Both women lapsed into silence as they pondered on the dilemma, until eventually, Miss Williams said, ‘Very well then. We’ll wait until the funeral is over. But I have to warn you, if Lizzie is still unhappy then, I shall have no choice but to find her alternative accommodation.’
As the day of the funeral approached, the little village of Sarn-Bach went into mourning.
Eric noticed that Danny was unusually quiet, and on the eve of the funeral he finally asked him, ‘Is something troubling you, lad?’ The child had barely touched his meal, which was unusual for him.
Danny’s chin drooped onto his chest as he nodded miserably. ‘It’s Lizzie. She ain’t very happy living with Mrs Evans any more.’
‘Why’s that then?’
The boy shrugged. ‘Ever since Mr Evans died, Lizzie reckons Mrs Evans has been actin’ a bit strange.’
‘In what way?’
‘Well, she calls Lizzie “Megan” all the time now - that’s the name of her little girl who died - an’ she makes Lizzie wear the clothes that belonged to her. She’s even cut her hair. She told Lizzie it was to tidy it up, but Lizzie reckons she did it to try an’ make her look even more like Megan.’
Eric’s brow creased with concern. ‘Has this been happening just since she lost Mr Evans?’
Danny’s head wagged from side-to-side. ‘No, it were happenin’ before, but since he died it’s got worse. She won’t let Lizzie out of her sight an’ even followed her to the toilet last night.’
‘I see.’ Eric stood staring thoughtfully out of the window for a few minutes before asking tentatively, ‘How do you think Lizzie would feel about coming to stay with us for a while?’
‘What? Do yer really mean it?’ Danny asked incredulously, and before stopping to think, he launched himself at Eric and threw his arms around his waist.
Eric felt his cheeks flame; it felt nice to have someone show him some affection. ‘I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it,’ he told Danny gruffly, as unfamiliar feelings fluttered to life inside him. ‘What say we wrap up and go and ask her? Mrs Evans might be glad of the break, with the funeral so close. We’ll have to walk down into the village though. There’s no way we’d get the car through the drifts.’
Danny was struggling into his Wellington boots before Eric had even finished speaking, terrified that he might change his mind.
By the time they reached the bottom of the hill, they were breathless, and their cheeks were glowing from the cold snow that was blowing into their faces. As Danny began to tire he reached out to grasp Eric’s hand and the man looked down at him in embarrassment. His first instinct was to shake Danny off, and yet the small hand nestled in his own felt so comforting that he walked on in silence. As he suddenly thought of the newspaper hidden behind the cushions back at home, guilt flooded through him. What if the twins’ mother had been killed during the Blitz? What would happen to them then?
Pushing the thought away, he bent his head and they proceeded through the village in silence. When they finally reached the blacksmith’s cottage, Eric rapped sharply on the door and seconds later he heard the sound of the bolts being drawn. Mrs Evans peered through a gap in the door at them and it was all Danny could do not to gasp aloud.
Her hair was standing out around her head in lank unruly wisps, and she looked as if she hadn’t washed for days. Her eyes had a wild look about them that sent shudders up Danny’s spine, and he was reminded of the witch in the picture books his mother had used to read to him and Lizzie when they were little.
‘Yes!’
Danny shrank into Eric’s side at the curt tone of her voice.
Nonplussed, Eric stared back at her. ‘I know this is a difficult time for you, Mrs Evans, but there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.’
‘Can’t it wait?’
‘Not really.’
Tutting with annoyance, she said, ‘Then you’d better get on with it.’
‘May we come in? I have Danny with me and it is rather cold out here.’
A refusal hovered on her lips, but then she became aware of Lizzie, who had come to stand at her side. The girl was gazing past Eric to Danny with a look of yearning on her face, and having no wish to upset her, Blodwyn opened the door and allowed them to step inside.
‘What is it you want to discuss then?’ she asked shortly. ‘I’m burying my husband tomorrow and am in no mood to stand here making small talk, I can assure you.’
Eric decided to get straight to the point. ‘I was wondering if it would be a help to you if I took Lizzie to stay with Danny and myself for a few days?’
