‘I’m sure you will manage very well without me.’ The kindly nanny followed the mistress’s eyes to where Grace was skipping towards Harry in the garden. He was busy pruning the roses but they saw him glance up and smile at her as she raced towards him.
‘Of course, this will make it rather difficult as regards Grace holidaying with her father,’ Nanny said hesitantly. ‘He was hoping to take her to the seaside for two weeks next month. I shall have left by then but I’m not sure that he will be able to see to all her needs without a woman present.’
Madeline frowned. ‘To be honest, I don’t think Grace is that keen to go. She’s getting a little old for holidaying alone with her father.’ She sighed. ‘Things would be so different if I were able to go with them … I feel that I’m letting Grace down all the time. I haven’t even been able to accompany her to church the last few times.’
‘Nonsense,’ Nanny consoled her. ‘Grace understands that it isn’t your fault and she loves to come in here and read her Bible with you.’
They went on to speak of Nanny’s plans for the future and Madeline was pleased that the woman was going to enjoy her retirement with someone she was close to.
‘I wish you the very best of luck,’ she told her sincerely. ‘And I thank you for all the love and care you have lavished on Grace over the years.’
‘I can truthfully say it’s been my pleasure,’ the older woman responded with a warm smile. ‘She’s turned into a lovely, caring child. Mrs Lockett, who runs the Sunday school, is quite taken with her. I have a feeling she’ll go into a caring profession when she grows up.’
‘Oh, I doubt that.’ Madeline looked momentarily angry. ‘Her father keeps such a tight rein on her I’m fearful that he’ll never let Grace marry and leave home. In Jacob’s eyes, no one will ever be good enough for her and financially she has no need to take a job.’
‘Well, I think most men feel like that about their daughters, but no need to start fretting about it just yet,’ Nanny advised, before excusing herself and leaving Madeline alone with her thoughts.
Each evening, as he considered his duty, Jacob visited his wife’s room, and when he arrived following Nanny’s visit he found her ready and waiting for him.
‘I understand you have given Nanny notice,’ she greeted him coldly.
Slightly taken aback at her abrupt attitude, he nodded. ‘Yes, I feel that now Grace is ten she no longer needs her.’ He stood with his hands clasped behind his back.
Madeline inclined her head. ‘That is your decision, although I would have appreciated you speaking to me about it before you dismissed the woman. I am Grace’s mother after all, even if I am incapacitated.’ He opened his mouth to defend himself but she rushed on. ‘And of course, this will change many things. For a start, it would not be right for you and Grace to go holidaying without a chaperone in future. And also, I don’t want her shut away on the nursery floor on her own, so I have instructed Mabel to prepare a room close to mine.’
Jacob’s eyes grew hard, but he could think of nothing to say. He wasn’t used to his wife being so assertive and now he was wondering what he’d started.
‘I see no reason why Grace should be moved to another bedroom—’ he began.
Madeline held her hand up to silence him and surprisingly it did. ‘I have decided that Grace can spend her summer holiday with Aunt Gertie,’ she went on. ‘She has been expressing a wish to see Grace again for some long time and I think it would be nice for Grace to visit her.’
Gertie was Madeline’s only living relative and she was aware that Jacob wasn’t fond of the woman. They hadn’t got on at all well when they first met, nor on the few occasions she had come to visit them, which Madeline suspected was why Gertie had not been for the last couple of years. Their only contact had been by post. She was very fond of Grace and never missed sending her a birthday card.
‘But she lives in Wales,’ he objected. ‘How is Grace supposed to get there? It’s much too far for her to travel on her own.’
Madeline nodded in agreement. ‘Yes, it is. I’ve already thought of that. There would be nothing unseemly about you holidaying there with her.’
When he shook his head, she nodded. ‘I thought that’s what you would say and so I’ve decided that Harry shall travel with her. He’s a sensible young man. They can go on the train and once he has seen her safely settled he can come back and then go and fetch her when it’s time for her to come home.’
