Many a Tear has to Fall

by Joan Jonker

Genres: Family Life; Siblings; Friendship; World War II; Sagas

Synopsis

Just as things start to go right, heartbreak hits a family. Joan Jonker, beloved writer of the Molly and Nellie series, weaves her magic in Many a Tear Has to Fall - a heart-warming saga of a family's search for happiness. Perfect for fans of Sheila Newberry and Katie Flynn. Things are finally looking up for George and Ann Richardson. After causing years of worry, their younger daughter Tess, who had always been sickly and small, is starting to blossom into a confident, clever girl. It will be some time before she catches up with her older sister Maddy, but her family know she'll soon be just as strong. And they've just scraped together enough money to take them on their first holiday, to Wales, where the country life will be just what they need. But heartache is waiting for the family when they return to Liverpool, and many a tear will have to fall before they find the true happiness they long for... What readers are saying about Many a Tear Has to Fall : 'Joan Jonker never fails to bring a tear to your eye, a smile to your lips and a jump to your heart. I finished the book in three days and was very sad to finish the book and say "Goodbye" to a very good read. If you want a heart-warming story then this book is a must' 'I loved it, utterly immersed from start to finish, I found myself rooting for each of the main characters and hoping that the book would render them happy (of course it does). The only disappointment I had when it ended was that it had in fact, ended, with no continuing saga'

Release date: February 2, 2012

Publisher: Headline

Print pages: 516

Sample

‘Only another two weeks and you start your holidays, George.’ Ann Richardson rested her knife and fork to glance across the table to where her husband sat. ‘I was wondering whether we could afford a few days away? It would be a break for the children, because their seven weeks’ holiday from school seems never-ending with them having nothing to fill their time.’

‘I think we could manage a few days, love, if we tighten our belts.’ George was a handsome man of forty-two. Tall and well built, he had a thick mop of black hair, a moustache that was curled to a point at each end, a strong jaw and a set of even white teeth. He smiled now as he asked, ‘Would you like that, girls?’

‘Oh, yes, Dad!’ Maddy, twelve years of age, bounced up and down on her chair. She had inherited her father’s colouring and his enthusiasm for life. ‘It would be lovely, wouldn’t it, Tess?’ She turned in her chair and put a hand on her sister’s arm. ‘Wouldn’t it be exciting?’

Tess nodded, a faint smile covering her thin, pale face. ‘Yes, it would be lovely.’

‘We could go somewhere in the country, and the fresh air would put some colour in your cheeks.’ George looked fondly at the daughter who was a constant source of worry to him and his wife. She’d been sickly since the day she was born, and for years they’d consoled themselves by saying she’d grow out of it. But at ten years of age, she was so small and thin she could be taken for a child of eight. ‘You’d enjoy running in the fields and seeing the cows and sheep, wouldn’t you?’

‘Will Maddy be with me?’

‘Of course I will, you daft thing.’ Maddy put a protective arm across her sister’s shoulders. ‘You don’t think I’d let you go anywhere without me, do you?’

‘Will you eat your dinners before they go cold?’ Ann said, putting on a stern expression. ‘We can talk when we’ve finished eating and the dishes are washed.’

‘I don’t want any more, Mam,’ Tess said. ‘I’m full up.’

‘You’ve hardly eaten enough to feed a bird, so come on, get it down you.’ Ann could feel her husband’s eyes on her but didn’t look towards him. She knew he would say to leave the child alone if she didn’t want any more to eat, but that was the easy way out. If anyone needed feeding up, it was Theresa, and sometimes you had to be cruel to be kind. ‘I refuse to throw good food into the midden every night.’

Maddy leaned across to her sister’s plate and speared a potato. ‘Come on, Tess, eat this to please me.’ She held the fork near lips that were clamped tight. ‘Please?’

The one person Tess loved most in the whole world was her sister. And she’d do anything to please her. So she opened her mouth and sank her teeth into the potato. But within seconds she was balking, and clamping a hand across her mouth she dashed from the room out into the yard, where they could hear her being sick.

George sighed. ‘Why didn’t you just let her be? This happens every time you force her to eat more than her stomach can take.’