Her eyes almost started from her head. ‘And why would I want you to do that?’ She glared at him indignantly. ‘Sure, Lizzie is fine company for me at the minute.’
Eric glanced at Danny just in time to see his face fall and decided to try again. ‘I thought you might need some time to yourself. And besides that, I think Danny and Lizzie would enjoy being under the same roof again, if only for a short time.’
‘Then you thought wrong, Mr Sinclair. I can assure you that Lizzie and I are fine as we are, and certainly don’t need your interference. So if that is all you’ve come to say, I’ll thank you to leave now.’
Eric looked helplessly from Lizzie to Danny, but seeing no option other than to do what the woman asked, he turned around and opened the door.
‘I’m sorry if I’ve upset you,’ he apologised. ‘It was certainly not my intention. Now I’ll wish you good night.’
The door slammed so quickly behind him that he felt the wind of it as he grinned wryly at Danny. ‘I think that’s what you call being sent away with a flea in your ear,’ he told him, then hand-in-hand they began the long journey home.
On the morning of the funeral there was no let-up in the weather and the snow continued to fall in a great white sheet that obliterated the landscape. Curtains were kept tightly drawn as the gravediggers began the unenviable task of digging the grave. It took two of them the whole morning, for the ground was frozen solid. As quickly as they threw the earth out of the grave, it filled up with snow again and their patience began to ebb. But at last it was done and they threw a tarpaulin across the gaping hole and hurried away to warm themselves at their fire-sides.
The road to Pwllheli had been blocked for days so it was decided that four of the village men would carry Daffyd Evans’s body from the small chapel that nestled in the hillside at the side of the church, to his final resting-place. There was little choice, for the hearse and the undertakers from Pwllheli couldn’t have gotten through the snowdrifts even if they had wanted to.
The village school was closed for the day as a mark of respect, and as the solemn procession through the little village began, Lizzie found her small hand gripped tight in Mrs Evans’s larger one.
She was thrilled to see Danny and Eric standing at the gate of the church, and she flashed Eric a tremulous smile. Lizzie’s small heart had pounded with anticipation at the thought of being with Danny again. Perhaps after the funeral was over Mrs Evans might change her mind and decide that she did need some time to herself after all. The girl clung to this hope as Danny gazed at her sympathetically.
Eric placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly, and Danny smiled up at him as the congregation trooped silently into the small picturesque church. The time had come to lay Daffyd Evans to rest.
Chapter Thirty
A furious hammering on the front door early on a cold and frosty morning brought Doris bustling down the stairs, cursing as she went.
‘Keep yer bloody ’air on!’ she shouted peevishly as she struggled with the bolts. Tightening the belt of her old candlewick dressing-gown, she patted the metal curlers on her head and yanked the door open to find Beryl Bright smiling from ear to ear on the doorstep.
‘Let me in, love,’ Beryl pleaded. ‘It’s enough to freeze yer socks off out ’ere.’ Before Doris had a chance to reply, Beryl had shot past her into the kitchen and demanded, ‘Where’
s our Maggie?’
‘Upstairs in bed, where all god-fearin’ folks should be at this time o’ the mornin’,’ Doris snapped back at her. Suddenly, to her amazement, Beryl caught her around the waist and began to dance her around the room.
‘I’ve just had the most wonderful news!’ Her delight was so infectious that Doris found herself grinning despite the fact that she was none too pleased at being dragged out of bed.
‘Well, if it’s that good, I’d better go an’ fetch her then. God knows it’s about time we had some good news fer a change. Stick the kettle on, Beryl. I’ll be back in a jiffy.’
She shuffled away back up the stairs as Beryl sighed at the mountain of washing up, stacked on the wooden draining board. But then she grinned again. What did it matter? Nothing mattered today, after the wonderful telegram that she had just received. Upstairs, she could faintly hear voices, and minutes later, Maggie and Jo emerged from the stairs door. Jo was rubbing the sleep from her eyes and was as pale as a ghost, and Maggie didn’t look much better.
