made it up in Millie’s room. Mrs Brunt, their daily, brought her a pram that she said had been her grandson’s but he was walking now and had grown out of it. Millie couldn’t believe how kind everybody was being to her, and she could hardly credit their generosity.
She had not so far seen the old nursery on the attic floor that had been used for Valerie and Helen. Hattie took her to see it. ‘I asked Mrs Brunt to give it a spring-clean, it hasn’t been used for years.’ Millie was amazed at the child-size furniture, the playpen, the rocking horse and other toys as well as chairs and a sofa large enough for adults. ‘Use it if you want to, it’ll give you a quiet place where you can attend to Sylvie.’
Millie settled into the comfort of the Maynard household, her baby thrived and the weeks began to pass. One night, she was in the playroom having just given Sylvie her last feed and was winding her before she took her to her cot. Hattie and the girls had gone to bed but had run up to say goodnight to her. Helen had left the door ajar.
She looked up to find Peter in the doorway holding his nightcap, a glass of whisky. He smiled and said, ‘You look tired, Millie.’
‘I am.’ She yawned. ‘Sylvie wakes me at the crack of dawn, but at least she’s sleeping through the night now. Hattie reckons that’s pretty good for a babe of two months.’
He came in, sat down in the chair opposite and took a sip of his whisky. ‘Millie, I don’t think you should go back to live in that flat,’ he said. ‘I’ve been wondering if you should tell your landlady you want to end the tenancy.’ That was enough to bring scalding tears to Millie’s eyes again. ‘Why don’t you go there and decide which of your things you want to keep? We could arrange for them to be brought here and finish with that place.’
Millie was biting her lip. ‘If I did that you’d have no way of getting shut of me. I’d have nowhere to go.’
‘I don’t want to get shut of you, Millie. I don’t like to think of you and Sylvie alone in that flat.’
Millie stifled a sob. ‘I’ve been worried about you paying the rent for me for all these weeks. I’ve let you do far too much . . .’
Sylvie had gone to sleep, she put her down in the opposite corner of the sofa, so she could give her mind to what Peter was saying.
‘It doesn’t add up to any great sum and anyway, I’ve a proposition to put to you that will solve things.’
Millie had thought of little else for months but how to earn a living and look after her baby, and could see no way round it, but she was glad he was trying to help her.
He was looking at her intently. ‘Hattie has been with us since my wife died and she feels ready for a change. Her sister Mary has just nursed her husband through a long illness, and now she’s alone she wants Hattie to go and live with her in West Kirby. It seems a good idea. They’re relatives on my mother’s side and Hattie has been very good to me but now the girls are older, she feels I don’t need her as much as Mary does. The only problem is the housekeeping. Would you like to take that over and act as housekeeper? I would pay you.’
‘You don’t have to pay me.’ Millie was touched and almost overwhelmed by emotion. She brushed away a surreptitious tear. ‘You’ve already paid out a small fortune on my behalf.’
‘Of course I must pay you.’ He looked serious and intent.
‘I’d be happy to do it for nothing. It’s just that I don’t know whether I could do all the things Hattie does.’ Another tear rolled down her cheek.
‘Hattie is happy to stay on for a while to explain what needs to be done, and we’ll give you time to get the hang of things. She says you’re a great help about the house and already quite a good cook.’
‘Well, I don’t know. I used to cook for my mother of course, but plain stuff.’ She thought of the complicated four-course meals Hattie put on the table and her confidence deserted
She had not so far seen the old nursery on the attic floor that had been used for Valerie and Helen. Hattie took her to see it. ‘I asked Mrs Brunt to give it a spring-clean, it hasn’t been used for years.’ Millie was amazed at the child-size furniture, the playpen, the rocking horse and other toys as well as chairs and a sofa large enough for adults. ‘Use it if you want to, it’ll give you a quiet place where you can attend to Sylvie.’
Millie settled into the comfort of the Maynard household, her baby thrived and the weeks began to pass. One night, she was in the playroom having just given Sylvie her last feed and was winding her before she took her to her cot. Hattie and the girls had gone to bed but had run up to say goodnight to her. Helen had left the door ajar.
She looked up to find Peter in the doorway holding his nightcap, a glass of whisky. He smiled and said, ‘You look tired, Millie.’
‘I am.’ She yawned. ‘Sylvie wakes me at the crack of dawn, but at least she’s sleeping through the night now. Hattie reckons that’s pretty good for a babe of two months.’
He came in, sat down in the chair opposite and took a sip of his whisky. ‘Millie, I don’t think you should go back to live in that flat,’ he said. ‘I’ve been wondering if you should tell your landlady you want to end the tenancy.’ That was enough to bring scalding tears to Millie’s eyes again. ‘Why don’t you go there and decide which of your things you want to keep? We could arrange for them to be brought here and finish with that place.’
Millie was biting her lip. ‘If I did that you’d have no way of getting shut of me. I’d have nowhere to go.’
‘I don’t want to get shut of you, Millie. I don’t like to think of you and Sylvie alone in that flat.’
Millie stifled a sob. ‘I’ve been worried about you paying the rent for me for all these weeks. I’ve let you do far too much . . .’
Sylvie had gone to sleep, she put her down in the opposite corner of the sofa, so she could give her mind to what Peter was saying.
‘It doesn’t add up to any great sum and anyway, I’ve a proposition to put to you that will solve things.’
Millie had thought of little else for months but how to earn a living and look after her baby, and could see no way round it, but she was glad he was trying to help her.
He was looking at her intently. ‘Hattie has been with us since my wife died and she feels ready for a change. Her sister Mary has just nursed her husband through a long illness, and now she’s alone she wants Hattie to go and live with her in West Kirby. It seems a good idea. They’re relatives on my mother’s side and Hattie has been very good to me but now the girls are older, she feels I don’t need her as much as Mary does. The only problem is the housekeeping. Would you like to take that over and act as housekeeper? I would pay you.’
‘You don’t have to pay me.’ Millie was touched and almost overwhelmed by emotion. She brushed away a surreptitious tear. ‘You’ve already paid out a small fortune on my behalf.’
‘Of course I must pay you.’ He looked serious and intent.
‘I’d be happy to do it for nothing. It’s just that I don’t know whether I could do all the things Hattie does.’ Another tear rolled down her cheek.
‘Hattie is happy to stay on for a while to explain what needs to be done, and we’ll give you time to get the hang of things. She says you’re a great help about the house and already quite a good cook.’
‘Well, I don’t know. I used to cook for my mother of course, but plain stuff.’ She thought of the complicated four-course meals Hattie put on the table and her confidence deserted
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