Jacob’s lips set in a grim line. ‘Then if this is what you want, I suggest you ask Grace how she feels about it.’ Given his earlier conversation with her, he was confident that Grace would refuse to go and he managed a smile. ‘I shall get Mabel to fetch her and we’ll put the idea to her right now.’
Minutes later the girl trooped into the room looking worriedly from one parent to another and wondering what she had done wrong.
Madeline quickly asked her how she would feel about going to visit Great-Aunt Gertie and just for a moment, as Jacob had hoped, the child frowned.
‘But I don’t like to leave you while you are ill, Mother,’ she said in a small voice.
Madeline smiled and when she opened her arms Grace flew into them and nestled against her chest, making Jacob scowl with jealousy.
‘Don’t be silly, pet. I have Mabel and Batty here to look after me and your Aunt Gertie would so love to see you. So, what do you think to the idea? It’s quite beautiful where she lives, right by the sea, and I’m sure you’d enjoy yourself.’
‘Well …’ Grace glanced apologetically at her father. ‘If you’re quite sure that you will be all right then I’d love to go.’
Madeline smiled with satisfaction. ‘Then I shall write to Aunt Gertie straightaway and make the arrangements.’
Once Jacob had left the room in disgust, and Grace had gone to see Nanny, Madeline sagged back in her seat and pressed her hand to her rapidly beating heart. It had been so long since she had had the confidence to stand up to Jacob but now that Nanny was leaving she realised she would have to do it more often. The thought was daunting, for Jacob was a bully, but somehow she was determined to find the confidence. Grace deserved it.
Chapter Twelve
‘Now, you be a good girl and do as Aunt Gertie tells you,’ Madeline said as she tied the ribbons of Grace’s pretty new bonnet beneath her chin. ‘And make sure you stay close to Harry on the journey … Oh, and don’t go wandering off onto the beach on your own once you’re there. And—’
‘Mother, I shall behave, I promise,’ Grace interrupted tearfully. It was early in the morning of the day she was to leave for her holiday and the parting was proving to be far more painful than she had thought it would be. But then, Grace consoled herself, it’s only for four weeks! The time would surely fly by and she was looking forward to seeing Aunt Gertie again.
‘We, er, ought to be off,’ Harry said after glancing at the dainty ormolu clock that stood on the mantelpiece. ‘The train won’t wait fer us, little ’un.’
‘You’re quite right, Harry,’ Madeline answered guiltily. She gave Grace one last peck on the cheek before pushing her gently towards the door, forcing a brave smile to her face. ‘Off you go then and have a wonderful time and I shall want to hear all about your adventures when you get back. Give Aunt Gertie my love. Goodbye for now, sweetheart.’
They arrived on the train platform with barely minutes to spare and Grace hopped from foot to foot as Harry checked their tickets for at least the tenth time since they had left the house. He was clearly far more nervous than she was, and as the train chugged into the station, belching steam and smoke, he visibly paled.
‘Crikey, it’s some beast, ain’t it?’
Grace laughed and caught his hand. ‘You’ll love it,’ she promised.
Soon they were seated in the carriage with the basket of food Mrs Batley had packed for them to eat on the way, and their luggage stored safely in the baggage van at the back of the train. There was the slam of doors and a whistle and slowly the
train chugged back into life, picking up speed as it left the station.
It was early evening when the train shuddered to a halt. Grace was tired by then and longing for the journey to be over.
‘We’re here, Harry,’ Grace shouted joyously as she stared out of the window. They had pulled into a small station and the sign on the wall stated that they were in PWLLHELI.
Hastily they gathered their belongings and tumbled onto the platform where Harry instructed a porter to fetch Grace’s case from the baggage van. As they were waiting for him, a tall man in a smart jacket approached to ask in a curious accent, ‘Would you be Miss Grace Kettle, bach?’
Grace nodded solemnly and stared at him, wondering what bach meant. Over the next few days she would discover that both bach and cariad were a form of endearment.
‘Ah good. Your Aunt Gertrude sent me to fetch you, cariad. I have the horse and trap outside. And you, young man, I believe are heading back the way you’ve come on the next train?’
Harry nodded.