‘She has to eat to live! I will not stand by and watch our daughter starve herself to death. And that’s what is happening! Can’t you see that?’

‘I can see what’s happening right now, and vomiting her heart out will not improve her appetite.’ George pushed his plate away, his own appetite deserting him. ‘Maddy, will you go and see to your sister, please?’

Ann jumped to her feet. ‘Will you stop calling her Maddy? Her name is Madelaine. And I will see to Theresa myself.’ With a withering look she marched from the room, her back ramrod straight.

George caught the worried expression on his elder daughter’s face. ‘It’s all right, pet, nothing to get upset about.’

‘But I do worry about Tess, Dad, she always seems to be sick. She’s hardly ever in school and she’s miles behind the other children.’

‘When she’s at home she’s still learning, pet. Don’t forget your mother was a teacher in an infants’ school for three years before we got married. That’s many years ago, of course, and much water has flowed under the bridge since then. But when Tess is not at school, your mother does take her for lessons each day.’

Maddy lowered her head. She wouldn’t like to be taught by her mother because she was too strict. And the girl often thought the reason for her sister being sick so much was because she was scared. Her mother expected more from her than she was capable of. ‘I could help Tess with reading and sums, but I’m not allowed to.’

Her father smiled. ‘I’m sure your mother knows you mean well, pet, but she is more experienced than you.’

Maddy would have kept her mouth closed now, believing she’d said enough. But she could hear her mother in the kitchen telling Tess to rinse her mouth out, and the voice sounded more like a teacher’s than a mother’s. So Maddy dared to say, ‘Well, I’d rather be taught by a teacher than my mother. After all, you don’t have to live with the teacher.’

George looked surprised, then thoughtful. It was something that had never entered his head, but perhaps the child had a point. So when his wife ushered Tess in, he took more interest in the behaviour of both than he normally would.

‘I think the best place for you is bed,’ Ann told the shivering girl. And there was no sympathy in her voice, she was just stating what she intended to happen. ‘Run upstairs and get undressed. And for heaven’s sake, try not to be sick in the bed.’

Perhaps it was Maddy’s words that caused George to see his wife through the eyes of her children. She was two years younger than him, of medium height, still quite slim, and she carried herself well, shoulders always squared, never slumped. Her mousy-coloured hair was combed away from her face and plaited into a bun at the nape of her neck. It was a severe style, making her appear haughty, but she’d worn it like that for as long as George had known her, so he couldn’t imagine her any other way. She didn’t have much sense of humour, nor did a smile come easily to her face, but he was used to that. It hadn’t stopped him falling head over heels in love with her all those years ago, and he still loved her dearly. But was it possible that a child as fragile as Tess would feel intimidated by her, even though she was her mother?

‘No, leave her be.’ George held his arms wide. ‘Come here, pet, and I’ll give you a cuddle to warm you up.’ Holding the girl close, he rocked gently to and fro, until the shivering had stopped. Then he looked up at his wife. ‘Make some bread and milk for her, love, with plenty of sugar sprinkled on the top. With a bit of luck she might keep it down.’

There was a hot retort on Ann’s lips, but it remained unspoken when she saw the look on her husband’s face that told her he would brook no argument.

‘You sit on my knee, pet, and I’ll feed you like I did when you were a toddler.’ Ignoring the disapproving looks thrown his way, George slowly spoon-fed his daughter. And feeling warm, contented and safe in his arms, Tess took in spoonful after spoonful until the dish was empty. ‘Well I never!’ George feigned surprise. ‘Has all that gone down your tummy, sweetheart?’

Tess smiled. She had enjoyed the bread and milk, it had gone down easy. But better still, her father looked really pleased with her. ‘I’m a good girl, aren’t I, Dad?’

‘You’re always a good girl, pet.’ George kept a smile on his face even though he was feeling sad inside. She was ten years of age, but she didn’t speak as a ten-year-old. Like her body, her mind hadn’t matured. And it wasn’t as though they’d neglected her. Ann had taken her to the doctor’s many times, only to be told that while she was a frail child, and probably always would be, the doctor could find nothing wrong with her. No reason for her to be physically or mentally slow. But there had to be a reason, and it was up to him and Ann to find out what it was. ‘And you know your mam and dad love you very much.’ He caught the sadness in his wife’s eyes. ‘We do, don’t we, love?’

