‘What was your horse’s name?’
‘Sable.’ Nancy wrinkled her nose, making Bess laugh. ‘She was called Sable because her lovely warm, dark brown, coat was the colour of sable.’
‘Where is she now?’
Bess hadn’t reckoned on that question and didn’t want to tell Nancy that Sable had died, in case it reminded her that her mother was dead. ‘I’ll tell you more about Sable another day,’ Bess said, walking on to her mother’s cottage.
Opening the gate, Nancy ran up the path to the front door ahead of Bess and knocked, unanswered questions about Sable forgotten for the time being.
‘Well if it isn’t our Bess. Come in, love.’ Lily Dudley, pretending she hadn’t seen Nancy until she entered the front hall, put her hands up to her cheeks. ‘And our Nancy!’ she exclaimed. ‘Well this is a nice surprise.’ Nancy, giggling, skipped down the passage at Lily Dudley’s side.
‘Who’s for milk and cake?’
‘Me!’ Nancy shouted, running into the kitchen.
Bess was about to remind Nancy that she had just been eating cake, but seeing the fun Nancy was having with her mother, said, ‘Please?’
‘Please,’ Nancy repeated, standing next to the cupboard where she knew Bess’s mother kept the cake tin.
‘That’s better. We don’t want your aunt to think you’ve forgotten your manners while you’ve been staying with Uncle Frank and me, do we?’
Nancy shook her head. ‘Thank you,’ she said, to the glass of milk Bess’s mother poured for her. Then, clapping her hands, she beamed a broad smile as Lily Dudley put a plate with an iced fairy cake in front of her.
‘Tuck in, love.’ Then, turning her attention to the stove, she switched off the gas beneath the boiling kettle and made a pot of tea.
When she had finished her milk and cake, Nancy slid off her chair, stood in front of Bess and lifted her chin. ‘All clean,’ Bess said, after wiping the milk-moustache from Nancy’s top lip with a clean handkerchief.
‘Can I play with Grandpa’s pipes?’ Nancy asked.
Bess was about to say no, in case you break them, when her mother said, ‘Of course you can, sweetheart, you know where they are. But before you go.’ Lily took a glass jar from the cupboard, took off the lid and offered it to Nancy. With a cheeky grin, Nancy chose a toffee, thanked Bess’s mum, and skipped out of the room.
Bess raised her eyebrows.
‘What?’
‘You,’ Bess said, ‘you spoil her.’
‘And why not? I can’t spoil Aimee, she lives too far away, and it’ll be years till Margot’s baby is old enough to spoil. Anyway, why shouldn’t the poor child have a treat now and again?’
‘She isn’t poor, Mother. And her aunt Maeve, and Mrs Sykes who they lodge with, give her plenty of treats.’
‘That’s as may be, but a child without a mother…’ Lily tutted and shook her head.
For the next hour, Bess and her mother chatted about the hotel; how nice it was that Ena was at Foxden, but how worrying that Claire was in Canada. They talked about Margot and Natalie - the beautiful new edition to the Dudley family - and they talked about Nancy.
Lily got up and cleared the table putting the tea things in the sink with a clatter. Turning back to Bess, she said, ‘You’ll miss her when she goes back to Kirby.’
‘I know. Frank will too. He was worried that I’d get too attached to her, and wouldn’t want to give her back when Maeve returned, but I think he’s become more attached to her than I have. I suppose it’s because she follows him about all the time.’ Bess shook her head. ‘Those bloomin’ animals,’ she said, laughing, ‘I don’t know who’s the daftest with them, Nancy or Frank.’
Bess looked at her wristwatch. ‘We’d better get back.’ Standing up, she opened the kitchen door. ‘Nancy? Time to go.’
‘Have you put Grandpa’s pipes back in the right order?’ Lily asked when Nancy appeared in the kitchen.
‘Yes,’ she said, pushing her arms down the sleeves of her coat, which Bess was holding for her. As Bess knelt in front of her to button up the coat, Nancy said, ‘The smallest first and the biggest last.’
‘That’s almost right.’ Lily laughed. ‘I shall leave them in that order until the next time you come to see me.’
Bess put on her own coat. ‘Ready?’
Nancy nodded. ‘Goodbye, Grandma,’ she said, looking up at Bess’s mother with big eyes.
‘Goodbye, love. Promise you’ll come and see me the next time you visit Auntie Bess at the hotel?’
‘I promise,’ Nancy said.
At the gate, Nancy stopped and looked back at the cottage. Bess’s mother was at the front room window waving. When Nancy waved back, Bess saw the same unhappy look in Nancy’s eyes that she had seen on the night the little girl looked at the photograph of her mother, Goldie. ‘Goodbye, Grandma.’ she called, her small chin jutting out and her mouth downturned.
Nancy walked back to the hotel in a sombre mood, but the minute she stepped inside that changed. ‘Aunt Maeve!’ she shouted, dropping Bess’s hand and racing across the hall to where her aunt was talking to Jack at reception.
Maeve fell to her knees and hugged her niece. She was early. Bess swallowed her disappointment and walked over to the desk smiling. ‘Welcome back,’ she said. ‘Did you have a good journey?’
‘I shouldn’t complain, but the Irish Sea was choppy and the boat was crowded with noisy children going home after their holiday. I’m glad to be back on terra-firma - and,’ she said, holding Nancy at arm’s length, ‘I’m really glad to see you.’
Bess was about to ask Maeve how her mother was, but decided to
