Read Online A Family Christmas by Glenice Crossland - Free Book Online
Authors: Glenice Crossland
Ads: Link
corners to go round,’ Will grinned.
‘Go on, and be careful down the hill,’ Lucy warned. ‘Are you sure the breaks are working?’
‘Positive! Will one of you go and tell our Mary?’
Ben looked from Lucy to Jane.
‘Well I was just going out.’ Jane couldn’t meet her brother’s eye.
‘Oh I’ll go,’ Lucy snapped. ‘Though how you can go out when me mam’s so poorly I don’t know.’
‘Well it won’t make any difference if I stay in, will it?’
‘No, Lucy. Our Jane’s right. There’s no reason to sit here moping. You take the note to our Mary’s and then you can go out as well, if yer like.’
‘No, I’ll come back and wait for our Will. You go out, Ben. You’ve done your share today by taking my mam to hospital.’
‘Well I don’t know, I reckon I ought to be here for yer all.’
‘Go on, there’s nothing going to happen tonight. Go on.’
Ben really wanted to see Emma and explain what was happening. He didn’t doubt she would support him in any way she could; she was an understanding lass was Emma Scott. All the same he knew she was expecting him to pop the question and he felt bad about putting it off. ‘Well, I will go out for an hour, if yer sure.’
‘Course I’m sure.’ Lucy sat in her mother’s rocking chair and picked up Annie’s copy of
My Magazine
but she couldn’t concentrate. She was always grumbling about her mother, but the house wasn’t the same without her. She stood up and decided to give the kitchen a good bottoming, make it nice for when her mam came home. She took up the pegged rug Annie had made and took it outside to shake, then she washed the floor before replacing it. By the time Will came back the furniture was polished and the pot ornaments on the dresser and mantelpiece all washed and sparkling.
‘Our Nellie’s coming over tomorrow after she’s finished cooking dinner. Why do they ’ave their dinner at night, Lucy, just when everybody else are ’aving their teas?’
‘Because the people at the manor are all posh. Besides they are all businessmen and are at work all day.’
‘I wish we ’ad a kitchen like that.’
‘Did you go in?’ Lucy was curious what it was like.
‘Aye and she gave me some chocolate pudding with custard on. I didn’t believe our Nellie had made it, but Mrs Cooper said she had. She isn’t ’alf a good cook, our Nellie.’
‘Right then, do you want to come with me to our Mary’s?’
‘I’ll go meself if I can take our Ben’s bike.’ Will knew it was getting late and it would mean staying up longer.
‘Go on then. Just tell her to pop over tomorrow after tea. Tell her our Nellie’ll be here.’ There was no point in worrying her until after the operation and they knew what was going to happen. Will didn’t need telling twice.
This time Lucy relaxed in the chair and closed her eyes, wondering what tomorrow would bring. She knew operations were sometimes dangerous, but surely nothing could happen to Annie Gabbitas. She had always been there for them and even if she had shouted and sometimes clouted them the house wouldn’t be the same without her presence. Lucy could remember a time when her mother hadn’t been miserable; she could even remember her mam and dad dancing round the table and kissing each other. In fact Annie always used to kiss her dad when he left for the pit and again when he came home. Lucy tried to think when it was that things had changed. It must have been after their Will was born. That was when her dad had become ill, yes, that was it, when her dad had began having time off work because of his cough. That was when Annie had changed. Before that she had made little treats for them, like apple dumplings and ginger parkin. Even though they had never had new clothes Annie used to buy them pretty ribbons for their hair and gather wild flowers from up the banking and arrange them in a pot on the dresser.
Lucy wiped her eyes on her pinafore and told herself not to be daft: crying
‘Go on, and be careful down the hill,’ Lucy warned. ‘Are you sure the breaks are working?’
‘Positive! Will one of you go and tell our Mary?’
Ben looked from Lucy to Jane.
‘Well I was just going out.’ Jane couldn’t meet her brother’s eye.
‘Oh I’ll go,’ Lucy snapped. ‘Though how you can go out when me mam’s so poorly I don’t know.’
‘Well it won’t make any difference if I stay in, will it?’
‘No, Lucy. Our Jane’s right. There’s no reason to sit here moping. You take the note to our Mary’s and then you can go out as well, if yer like.’
‘No, I’ll come back and wait for our Will. You go out, Ben. You’ve done your share today by taking my mam to hospital.’
‘Well I don’t know, I reckon I ought to be here for yer all.’
‘Go on, there’s nothing going to happen tonight. Go on.’
Ben really wanted to see Emma and explain what was happening. He didn’t doubt she would support him in any way she could; she was an understanding lass was Emma Scott. All the same he knew she was expecting him to pop the question and he felt bad about putting it off. ‘Well, I will go out for an hour, if yer sure.’
‘Course I’m sure.’ Lucy sat in her mother’s rocking chair and picked up Annie’s copy of
My Magazine
but she couldn’t concentrate. She was always grumbling about her mother, but the house wasn’t the same without her. She stood up and decided to give the kitchen a good bottoming, make it nice for when her mam came home. She took up the pegged rug Annie had made and took it outside to shake, then she washed the floor before replacing it. By the time Will came back the furniture was polished and the pot ornaments on the dresser and mantelpiece all washed and sparkling.
‘Our Nellie’s coming over tomorrow after she’s finished cooking dinner. Why do they ’ave their dinner at night, Lucy, just when everybody else are ’aving their teas?’
‘Because the people at the manor are all posh. Besides they are all businessmen and are at work all day.’
‘I wish we ’ad a kitchen like that.’
‘Did you go in?’ Lucy was curious what it was like.
‘Aye and she gave me some chocolate pudding with custard on. I didn’t believe our Nellie had made it, but Mrs Cooper said she had. She isn’t ’alf a good cook, our Nellie.’
‘Right then, do you want to come with me to our Mary’s?’
‘I’ll go meself if I can take our Ben’s bike.’ Will knew it was getting late and it would mean staying up longer.
‘Go on then. Just tell her to pop over tomorrow after tea. Tell her our Nellie’ll be here.’ There was no point in worrying her until after the operation and they knew what was going to happen. Will didn’t need telling twice.
This time Lucy relaxed in the chair and closed her eyes, wondering what tomorrow would bring. She knew operations were sometimes dangerous, but surely nothing could happen to Annie Gabbitas. She had always been there for them and even if she had shouted and sometimes clouted them the house wouldn’t be the same without her presence. Lucy could remember a time when her mother hadn’t been miserable; she could even remember her mam and dad dancing round the table and kissing each other. In fact Annie always used to kiss her dad when he left for the pit and again when he came home. Lucy tried to think when it was that things had changed. It must have been after their Will was born. That was when her dad had become ill, yes, that was it, when her dad had began having time off work because of his cough. That was when Annie had changed. Before that she had made little treats for them, like apple dumplings and ginger parkin. Even though they had never had new clothes Annie used to buy them pretty ribbons for their hair and gather wild flowers from up the banking and arrange them in a pot on the dresser.
Lucy wiped her eyes on her pinafore and told herself not to be daft: crying
Similar Books
