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Authors: Glenice Crossland
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wouldn’t help. She vowed to look after her mam for as long as she needed her. She also promised herself that when she married and had children of her own, she would always try and be of good spirits and even if her husband became ill she would make sure it was a happy home.
She suddenly saw a picture forming in her mind, a picture of John Grey, but she dismissed it before the tears started again. She wouldn’t be going to the dance on Saturday – probably not for weeks if she was looking after her mam. By then John Grey would have found himself another girl; he was far too handsome to bother waiting for the likes of her.
The Grey brothers had settled in well at the vicarage. It was an old stone house next to the church – quite spooky – with three large square bedrooms and one smaller one. Louisa Goodman had arranged the smaller one for Robbie and placed two single beds in another for John and James. The food was plain but wholesome and the brothers endeavoured to repay their hosts by lending a hand with any tasks that needed attending to. The Sunday after their arrival a starling had flown down the chimney and flapped blindly around the kitchen. John had caught the poor thing, cleaned it up and released it into the garden. Then he had cleaned up the soot fall and given the walls a fresh coat of lime wash. It had all been done while the Sunday service was taking place. Louisa said Herbert always kept the commandments and on the Sabbath would never have agreed to the work being done. She did concede however that it had been a sort of emergency and since Herbert had been unaware of what had happened he couldn’t really complain. Another night James had volunteered to cut the grass in the graveyard, glad of the fresh air after the confines of the wire mill.
Young Robbie was spending more and more time in the joiner’s shop. Mr Grundy had suggested the boy should keep to the hours originally agreed, but when Robbie told him he enjoyed staying over and wanted to learn as much as he could, Mrs Grundy had suggested the boy join them for their main meal and then return to work under the guidance of her husband. So now Robbie could look forward to a little extra in his pay packet every Friday. He had been taught how to mix glue and how to stain wood and he also knew what all the different tools were for and how to care for them. Evenings at the vicarage were usually spent with a book from Herbert’s small but well-stocked library. Sometimes they would partake of a game of dominoes and the elder brothers had been taught to play bridge.
John had been devastated when Lucy Gabbitas hadn’t turned up with her sister on the night of the dance. Kitty explained about Mrs Gabbitas being in hospital and John wondered why Jane had decided to come along, leaving her younger sister with the responsibility of taking care of her brother. It made John admire Lucy more than ever and though he danced most of the dances with Kitty Marshall he never stopped thinking about Lucy. Actually John was relieved when the evening came to an end. He had been left with the impression that Jane was of a rather shallow nature, but as James seemed to be besotted with her he thought he was maybe being a little hard on the girl. John was cheered slightly with Kitty’s parting words: ‘I’ll tell Lucy you were concerned about her mother.’
‘Oh, aye, you do that. Oh and Kitty! Will you tell her I’ll be waiting when her mother’s better?’
Kitty grinned. ‘Aye, it’ll make her day if I tell her that. She really likes you.’
‘Really?’ John grinned.
‘Aye, really.’
Kitty liked John too. If Lucy hadn’t been her best friend she might have tried to entice John Grey away from her, but like Lucy, Kitty Marshall was loyal to her friends and family.
Chapter Six
ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT the whole Gabbitas family went to visit Annie, with the exception of William who, at eleven, was considered to be too young, and Jane, who made the excuse that
She suddenly saw a picture forming in her mind, a picture of John Grey, but she dismissed it before the tears started again. She wouldn’t be going to the dance on Saturday – probably not for weeks if she was looking after her mam. By then John Grey would have found himself another girl; he was far too handsome to bother waiting for the likes of her.
The Grey brothers had settled in well at the vicarage. It was an old stone house next to the church – quite spooky – with three large square bedrooms and one smaller one. Louisa Goodman had arranged the smaller one for Robbie and placed two single beds in another for John and James. The food was plain but wholesome and the brothers endeavoured to repay their hosts by lending a hand with any tasks that needed attending to. The Sunday after their arrival a starling had flown down the chimney and flapped blindly around the kitchen. John had caught the poor thing, cleaned it up and released it into the garden. Then he had cleaned up the soot fall and given the walls a fresh coat of lime wash. It had all been done while the Sunday service was taking place. Louisa said Herbert always kept the commandments and on the Sabbath would never have agreed to the work being done. She did concede however that it had been a sort of emergency and since Herbert had been unaware of what had happened he couldn’t really complain. Another night James had volunteered to cut the grass in the graveyard, glad of the fresh air after the confines of the wire mill.
Young Robbie was spending more and more time in the joiner’s shop. Mr Grundy had suggested the boy should keep to the hours originally agreed, but when Robbie told him he enjoyed staying over and wanted to learn as much as he could, Mrs Grundy had suggested the boy join them for their main meal and then return to work under the guidance of her husband. So now Robbie could look forward to a little extra in his pay packet every Friday. He had been taught how to mix glue and how to stain wood and he also knew what all the different tools were for and how to care for them. Evenings at the vicarage were usually spent with a book from Herbert’s small but well-stocked library. Sometimes they would partake of a game of dominoes and the elder brothers had been taught to play bridge.
John had been devastated when Lucy Gabbitas hadn’t turned up with her sister on the night of the dance. Kitty explained about Mrs Gabbitas being in hospital and John wondered why Jane had decided to come along, leaving her younger sister with the responsibility of taking care of her brother. It made John admire Lucy more than ever and though he danced most of the dances with Kitty Marshall he never stopped thinking about Lucy. Actually John was relieved when the evening came to an end. He had been left with the impression that Jane was of a rather shallow nature, but as James seemed to be besotted with her he thought he was maybe being a little hard on the girl. John was cheered slightly with Kitty’s parting words: ‘I’ll tell Lucy you were concerned about her mother.’
‘Oh, aye, you do that. Oh and Kitty! Will you tell her I’ll be waiting when her mother’s better?’
Kitty grinned. ‘Aye, it’ll make her day if I tell her that. She really likes you.’
‘Really?’ John grinned.
‘Aye, really.’
Kitty liked John too. If Lucy hadn’t been her best friend she might have tried to entice John Grey away from her, but like Lucy, Kitty Marshall was loyal to her friends and family.
Chapter Six
ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT the whole Gabbitas family went to visit Annie, with the exception of William who, at eleven, was considered to be too young, and Jane, who made the excuse that
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