Bobby gave her a hug. ‘I think so too.’
Florrie pointed to the tinny old piano in the corner, only used when Charlie – the sole piano player in the family – was home on leave. ‘Mr Bancroft, may I try that, please?’
Rob laughed. ‘Happen we’ll need cotton wool in our ears first. Aye, go on.’
A moment later she was tinkling away tunelessly, having the time of her life finding out what sound each key made.
‘Oh my word,’ Mary said, laughing as she put her fingers in her ears. ‘What a din, Florence Parry! I don’t think we’ll be booking the Albert Hall for you just yet. Now get coats and shoes on, and we’ll leave Bobby and Mr Bancroft alone. Their guests will be here soon.’
‘Aww.’ Florrie poked out her lip. ‘But I was just getting the hang of it.’
‘My ears beg to differ,’ Bobby said, smiling. ‘Perhaps you can have a lesson with Uncle Charlie next time he’s on leave, and learn some proper tunes. You had better go now, girls, and have your supper and cocoa. We’ll be packed in like sardines if you’re still here when my sister and her husband arrive.’
‘How come your sister’s got a husband now, Bobby?’ Jessie asked as Mary buttoned her coat up for her. ‘She never had one when she come at Christmas.’
‘Well, ladies do tend to get husbands once they reach a certain age, you know, Jess. Even you might have one someday.’
Jessie poked out her tongue. ‘Urgh. No thank you.’
Bobby laughed. ‘We’ll see. Goodnight, girls.’
When they’d gone, her dad slumped back in his chair, looking windswept.
‘Why do I always feel like I’ve been tossed about in a hurricane after a visit from them two?’
Bobby smiled. ‘It does feel rather that way, doesn’t it?’
Her dad smiled too, a little sadly. ‘I remember I had a pair of my own like that, once. Little whirlwinds. All the time it were “Daddy, look at this” and “Daddy, you must take me to see that”.’ He sighed. ‘Long time ago.’
Bobby crouched down and rested a hand on his arm.
‘But we’re still those same girls, even if we are grown up. Your girls,’ she said softly. ‘It was nice to see you smiling tonight, Dad.’
‘Aye, well. Hard not to with little ones around.’
‘And soon there’ll be a little one of our own arriving. One who’ll need their grandad very much after the difficult start they had in life.’
Rob sighed again, but he didn’t speak.
‘Dad, I’m really so sorry,’ Bobby whispered. ‘I never meant to say what I said, that night. You’re right, it was my fault. I didn’t see the danger until it was too late. Still, you have to believe that Tony isn’t the scoundrel you think he is.’
‘Huh.’
‘For the sake of one of those little whirlwinds who always loved you, you will be polite, won’t you? No matter what happened in the past, Tony’s trying to do what’s right. He deserves to be given a chance.’
Rob didn’t answer. He just sat in silence, staring into the fire. Realising nothing would be achieved by saying more, Bobby went out to the pump to get water and set the kettle to boil ready for the visitors.
It was just over half an hour later that a tentative knock sounded. Bobby glanced at her dad, who stood up.
‘This is it,’ she whispered. ‘Please, Dad. For Lil.’
He didn’t say anything. Bobby went to answer the door.
Both her sister and Tony were in Sunday clothes: Tony in a grey suit that was just beginning to grow shabby, and Lilian in her best sky-blue dress. The finery looked a little out of place in the cow house, but Bobby was pleased to see they had made an effort to impress her father. Tony looked rather nervous, as well he might, and was clutching a small brown paper parcel.
Lilian’s dress was decidedly snug, now her pregnancy had passed twenty weeks. Bobby saw how her dad winced when henoticed. However, he didn’t immediately run into the surgery and try to break into the cupboard where she had locked his shotgun away, which was something. Not that she really believed he’d use it on any living thing other than mink and foxes, but she felt better knowing it was out of his reach.
Tony was looking at Lil, waiting for her to make introductions.
