of the kitchen window and saw that it was not yet dark, ‘there is, as a matter of fact. I was going to bake but I’ve realized I haven’t much sugar.’
‘Oh, I can go to the shop for you,’ he said eagerly. ‘I’ve always been very useful at running errands and I’m very quick.’
‘It will take ten minutes to run there and ten back, so if we allow half an hour you’ll be back easily before it turns dark. You won’t dawdle, will you, or go near the slipway?’
‘Oh, no, I promise,’ he said. ‘I’ll just put my coat and cap on. Was that all you wanted? Just a bag of sugar?’
‘Yes, please.’ Peggy reached for her purse to give him the money. ‘And here’s a penny extra for you to buy
