Mrs Winton bowed her head. ‘Sadly, yes,’ she said. ‘My husband had a heart attack. I always said he worked too hard. I’m on my own now. But, as you see, he left me well looked after. He planned for his retirement, but we never did get those years together.’
‘Would he have accepted me as his grandson? If my mother had come to you, would he have been as generous as you say you would have been?’ Ronnie asked.
She shook her head. ‘No, you’re right. He wouldn’t have believed Kate. Now I think of it, I did notice that Philip always engineered time in the nursery with the twins when he came home on leave and it was Kate he asked for when he was injured. I should have been more observant. I should have known.’
‘There are many things that we wish we had done in retrospect,’ Ronnie said.
Ronnie and Tilly finished their tea, and Ronnie stood up. ‘Thank you for seeing me, Mrs Winton,’ he said. ‘I hope that they find your son or that he finds his own way back home, like we did. War is a brutal time for families. I’m so pleased that I met you.’
‘So, you’re leaving?’
‘Yes. I think there is no more for me to see here. I have done what I came to do,’ Ronnie said.
He offered his hand to Mrs Winton and she stood up, without her stick, and took his hand in both of hers.
‘It was a pleasure to meet you,’ she said.
‘I’m pleased to have met you too. I wish you and your family all the best and that this war is not as painful for you as the last.’
When they stood outside, Ronnie turned and looked back at the house. How different life might have been for him if he had been born into a family like the Wintons. But he didn’t feel any sense of regret.
‘What are you thinking?’ Tilly asked him. ‘Was it worth coming?’
‘I’m glad I did,’ Ronnie replied. ‘Now I need to get back to the family I have and the new family I have made for myself. I just hope I survive to enjoy it. We should get back now or we’ll be declared absent without leave.’
They returned to the train station and caught the next train home.
As they left the city behind them, Tilly felt a strange sense of emptiness as if the future was some distant land that existed somewhere she could not access. She felt as if she was drifting, out of control of her own destiny. There were so many unanswered questions. What would be waiting for her when she returned to her ambulance duties in France? How long would this war go on? Would she meet Jed again? And if she did, was there any point in pursuing a relationship that would eventually be divided by an ocean — if they both survived, that was? What would she find when she and Ronnie both left the city and returned to the country? What would their future lives bring, if they had a future? Would Dot recover her strength? She would never recover from her grief, that was certain, but she would, hopefully, find ways to cope with it. They were all surrounded by people who had lost so much in this war, so many loved ones taken from them. They were not alone in that respect. Whatever happened, there would be a lot of rebuilding to do, lives shattered. Tilly was grateful that she and Ronnie were both returning to a family that loved them and supported them inwhatever they chose to do. They numbered among the lucky ones.
* * *
Ronnie and Tilly entered the kitchen of 2 Mead Cottages to a warm welcome and the smells of home cooking. Anthony was helping Sarah lay the table, and Jim and Albert were in the wash house cleaning themselves up after a full day’s work at the forge. Ronnie kissed Sarah and tousled Anthony’s hair.
‘Glad to see that you’re helping your mum,’ he said.
‘So how was the big city?’ Kate asked, cautiously. ‘Did you find what you were looking for?’
Ronnie moved towards his mother and hugged her. ‘I found all I needed to, thanks, Ma,’ he replied.
He noticed the look of relief that spread across her face. Ronnie sniffed the delicious aromas that floated around the kitchen. It was the smell of home.
‘Your famous beef stew,’ Ronnie said, licking his lips. ‘I can almost taste that gravy. What’s the special occasion?’
‘Do we need one?’ Kate asked, as she stirred the pot bubbling on top of the stove. ‘Just having us all together is enough for me. Now, this is almost ready, so let’s all sit down and tuck in.’
Tilly looked around the kitchen, anxiously searching for the one face who was not there with them.
‘How is Dot?’ she asked.
‘She’s just having a lie-down,’ Kate replied. ‘She’s felt a little better today and asked to be called when you two arrived home. Perhaps you would go and tell her that dinner is ready, would you, Tilly?’
Tilly climbed the stairs and entered the bedroom quietly so that she could wake Dot gradually if she was sleeping. She needn’t have worried, for Dot wasn’t asleep, but just resting against the pillows, and some of the colour had returned to herface. Tilly was relieved. She sat on the edge of the bed and took Dot’s hand in hers.
‘How are you feeling, Dot?’ Tilly asked.
Dot smiled weakly. ‘A little better, thank you,’ she replied. ‘Kate told me that you and Ronnie have been to London in search of Ronnie’s past. Was it a successful journey? I remember when Kate came home holding Ronnie in her arms and Mum was holding you. It was no wonder that you two grew up to be so close. You were both born within weeks of each other.’
‘I think Ronnie found out what he wanted to know,’ Tilly replied. ‘And I was pleased to be there to support him. Shall we go down for dinner now?’