‘Well, the mistress said to tell you that you’d best come back with us for the night as there’s no trains till the morning. You won’t want to sleep on the platform now, will you, boyo?’
‘Not really,’ Harry agreed as he flashed the man a grateful smile. He would be quite happy to stay, as it happened. He had never seen the sea and had hoped he’d get a glimpse of it before he had to head home.
Once the porter had delivered all their luggage the man led them outside, introducing himself to Grace on the way. ‘I’m Aled Llewelyn. I work for your aunt, cariad. A sort of Jack of all trades, you might say I am. I do the garden an’ any odd jobs as need doing and I run her about in the trap when there’s a need to. My wife, Cerys, keeps house for her and does the cooking. You’ll meet her when we get back.’
They emerged on to cobbled streets that were lined with stone cottages and Aled stopped at the side of a fine bay horse that was lazily munching at a nosebag.
‘There, me fine lad.’ Aled removed the nosebag and stroked the horse’s silky mane before throwing Grace’s case into the back of the trap. ‘Up we go then, me fine little merch fach.’
Grace frowned, not understanding what he meant. He seemed to sense that she was confused and chuckled. ‘Merch fach is Welsh for little girl,’ he explained as he lifted her onto the bench seat. Soon Grace found herself sandwiched between Harry and Aled and they set off. Eventually the town gave way to twisty lanes with stone cottages dotted either side of them and then, as they crested a particularly steep hill, the sea suddenly came into sight and Grace clapped her hands with delight.
‘Look, Harry … there’s the sea!’ Even the air felt different here, Grace thought, and when she licked her lips she could taste the salt from the sea on them.
Open-mouthed, Harry stared at the vast expanse of water. It seemed to stretch away for ever and he was sure that he would never again see a sight quite so beautiful. Frothy waves were lapping onto a sandy beach and in the distance the sun was just beginning to sink, its reflection making the water look as if it had been sprinkled with diamonds.
‘It’s a fine sight, is it not, boyo?’ Aled said proudly and Harry could only nod in wonder.
They continued on their way in silence, admiring the scenery, until they spied another small village nestling at the bottom of a valley. ‘That is Sarn Bach,’ Aled informed them. ‘Your aunt lives on the other side of it close to the coast. Not far to go now and my Cerys will have a tasty meal waiting for you, no doubt.’
Grace’s stomach rumbled. It seemed a long while since she had eaten on the train and she was very hungry and tired.
As the horse trotted through the village, Grace realised that she had very little memory of it. It consisted mainly of huddles of stone fishermen’s cottages and in some of the tiny front gardens the fishermen’s wives were sitting in the late afternoon sun repairing fishing nets and they waved to them as they passed. Some way into the village they passed a quaint old church surrounded by a graveyard. The salt air had long ago eroded the names on the older tombstones and they leaned drunkenly while the more recent ones stood erect. They passed a blacksmith and a village shop displaying everything from groceries to buckets and brooms, and further on along the main street was a butcher, a baker and a number of other small shops. Eventually, they came to a small harbour where boats of all shapes and sizes bobbed on the water. Ruddy-faced fishermen were unloading their catches into huge wicker baskets and Grace found herself feeling sorry for the wriggling silver fish that would no doubt be on someone’s dinner plate the following day. It didn’t stop her being excited, though. Everything was so new!
Leaving the harbour behind, they passed pastures full of sheep and cows, after which the woodland about them grew more profuse. They continued along the coast road for some way before turning up a narrow tree-lined lane.
‘Here we are then.’ Aled winked at them as he shook the reins to hurry the horse along. ‘This is Beehive Cottage.’
As her aunt’s residence came into view, Grace thought it quite strange for it to be termed as a cottage, for it was a large, two-storey house in the shape of a beehive with a charming thatched roof and a myriad of tiny leaded windows that twinkled in the late sun. Hollyhocks, delphiniums, a profusion of roses every colour of the rainbow, and all manner of wild flowers grew around it, and it reminded Grace of the picture on the lid of a box of chocolates her father had once bought her. The house nestled close to the side of a hill and behind it was a steep incline covered in woodland.