‘Christ, what a pair!’ Beryl exclaimed. ‘Still, never mind. If the news I’ve brought yer don’t put a smile on yer faces, then nothin’ will.’
Maggie eyed her curiously but Jo suddenly pressed her hand across her mouth and made a bolt for the back door. Beryl watched her go but Maggie, in no mood for niceties, demanded sharply, ‘Spit it out then, this good news, whatever it is.’
Fumbling in her bag, Beryl produced a telegram with a flourish and began to wave it in the air. ‘This came this mornin’. It’s about David. They’ve found him an’ he’s alive.’
Maggie felt the room sway as shock coursed through her.
‘See - it ain’t all doom an’ gloom after all, is it?’ Beryl chuckled. ‘I tell yer, it were the last thing I were expectin’. Yer could have knocked me down with a feather when it arrived. But it’s wonderful, ain’t it? At least one o’ me boys will be coming home.’
A smile of relief spread across Maggie’s face as she hugged Beryl. ‘Yes, it is wonderful news,’ she agreed. ‘But doesn’t it say where he is?’
‘Just that he’s in some military hospital somewhere, an’ that as soon as he’s well enough they’ll be shippin’ him back home. Apparently, he was found on the same night as Sam was killed an’ he’s been there ever since. Why they ain’t let us know sooner, God only knows, but still, all’s well that ends well, eh?’
‘If he’s in a hospital he must have been injured then,’ Maggie said cautiously.
‘Injured or not, at least he’s alive,’ Beryl told her sensibly. ‘An’ once we get him home we’ll soon have him ship-shape again between us, which leads me to the next thing I’ve come to see you about.’ She glanced at Doris apologetically before going on, ‘Ain’t it about time yer came to live with me now, love? I know Doris has done yer proud an’ I’ll never be able to thank her enough, but let’s face it: yer all jammed in here like sardines in a can. It can’t be easy fer Doris wi’ two extra mouths to feed, an’ I feel as if it’s my turn to do a bit now, so won’t you consider it? There’s me rattlin’ round like a pea in a pod back there, an’ the thing is, you’d be doin’ me a favour if you did but know it, ’cos once our David gets home I shall need a hand to take care of him if he’s been hurt, an’ I ain’t as young as I used to be.’
Maggie stood in an agony of indecision but she needn’t have worried, for Doris suddenly pottered across to her and hugged her affectionately.
‘You go, love, if you want to. I were just a port in a storm to get yer through the worst. But Beryl has a point. Families should stick together at a time like this. Not that I want rid of yer, of course. Yer know yer welcome to stay fer as long as yer want, but I certainly won’t be offended if yer decide to go with yer mother-in-law.’
Maggie gave her a grateful smile. This rough diamond of a woman had stood by her through the worst time of her life, and she would never, ever forget it, but that left just one more problem, the way she saw it. Looking towards Beryl, she now voiced it. ‘What about Jo? She hasn’t got anyone but me now an’ I wouldn’t want to leave her. You see, the thing is, Jo is going to have a baby.’
When both women burst into laughter, Maggie looked at them in astonishment.
‘Do yer really think we hadn’t guessed that?’ Doris snorted. ‘Why, it’s been as plain as the nose on her face fer weeks. Yer can’t hide things like that from women who’ve been through it, love.’
‘Too right,’ Beryl agreed. ‘And as to your question - well, Jo would come with you, of course. I wouldn’t expect you to abandon her.’
‘The tongues will be wagging when word gets out, though,’ Maggie warned.
‘Huh! Because she ain’t got a ring on her finger, do yer mean? With a war goin’ on, I think I can safely say she won’t be the only one. An’ anyway, it ain’t nobody else’s business, so let ’em gossip if they’ve a mind to. Me back’s broad an’ I can take it if you pair can. There’s a sewin’-machine sittin’ idle back at my place. Yer could take up sewin’ again an’ get a bit behind yer fer when this bloody war is over. Meantime, I could lend you a bit so yer could pay the twins a visit, once David is safely home. I reckon that would perk you an’ them up no end at the minute.’