‘Of course we do!’ Endearments didn’t come easy to Ann because she’d grown up in a house where affection was never openly shown. She had been taught to be obedient, never to answer back, and often reminded that children should speak when they were spoken to. Her parents had loved her, she knew that, but words of love were never spoken, hugs and kisses never exchanged. ‘We love you dearly.’

‘And what about me?’ Maddy said, flinging her arms as wide as they’d go. ‘That’s how much I love you.’

Tess giggled. ‘I love you that much, but my arms aren’t as long as yours.’

George hugged her to him. ‘You can’t measure love in inches, pet, it’s in your heart. And when you know you’re loved, it makes you feel good inside, doesn’t it?’

Large hazel eyes stared up at him. ‘You won’t ever stop loving me, Dad, will you? Even if I can’t do my sums or joined-up writing?’

‘Scout’s honour, pet, I’ll never stop loving you, no matter what.’

‘You can do sums anyway!’ Maddy said with feeling. ‘You were watching me doing my homework last week, and you were quick to tell me when I made a mistake in my adding-up. If it hadn’t been for you I’d have got a cross by that sum.’

‘Is that true, Madelaine, or are you just making it up?’ Ann asked. ‘You’re not helping Theresa by telling lies for her, you know.’

‘I’m not telling lies! I was doing my homework at the table and Tess was sitting next to me, watching. You were in the kitchen getting the dinner ready, Mam.’ Maddy smiled at her sister. ‘I’m not telling lies, am I?’

Tess shook her head before drawing back into her father’s arms. She had to tell the truth because she loved her sister dearly and would never let her down. But she waited now for her mother to ask why she could get sums right for her sister but not for her. ‘They were only easy sums, though, Maddy, they weren’t hard ones.’ She was too frightened to add that there was no one standing over her while she did them, no one to reprimand or make her feel guilty if she got them wrong.

‘Let’s forget all about sums and talk about something more pleasant,’ George said. ‘Like the Richardson family going on holiday. How about that, eh?’

‘It would be great, Dad! All of my friends will be dead jealous.’ Maddy’s pretty face was agog. They’d never been on holiday before and the prospect was really exciting. ‘I won’t swank, though, ’cos that wouldn’t be nice, would it? So I’ll only tell my very best friends.’

‘Where would you like to go, the seaside or the country?’ George knew it would only be for a few days no matter where they went, because the money wouldn’t run to a whole week. But the two girls looked so happy he wasn’t going to say anything to take the shine out of their eyes.

‘We’ll go where Tess wants to go, shall we?’ Maddy said. ‘What do you think, Mam?’

‘I think we should let your father tell us what we could expect from a holiday by the seaside, or one in the country. And then you and Theresa can say which you prefer.’

Maddy’s long dark hair fanned her face as she leaned towards her father. ‘Go on, Dad, we’re all ears.’

He chuckled. How little it took to make children happy. ‘Well, you’ve been to the shore at Waterloo, and all seaside places are the same, with lots of sea and sand. There’d be plenty of fresh air, you could build sandcastles, paddle in the water with your dress tucked into your knickers, or even have a ride on a donkey.’

Maddy was beside herself with excitement. ‘That sounds lovely, doesn’t it, Tess? Just think, you and me riding on a donkey. We could have a race.’

‘Ooh, no, I might fall off.’ Tess shuddered at the thought. Then her hazel eyes widened at yet another possible fear. ‘And if we were paddling, a big wave might come along and carry us out to sea.’

‘You’d have none of those fears in the country, pet,’ George said. ‘It would be a nice gentle holiday, with plenty of fields and flowers, cows and sheep. And you’d see the high mountains rising up to touch the sky.’

