clock. It was an hour since Eira had left the house, surely she would not stay out much longer.
‘Don’t worry,’ Watt said. ‘I’ll try to find her and bring her home.’ He rose to his feet, a slice of toast in his hand. ‘I won’t be long.’
Charlotte shook her head. ‘As Watt said, don’t worry, Llinos, I’m sure everything is going to be all right. Eira is a sensible girl.’
‘I wish Joe was here.’ Llinos sighed. ‘I need him so much. Did you notice any change in him before he went away, Charlotte?’
‘Well, I thought he was a little quiet after losing the baby. But that’s nothing unusual, is it? Men grieve in a different way to we women.’ Charlotte paused. ‘Look, why don’t you go and do some work, I’ll call you if you’re needed.’
‘I couldn’t work, not worrying about Lloyd as I do. I wish I had never agreed to him going out, as you said yourself, it’s very cold today.’
‘Well go into the drawing room, design some patterns, occupy your mind, Llinos, that’s the best thing to do now.’
Rosie looked in round the door. ‘Shall I clear the breakfast things away, Mrs Mainwaring?’ she asked quietly.
‘All right.’ Llinos rose. ‘I think everyone’s finished now. Thank you, Rosie.’ She watched Pearl’s daughter neatly stacking dishes onto a tray. She was so pretty, not quite eighteen, small-boned with delicate colouring and features. She was very different from her mother. Pearl was big, robust, full of laughter. Rosie had a more serious side to her nature, a side that Llinos liked. Had her own daughter lived, she might have grown up to be just like Rosie.
‘I think I’ll go upstairs and read for a bit,’ Llinos said. ‘You’ll be all right, Charlotte?’
‘Of course I’ll be all right! What do you think I do all day while you’re at work? Go on with you, a rest will do you the world of good.’
Llinos kicked off her shoes and lay on the bed, the pillows propped beneath her head. She picked up a book but she could not concentrate on the words before her. She was worried about Lloyd and worried about Joe. Why did her life have to be so complicated?
She must have slept because she opened her eyes to the sound of someone knocking on the bedroom door.
‘Mrs Mainwaring, it’s me, Rosie.’ She looked round the door. ‘I’ve been sent to tell you that Eira’s back.’
Llinos sat up at once. ‘Where is Eira now?’
‘She’s upstairs. She was in the hall coughing her heart out and Mrs Marks sent her to bed.’
Llinos hurried down the stairs into the hall and Watt came to the door of the drawing room, Lloyd at his side.
‘He’s fine.’ Watt touched Llinos’s arm. ‘Look, don’t worry, there are a few chills and colds about now, Eira’s cough might be nothing.’
Llinos wished again that Joe would come home; if Lloyd should fall sick she would be unable to cope alone. She put her hand on her son’s shoulder. ‘Did you take goodies to Eira’s friends?’
‘Yes, Mamma,’ Lloyd said. ‘They were all sick though so we didn’t stay long.’
Llinos took a deep breath. ‘We’ll keep Eira in her room until we find out for sure what’s wrong with her.’ Her voice was calm, no-one would suspect her heart was beating swiftly with fear. ‘And Watt, get one of the doctors up here, I want Lloyd examined.’
Llinos led Lloyd into the drawing room. ‘Are you feeling all right, Lloyd? Is your chest hurting or anything?’
‘No, my chest doesn’t hurt, can I go and play?’
Charlotte had followed them into the room; she caught Llinos’s eye and nodded. ‘Let him be, no point in alarming him is there?’
The doctor arrived within half an hour. He was young, new to the area and Llinos had never met him before. She only hoped he was familiar with the sicknesses that could rage through a small town and decimate half the population in a matter of weeks.
‘I’m Peter Stafford.’ He handed his hat and coat to the maid. ‘Don’t be too
‘Don’t worry,’ Watt said. ‘I’ll try to find her and bring her home.’ He rose to his feet, a slice of toast in his hand. ‘I won’t be long.’
Charlotte shook her head. ‘As Watt said, don’t worry, Llinos, I’m sure everything is going to be all right. Eira is a sensible girl.’
‘I wish Joe was here.’ Llinos sighed. ‘I need him so much. Did you notice any change in him before he went away, Charlotte?’
‘Well, I thought he was a little quiet after losing the baby. But that’s nothing unusual, is it? Men grieve in a different way to we women.’ Charlotte paused. ‘Look, why don’t you go and do some work, I’ll call you if you’re needed.’
‘I couldn’t work, not worrying about Lloyd as I do. I wish I had never agreed to him going out, as you said yourself, it’s very cold today.’
‘Well go into the drawing room, design some patterns, occupy your mind, Llinos, that’s the best thing to do now.’
Rosie looked in round the door. ‘Shall I clear the breakfast things away, Mrs Mainwaring?’ she asked quietly.
‘All right.’ Llinos rose. ‘I think everyone’s finished now. Thank you, Rosie.’ She watched Pearl’s daughter neatly stacking dishes onto a tray. She was so pretty, not quite eighteen, small-boned with delicate colouring and features. She was very different from her mother. Pearl was big, robust, full of laughter. Rosie had a more serious side to her nature, a side that Llinos liked. Had her own daughter lived, she might have grown up to be just like Rosie.
‘I think I’ll go upstairs and read for a bit,’ Llinos said. ‘You’ll be all right, Charlotte?’
‘Of course I’ll be all right! What do you think I do all day while you’re at work? Go on with you, a rest will do you the world of good.’
Llinos kicked off her shoes and lay on the bed, the pillows propped beneath her head. She picked up a book but she could not concentrate on the words before her. She was worried about Lloyd and worried about Joe. Why did her life have to be so complicated?
She must have slept because she opened her eyes to the sound of someone knocking on the bedroom door.
‘Mrs Mainwaring, it’s me, Rosie.’ She looked round the door. ‘I’ve been sent to tell you that Eira’s back.’
Llinos sat up at once. ‘Where is Eira now?’
‘She’s upstairs. She was in the hall coughing her heart out and Mrs Marks sent her to bed.’
Llinos hurried down the stairs into the hall and Watt came to the door of the drawing room, Lloyd at his side.
‘He’s fine.’ Watt touched Llinos’s arm. ‘Look, don’t worry, there are a few chills and colds about now, Eira’s cough might be nothing.’
Llinos wished again that Joe would come home; if Lloyd should fall sick she would be unable to cope alone. She put her hand on her son’s shoulder. ‘Did you take goodies to Eira’s friends?’
‘Yes, Mamma,’ Lloyd said. ‘They were all sick though so we didn’t stay long.’
Llinos took a deep breath. ‘We’ll keep Eira in her room until we find out for sure what’s wrong with her.’ Her voice was calm, no-one would suspect her heart was beating swiftly with fear. ‘And Watt, get one of the doctors up here, I want Lloyd examined.’
Llinos led Lloyd into the drawing room. ‘Are you feeling all right, Lloyd? Is your chest hurting or anything?’
‘No, my chest doesn’t hurt, can I go and play?’
Charlotte had followed them into the room; she caught Llinos’s eye and nodded. ‘Let him be, no point in alarming him is there?’
The doctor arrived within half an hour. He was young, new to the area and Llinos had never met him before. She only hoped he was familiar with the sicknesses that could rage through a small town and decimate half the population in a matter of weeks.
‘I’m Peter Stafford.’ He handed his hat and coat to the maid. ‘Don’t be too
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