Maggie nodded. ‘It would be lovely to see them,’ she admitted as tears started to her eyes. ‘Though I don’t know how I’m going to tell them about what’s happened to their dad and their grandma and our Lucy.’
‘Now then, don’t get blartin’,’ Beryl ordered gently. ‘Just go an’ get yer things together. Yer know what they say - there ain’t no time like the present.’
Maggie climbed the stairs in a daze, but for the first time since the dreadful night when she’d lost Lucy and her mam, she felt as if she were focused again. She still had the twins to think of, and although she knew she would never get over the loss of their baby sister, she had to think of them now.
In no time at all, she and Jo had packed their few belongings into brown paper carrier bags. The neighbours had all whipped round and supplied them both with the barest essentials of clothes. They were neither grand nor particularly well-fitting, but Maggie and Jo were more grateful than they could say, for the raid had left them with nothing but the clothes they had stood up in.
Once at the door, Maggie clung to Doris tearfully. ‘I shall never be able to thank you enough for what you’ve done for us both,’ she told her, narrowly missing being stabbed in the eye by one of Doris’s fearsome metal curlers, that rarely came out apart from when she was going anywhere.
‘Get off wi’ yer,’ Doris told her. ‘It were a pleasure. Just make sure yer come an’ see me from time to time, eh? An’ remember, you’re a young woman an’ a lovely one at that. You may think yer life is over at the minute but you’ve still got a lot o’ livin’ to do. Every cloud has a silver linin’ an’ you’ll come through this. Now go on, get off wi’ yer before you have me blartin’ too.’
The three women set off across the frosty pavement, but at the end of the street Maggie paused to look back at the ruins that had once been her home. It was hard to imagine it as it had been, now.
Beryl took her arm. ‘Come on, love. No lookin’ back, eh? We have to put this behind us now an’ look to the future. Let’s get you home an’ settled in.’
Maggie nodded solemnly as Jo slipped her arm into hers and hauled her on her way.
‘Bleedin’ ’ell. We ain’t never gonna get home at this rate,’ Gus complained as he and Danny laboured up the hill. ‘Poor old Albert will ’ave frostbite if I don’t get ’im in out o’ the cold soon.’
Danny chuckled despite the fact that snow had come in over the top of his Wellies and his feet were frozen. ‘Never mind. At least we don’t have to go to school tomorrow.’
‘We might never go back to school again if it keeps comin’ down at this rate,’ Gus grumbled. ‘It’s all right, them shuttin’ the school till further notice ’cos o’ the weather conditions, but the trouble is, yer can ’ave too much of a good
thing. Knowin’ my luck, I’ll get roped in helpin’ around the farm again. They had me herdin’ all the cows into the barn last night till God knows what time. I don’t mind tellin’ yer, by the time I got to bed I was frozen through.’
They ploughed on, often wandering off the path, for the snow was so deep that everywhere looked the same. Every now and again, Albert’s head would peep out of Gus’s top pocket, but then with a tweak of his whiskers and a shudder he would burrow back down again out of sight.
Danny began to get concerned as his imagination started to work overtime. They seemed to have been walking forever and he wondered if they were going in the right direction. He was just about to say as much to Gus when he thought he saw a shape lumbering towards them through the snow. Swiping the snow out of his eyes, he peered ahead - and sure enough, the shape of a man slowly drew closer. All the tales he had ever heard of Abominable Snowmen suddenly flashed into his mind and his heart began to race until a voice he recognised called, ‘Hello there! Is that you, Danny?’
He sighed with relief. It was Eric. In no time at all he’d come abreast of them.
‘I was a bit concerned you might stray off the path and get lost so I thought I’d come down to meet you,’ the man explained.
Danny felt himself flush with pleasure. Perhaps Eric did care about him after all, if he’d taken the trouble to do that?
Seeing that the small boys looked totally exhausted, Eric stood them either side of him, then taking one of their hands in each of his own he began to haul them through the drifts.
Soon after, Derwen Deg came into sight and he nudged Gus towards the gate that led to the farmhouse. ‘Go on, I’ll just watch till you’re safely inside then we’re going to push on,’ he told him.
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