Listening to her husband, Ann marvelled at his gentleness, and the ease with which he talked to their daughters. His childhood had been very different to her own, with easy-going parents who had filled their home with laughter and openly shown their love for their two children. George had never gone home without getting a kiss off his mother, even after he was married. And he treated his daughters as he and his older brother, Ken, had been treated, with love and tenderness. He was stroking Tess’s arm now, and although his work-worn hands were the size of shovels, his touch was as light as a feather. And the girl was looking up at him with admiration and love. Ann felt a familiar pang of envy as she wished she could find a way of throwing off the mantle of aloofness which she knew was standing between her and the girls. But the strict discipline with which she’d been reared, from her cradle to the day she’d married, was hard to cast away.

‘Ann!’ George raised his voice. ‘I’ve been talking to you, but you were miles away.’

‘I’m sorry, love, what did you say?’

‘I was telling the girls we could go on a picnic. Take some sandwiches and a bottle of lemonade, and find a nice spot where we could watch the sheep and cows grazing.’

‘That sounds lovely to me.’ Ann put as much enthusiasm into her voice as she could muster. ‘With a bit of luck we might even find a quiet spot with a stream running nearby.’

Tess smiled across at her sister. ‘That’s what I’d like, Maddy, but only if that’s what you’d like as well. If you’d rather go to the seaside, I wouldn’t mind.’

‘Why don’t we have a vote on it?’ George suggested. ‘Hands up those who want to go to the seaside.’ When not one hand was raised, he nodded with satisfaction. ‘The country wins by an overwhelming majority.’

‘Ooh, goody!’ Tess sat up straight on his knee. ‘When will we be going, Dad?’

‘When and where has to be decided yet, pet. I start my holidays in two weeks’ time, and I’m off for two weeks. So it will have to be within that time. I’ll start making some enquiries tomorrow, see if anyone in work can recommend a decent place. If not, I’ll slip down to our Ken’s tomorrow night. He and Millicent have been to a place in Wales a few times, and they said it’s a pretty village and the two children loved it.’

‘I’ll go in the morning, if you like,’ Ann said. ‘I know Ken will be at work, but Millicent should be in. She’ll have the name and address to write to, and the sooner it’s done the better. With all the factories being on holiday at the same time, chances are most of the bed-and-breakfast places will be booked up. So we don’t have a lot of time to spare.’

‘That’s an idea, love, if you don’t mind?’

‘It’s a good reason to get me out of the house. The weather’s so lovely, it’s a shame to stay in, and I’m sure Theresa would enjoy the trip out.’

‘You lucky thing!’ Maddy said. ‘I’ll be stuck in school all day while you’re out gallivanting! Roll on Friday, when we break up.’

‘You’ll be singing a different tune halfway through the long holiday,’ Ann said. ‘After a couple of weeks you’ll be bored stiff.’

‘Not this time, though, Mam, ’cos I’ve got a holiday to look forward to.’ Unlike most of her friends, Maddy loved school. She was popular with all the girls and teachers, and was always near top of the class in every subject except history, which she hated. ‘If we take a big bag, we might be able to bring a baa-lamb home with us. You’d like that, wouldn’t you, Tess?’

Her sister’s eyes rolled. ‘Ooh, I don’t know about that. I’ve never seen a lamb, only in books, so I don’t know if I’d like one.’ Her brows drew together. ‘What would we give it to eat, Maddy, and where would it sleep?’

‘It would eat all the scraps we leave, and it would sleep in bed with you.’

George’s chuckle was hearty when he saw the look on Tess’s face. ‘She’s pulling your leg, pet. Lambs live in fields, not in houses.’

‘And they certainly don’t sleep in my beds,’ Ann said, with mock severity. ‘The very idea! I’d spend my life cleaning up after it!’

‘That’s settled then,’ George declared. ‘No big bag, no baa-lamb. And I think that’s enough talking for tonight, it’s time you girls were in bed.’

‘Ah, ay, Dad!’ Maddy was too excited to go to bed. ‘Look how light it is out, we’d never be able to sleep.’

