She put her fingers to her lips as she recalled the memory. ‘He put his arms up for me to pick him up, which I did, while I kept on singing; it was “Scarborough Fair”, which I often sang to him at bedtime. He put his cheek against mine and so I sang it to him, and then to the audience’s delight he began singing it too. He knew all the words.’
She laughed. ‘It was the best ovation I’ve ever received, and I put him down and without any prompting he bowed to the audience and they went wild, standing up and clapping, whistling and cheering.’
‘And a star was born,’ he murmured.
She brushed away a tear. ‘It was fine for just that once, but then I began to worry that he might wander outside and get lost. It was about then that Arthur joined the company and took an interest in him; he began to think of things that Robin could do so that he thought he was part of the company. He asked the ticket office for old ticket stubs and taught him how to count them and put them into sets of colours; and then he began to teach him to read. By the time he was four he could do simple additions and read short words.’ She sighed. ‘I have many reasons to be grateful to Arthur, for his friendship and advice, but mainly for his interest in Robin.’
Giles nodded. ‘You and Robin obviously brought out the best in him,’ he said. ‘On first meeting he doesn’t seem like the fatherly type.’
‘He doesn’t, does he? But he took a great interest in Robin and that’s why he refers to him as our boy. And I trusted him completely.’
Jenny called the next day on her way home from school; she was dressed in a plain skirt and jacket and a neat hat with a feather, and Delia could tell that she was full of suppressed excitement.
‘How lovely that Arthur has invited us all to stay at his house,’ Delia said. ‘I’m really looking forward to it. I wonder what we should wear?’
‘Well, it’s a country estate, isn’t it?’ Jenny said. ‘South of Sheffield and north of Derby. I looked on a map,’ she said nonchalantly. ‘Just to ascertain its whereabouts. So something practical, I should think.’
‘Do you think it will be very grand? I only have plain gowns or my stage ones.’
‘One of each then,’ Jenny said. ‘Why not take that lovely red gown that you wore at Christmas? You could wear that for dinner. We’re only there for the Saturday so you won’t need anything more. We’ll be leaving after Sunday lunch.’
‘Yes,’ Delia said thoughtfully. ‘It’s a long way to go for such a short stay.’
She wondered why Arthur had asked them for such a short visit and then thought that he was taking into account not only her theatre schedule and Giles’s, but Jenny’s and Robin’s school schedules too; then she speculated that perhaps it was because of his mother, whose sharp tongue might be best served in small doses.
‘It is to introduce us to his mother,’ Jenny said casually, and Delia noticed that her cheeks had flushed. ‘That is what Arth—Mr Crawshaw said. He has been to Hull again,’ she admitted, giving a nervous swallow and lowering her eyes. ‘I have joined him twice for dinner.’
‘Jenny!’ Delia breathed. ‘Oh, I’m so pleased.’
‘We get along very well,’ Jenny admitted, and allowed a smile to slip out. ‘It is a very strange sensation for me, Delia. I never thought that – never thought I would meet someone who understood me in the way that he appears to – you know, encouraging me to express my views, taking them seriously, and he does,’ she said, as if astonished.
‘Perfect!’ Delia said. ‘You’ll be just right for one another.’
‘I haven’t met his mother yet,’ Jenny countered, and then added, ‘But he can choose whoever he wants for a wife. He says he is his own master.’ She hesitated. ‘Nothing is cut and dried, Delia. It’s too soon.’
Delia’s new managerial post wasn’t to start until the following week; the theatre was being cleared after the pantomime and the stage needed repairs, so she decided that she would travel to Paull on Friday as Giles had suggested. She asked if he would like to come too and meet Robin. ‘You could stay in the Hedon Arms, perhaps; it’s not far from Paull. A nice walk,’ she told him.
He hesitated at first, not wanting to intrude, and then agreed, so she immediately sent a postcard to the Robinsons and mentioned that she would like to bring a friend to meet Robin.
Robin was out of school so he accompanied Aaron to meet them off the train. Aaron and Giles shook hands on introduction and then Giles put out his hand to Robin as if he were an adult too. He told him that he had heard much about him and asked how he was settling down to country life after living in towns and cities.
‘I’ve had quite a peripatetic life until recently,’ Robin said earnestly, and Aaron glanced at him in astonishment and gave a gentle shake of his head, as if to say he might never quite get a grasp of this boy. ‘But I like living in the country very much indeed. I feel very settled and I like school and being with other children.’
Then he frowned a little and took hold of his mother’s hand. ‘I miss Mother, of course, but I realize that she has to earn a living; when I’m older and can work I can
