Violet looked surprised. ‘That’s kind of you, Grace. But it’s not right to ask you to take on extra chores.’
‘I don’t mind.’ Grace winked at Tilly across the table. ‘You’ll muck in too, won’t you, Tilly?’
Tilly swallowed her mouthful. ‘Of course.’
As they were clearing the table though, Sheila noticed how Tilly slipped away upstairs to avoid pitching in, while Grace stayed to scrape food remnants into the metal pigswill pail. Violet had followed Joe into the porch, muttering at him as he pulled on his boots, so Sheila took the scraped plates off the girl instead.
‘Thank you, Grace, that’s very helpful. No, I can do the rest. You’ve done enough for today.’
But Grace lingered at the table instead of following the other girl upstairs.
Sheila, filling the sink with soapy water, studied her discreetly. ‘You all right, love?’
Grace looked up at her quickly. ‘Just a bit tired, Mrs Newton.’
Sheila left the pots and pans to soak and came back to the table, drying her hands. She thought the girl looked a little lonely. ‘Are you missing Caroline? Poor lamb … I hope her gran’s a bit better.’
‘Yes, she’s very fond of her.’
‘But I’m sure she’ll be back here with us soon. She’s become part of this family … and I know she has a soft spot for you in particular. And why not? You’re a kind soul, Grace, and I bet your family’s very proud of you.’ She hesitated as the young woman fell silent and turned her head away. What had she said wrong? ‘What’s up, love? I suppose you wish you were going home for Christmas too, is that it?’
Grace shook her head. ‘I’m happy staying here, Mrs Newton, honest. I love my folks. The thing is, whenever I go home …’ She got up to rinse out her tea mug. ‘Well, sometimes me mum and dad … I think they’d like to cocoon me in cotton wool. Stop me ever leaving again.’
‘Bless ’em, of course they do. They’re your folks. Well, we’ll have a cosy enough Christmas here at the farm, eh?’
Grace smiled, then murmured something about having a library book to finish reading and disappeared upstairs. Sheila was left uncomfortable, aware that she’d somehow upset the girl without meaning to. But as she was trying to puzzle it out, Violet came back, looking flustered.
‘Thanks, Mum. I’d better do the washing-up before that water gets cold.’ Violet stood at the sink, her face pinched and unhappy. ‘Joe’s gone out to the barn. So it’s just you and me in the snug tonight, Mum.’
‘Righty-ho. I’ll fetch us some sloe gin. That’ll warm our cockles. Poor Joe though … It’s perishing out there.’ Sheila hesitated. ‘Shall I take him out a nice hot cup of tea?’
‘Suit yourself,’ Violet muttered.
Sheila shrugged into her coat and carried a tray across the snowy yard to the barn. Joe’s hurricane lamp lit up a soft bed of straw where the mother ewe was struggling to give birth, while Joe crouched beside her with troubled eyes.
‘I’ve brought you something to keep out the cold,’ Sheila told him, and pulled a hip flask from her pocket with a wink. ‘Violet didn’t see me take this. Tea’s all very well. But I thought you might like something a mite stronger, given the snow.’
Joe took the flask with a rueful grin. ‘Thanks, Sheila.’ Helping himself to a swig of brandy, he turned back to the ewe. ‘Wish I’d got that telephone line set up last month. I may need to drive over to fetch the vet later, if this one gets into difficulties.’
‘I can sit with her while you’re gone, if you like. So long as I can bring me knitting.’ Sheila hesitated. ‘Joe,’ she added tentatively, ‘I hope you won’t mind me sticking my oar in, but Vi told me about you not wanting another child.’
‘Yes, she said.’ His tone was curt.
‘Oh, love, I know you’re worried about her.’ Sheila put a hand on his arm. ‘But you’ve no need. The first baby’s always the hardest. Violet knows what to expect now, she won’t be so sick with a second one.’
‘It’s not only the morning sickness,’ he muttered.
‘What, then?’
The ewe was bleating unhappily and rolling her eyes. He crouched again to the animal, putting a hand on her heaving belly. ‘Don’t you remember how hard the birth was with Sarah Jane? I was afraid we’d lose both of them … I can’t go through that again. And what if the worst happens and Sarah Jane’s left without a mother?’ He shook his head. ‘I won’t do it and I’ve told Violet why, and that’s an end to it.’
Sheila exhaled slowly, understanding at last. ‘It’s true things didn’t go well last time,’ she told him gently. ‘But every baby’s different, love. And it’s drivin’ Violet up the wall, wanting another one.’
He grimaced. ‘I know that.’
‘You’re right … It’s a risky old business, having a baby. Anything could go wrong. But we just lived through a war, didn’t we? You lost a leg, for Gawd’s sake. But you didn’t give up living, did you? You came home and met my Violet, and yes, things went wrong between you, but you persevered. And in the end, you married her, and Sarah Jane came along.’
Her son-in-law looked round at her, tears in his eyes.