‘You heard what your dad said, so do as you’re told.’ As the words were leaving her lips, Ann was wishing she could take them back. With one sentence, she had wiped the smiles from her daughters’ faces. There was no need for it either, as George would have sent them to bed without it sounding like an order. She’d spoken out of habit, but it was a habit she had to get out of if she ever wanted to see the same love and trust in their eyes when they looked at her as there was when they looked at their father. ‘You can take your books with you,’ she said now, trying to make amends, ‘and read for a while.’

‘I’ve got a better idea,’ George told them. ‘Ask your mam for some paper and you can play teachers. Give each other simple sums to do, then mark them, just like a teacher does. How does that sound?’

Tess didn’t look very sure. ‘D’you mean Maddy will mark my sums, and no one else will see them?’

George ruffled her hair. ‘It’s only a game to pass the time, pet, you can tear the paper up afterwards if you like.’

A smile appeared. ‘Shall we do that, Maddy? I promise I won’t cane you if you get any wrong.’

Her sister nodded. ‘I’ve got a good idea. The one who gets the most sums wrong has to tell a story. It can be a fairy story out of one of our books, or a made-up one. Okay?’

Tess looked at her father and wagged a finger, asking him to lean closer. She whispered in his ear for a while, then George burst out laughing. ‘That’s very good, sweetheart. If Maddy takes my advice, she’ll make sure she wins so she can hear your story.’

‘That sounds great!’ Maddy’s infectious giggle rang out. ‘I’ll race you to the top of the stairs.’

‘Hang on a minute,’ George said. ‘What about our goodnight kiss?’

Maddy’s hand covered her mouth. ‘Ooh, er, sorry, Dad. It’s just that I can’t wait to hear this story.’ She hugged her father and kissed him. ‘Goodnight and God bless.’ Then she moved on to her mother, with Tess following on. ‘Goodnight and God bless, Mam.’

‘Don’t get into bed without washing your hands and faces,’ Ann said. ‘And fold your clothes neatly on the chair, not on the floor.’

Her words were lost in the mad scramble for the door. At least it appeared to be a mad scramble, but in reality it was Maddy waving her arms and laughing, as she pretended to try and beat Tess through the door. There was never any doubt that she would let her sister win.

‘It’s a wonder one of them didn’t fall and break their neck,’ Ann said, when they heard the girls running the water in the bathroom. Then she looked at her husband through narrowed eyes. ‘What on earth did Theresa whisper in your ear?’

‘Something that surprised me and made me wonder where we are going wrong with her. When she’s left to do something off her own bat, she’s got as much nous as any ten-year-old girl. I know that she’s not strong physically, but there’s not much wrong with her mind. If we could only find a way of encouraging her to open up, draw her out of her shell, I’m convinced she’d come on like a house on fire.’

‘George, if you tell me what she whispered in your ear, I’d know why you’re thinking what you are. So tell me.’

‘If she gets her sums wrong, and has to tell a story, she’s going to tell one about bringing a lamb home in a big bag. The lamb will be called Curly because all the ones she’s seen in books have curly wool. It can sleep on the couch, have its own chair at the table, its own knife and fork, and will be taught to use the toilet so you don’t have to clean up after it. And it can be taken for walks with a dog’s lead around its neck.’

‘That’s very good considering she made it up in a matter of minutes.’ Ann gazed down at her clasped hands. ‘George, am I holding her back? Am I too strict with her? If I am, I don’t mean to be. I just want to do what’s best for her.’

George patted the space next to him on the couch. ‘Come and sit here, love.’ When she was settled, he put an arm across her shoulders. ‘I know you love her and worry that she’ll never live a normal life. And I know you only want what’s best for her. But perhaps being a mother and a teacher to her isn’t the right way forward. You’re too close, and when she’s not in school, which is more often than not, she never has any time away from you. She worries that she can’t meet your expectations of her, and as I’ve just said, she is never away from you, so the worry is constant. I may be wrong, love, but I think we have to consider Tess’s interests and not our own. Let her develop at her own rate and see if that works.’

‘But how can she develop if she hasn’t any targets to aim for? Every child needs teaching, even if it’s only the very basics. She’ll never learn if she has nothing to learn from.’

