Adam held up the bag he’d been carrying. ‘Shall I take this upstairs?’ he asked.
‘No, just pop it down there,’ replied Peg. ‘I’ll take it up later.’
Adam pulled out a chair and set the bag down. He cleared his throat. ‘I’ll leave it here, out of the way.’
Everyone smiled again as an awkward silence began to grow. Not that he had any such memories, but Henry felt as he imagined an evacuee might – dropped off at a house in the country with a small bag containing all his worldly goods. He certainly felt like a child. Adam helped him out of his coat and he winced as the movement pulled against his stitches. He wouldn’t have been at all surprised to find a label tied around his neck.
‘Come and sit down,’ said Peg. ‘I’ve made some sandwiches. I wasn’t sure whether you would have had lunch yet.’
Sofia wrinkled her nose. ‘Plastic ham,’ she said. ‘That’s all they had, wasn’t it, Henry?’
He shook his head a little. ‘But that was only because I told them not to worry about me,’ he said. ‘I could have had a proper dinner if I wanted.’
Sofia smiled. ‘The consultant was later than expected,’ she explained. ‘So they found a sandwich for Henry while we were waiting.’
Peg nodded. ‘Well, I’ll put them on the table and you can help yourselves, or not, whatever you want. The girls will be back soon and they’ll make short work of any that get left.’
Henry struggled to remember. ‘That’s Izzy and…Phoebe, right?’
‘Mmm. They’ve gone for a walk with Blanche and Mim. I thought it might be better if we weren’t all, you know…crowding round. It might be a bit much.’
‘Good idea,’ said Adam. ‘We didn’t think we’d stay too long ourselves. Not today. Just let you get settled in, Dad, and then we thought we’d come and see you tomorrow. Properly. If that’s all right?’ He looked to Peg for guidance.
‘Come whenever you like,’ she said.
‘Only there are a few things we ought to talk about.’
‘Don’t worry your dad with those now, Adam,’ said Sofia.
‘I wasn’t going to,’ he replied. ‘That’s why I said we’d come tomorrow…’ He gave a tight smile. ‘But we’ll wait until Blanche gets back, obviously. Then we can drop her home. She doesn’t usually stay with us much beyond Boxing Day, so…’
‘Oh,’ replied Peg, ‘I’ve made plans for dinner. I kind of assumed she’d be staying today, I don’t know why…’ She frowned. ‘Never mind…I’m happy to drop her home later, if that’s better for you?’
Sofia shot Adam a look. ‘Well, that’s very kind. Um…Shall we see what Blanche wants to do? If you’re sure you don’t mind?’
Peg shook her head. ‘I don’t.’
‘Well, in that case…I hope Mum’s been behaving herself,’ said Sofia.
‘Oh, she’s been the model house guest,’ replied Peg. ‘I shall miss her, actually. So will Mim. But I’ve told her to come and visit as often as she likes. I’m not sure how long Mim will be staying with me, but it will be a few weeks at least.’
‘And now you have two invalids,’ said Henry.
Peg smiled. ‘Don’t go calling Mim that, she’ll have your guts for garters. Besides, you’re not an invalid either. I shall be putting you to work on the vegetable patch as soon as you’re able. That was a joke,’ she added quickly, seeing Sofia’s look of alarm.
Henry sat down. He wasn’t sure what else to do.
‘I’ll get the sandwiches,’ said Peg, scuttling across to the fridge. ‘There are still mince pies left too, if you can bear it.’
Fifteen minutes later, Adam and Sofia left, before the others had even arrived back. Not a drop of tea was drunk, nor a bite of a sandwich taken. Henry wasn’t sure what he’d expected, really. Adam and Sofia were tired, he understood that. And he’d totally ruined their Christmas. He imagined they’d be quite glad of some time to themselves.
Peg closed the door and plonked herself down in the seat opposite him.
‘Was that the most hideously awkward thing ever, or is it just me?’ She smiled, reaching for a sandwich.
A snort exploded from Henry’s mouth before he could stop it. ‘Oh God, wasn’t it?’ He grinned. ‘I shouldn’t find it funny, but…’
‘If you don’t, you’ll cry?’ supplied Peg. She pushed the plate of sandwiches nearer. ‘Andrelax…’