‘Phew!’ Harry whistled admiringly. ‘This is some place!’
‘Glad you approve.’ Aled sounded proud as he drew the horse to a halt at the front door. ‘These gardens take some keeping up, I don’t mind telling you, but the mistress likes her flowers and she potters out here herself whenever she has the time.’
Aled hopped down and lifted Grace from her seat as if she weighed no more than a feather. He was a giant of a man in height and breadth with wiry grey hair and twinkling grey eyes that always seemed to be smiling.
He hooked Grace’s case from the back of the trap and led them to the stout, studded oak door. Before they reached it, the door was flung open by a homely looking, plump little woman with a broad smile.
‘Ah, so you’re back, Aled, and this must be little Grace. Welcome cariad.’ She enveloped Grace in a bear hug that left her breathless, before smiling a welcome at Harry. ‘It’s right welcome you are,’ she gushed. ‘Now come along in and say hello to your aunt, cariad. She’s so looking forward to seeing you, then I’ll whisk you away to the kitchen where I have a meal keeping warm. You must be hungry after your long journey.’
Grace glanced at Harry and smiled. It had indeed been a long journey but she couldn’t have wished for a better welcome and suddenly she had the feeling that she was going to very much enjoy this holiday.
Chapter Thirteen
As they entered the house four dogs of different shapes and sizes rushed to greet them, their tails wagging furiously.
‘You might not remember but your aunt is a great one for taking in injured wildlife and strays.’ Cerys Llewelyn shook her head. ‘To be sure, right at this moment we have a baby hedgehog that she found with a broken leg and a piglet in the kitchen that she’s bottle-feeding.’ She chuckled fondly. Before she could say any more another door in the hallway opened and Aunt Gertie appeared with a wide smile on her face.
Harry blinked in amazement. She was quite short and was clad in men’s breeches and an old shirt that reached almost to her knees. Her hair, which must once have been as vibrant as Grace’s but was now peppered with grey, was pulled into an untidy knot on the top of her head. Here, he thought, is a woman who was definitely not a follower of fashion.
‘Hello, my dear.’ Aunt Gertie hurried forward to give Grace a peck on the cheek. She then held her at arm’s length and exclaimed, ‘My goodness, you’re the spitting image of your mother when she was your age.’
She ushered them towar
ds the kitchen, saying, ‘You’ll have to excuse the animals. The kitchen tends to act as our hospital for waifs and strays. Cerys is always scolding me about it but I know she doesn’t mind them being there really.’ She gave the woman an affectionate smile as she led them into a huge, sunny room at the back of the house. The walls were curved, even the fireplace was curved, and although everywhere was clean it looked lived in. Not like at home where Father insists that everywhere was just so all the time, Grace thought regretfully. A book lay open on the scrubbed table, the kettle was singing merrily on the hob and there were cats of all colours and sizes curled up on almost every available seat. The back door was open and through it Grace could hear the birds singing in the trees as they roosted down for the night.
‘Now then, let’s get you two young people fed.’ Mrs Llewelyn was bustling about fetching cutlery and making tea as Aunt Gertie checked on the tiny piglet that was curled up fast asleep in a box at the side of the empty fireplace. ‘Sit yourselves down, now. We’ve already eaten so it’s just you two to see to tonight.’
Grace was so excited that she could scarcely contain herself. She had always longed for a pet but her father had forbidden it and now all at once she was surrounded by animals.
Mrs Llewelyn shooed two cats off the chairs at the table and within minutes she had placed plates full of pork chops and roast potatoes in front of them, along with a dish piled high with a variety of vegetables and a jug full of thick, juicy gravy.
Grace’s stomach rumbled in anticipation and she and Harry ate everything on their plates in record time.
‘That was lovely, thank you,’ they said together and Mrs Llewelyn laughed as she swooped on the empty plates. ‘It’s nice to see young people with good appetites,’ she said approvingly. ‘But I hope you’ve left room for some of my apple pie. It’s your aunt’s favourite and I’ve made some nice creamy custard to go with it.’
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