‘You’ve tried the conventional way of teaching, and it hasn’t worked. Perhaps it would have done if she’d been attending school every day like Maddy, but there is no point in thinking what might have been. We need to go down every avenue until we find one that suits her. Because there is a way, love, it’s just finding it. Perhaps if we try it as a family, or treat it as a game? Anything we can think of, Ann, but we have to find that way. Tess is capable of far more than she’s showing at present, of that I’m sure. And I think we should consider allowing Maddy to help her more.’

Ann moved back to meet his eyes. ‘George, you can’t expect a twelve-year-old to teach a backward ten-year-old, it’s out of the question.’

‘Nothing is out of the question, love, not where our daughter’s concerned. And she’d be more likely to do things for Maddy because she idolises her. But instead of reading stories to her in bed at night, if Maddy set her a couple of easy sums it would be a start. I’m not saying she’d make great strides forward because that would take a miracle. But a couple of sums, getting harder each night, now that would be progress. She wants so much to make us proud of her, and worries because she thinks she’s a failure. I believe that is the cause of a lot of her health problems. And why she never has an appetite.’ George was conscious his wife might be hurt by what he was saying. She could take his words to mean she had failed their daughter. But it was better to be open than let things carry on as they were. ‘I’m not a clever man, love, and I might be talking through my hat. But let’s work together on this. Let me have a word with Maddy, and give it a trial for two weeks. Even if she only learns to write a short sentence, and gets a few sums right, it’ll be a start. She’ll enjoy that, I know she will. And if we find she seems better in herself, and her appetite improves, we can take it from there.’ He took her hand in his and gently squeezed it. ‘We’ve got to do what’s best for our daughter, love, no matter what it takes.’

‘Yes, I know, and I’ll go along with what you said. I’ll give lessons a miss tomorrow and take Theresa to Millicent’s with me. If the weather stays as nice as today, we could walk most of the way and do some window-shopping.’ Ann tried to shake off the feeling that she’d in some way let her daughter down. She never shouted at the girl if she got sums or words wrong, but she was strict with her. Lessons were two hours in the morning and two in the afternoon, and after she’d marked the papers, her daughter would be made to sit at the table until she’d corrected any mistakes. And all the time she thought she was doing the best for Theresa, so she could live a normal life, like her sister.

Ann hung her head, seeing herself in her mind’s eye standing over the young girl as she struggled with words and figures. Theresa always did as she was told, never answered back, but there was never a smile on her face until her sister or father walked through the door. ‘In fact I’ll stop the lessons altogether until after the summer holidays. So for seven weeks we’ll do as you suggested and see how things work out.’ She gazed into her husband’s face and he could see the sadness in her eyes. ‘I just want Theresa to be like other girls, and have a chance in life.’

‘I know that, love, and you’ve done your best over the years, God knows. So have a break now, relax, and get to know your daughter without worrying about what is going to happen to her in the future. Because I feel it in my bones that everything is going to be all right, and in a few years’ time we’ll be wondering why we ever thought it wouldn’t be.’

While her mother was clearing the breakfast dishes, Tess went to the door with her sister to wave her off to school. ‘You’ll come straight home, won’t you, Maddy?’

‘I promise I’ll run all the way.’ Maddy fell into step with Angie Williams, who lived three doors away and went to the same school. ‘Don’t forget to tell Auntie Milly I was asking about her and Uncle Ken.’

‘I won’t!’ Tess waited until the two girls turned the corner before going back into the house. ‘Shall I help you dry the dishes, Mam, or get my books out?’

‘The dishes are almost done,’ Ann called from the kitchen. ‘And there’s no lessons today, we’re going to see Auntie Millicent. So go and have a wash and put your nice pink dress on.’

Tess was smiling as she climbed the stairs. The pink dress was her very favourite and she was only allowed to wear it when being taken anywhere. So her mother must think this was an important occasion. The girl didn’t spend much time washing, it was just a cat’s lick and a promise because she couldn’t wait to get dolled up. And as she pulled the dress over her head, she spoke aloud: ‘I wonder would me mam get annoyed if I asked her to put a ribbon in my hair?’

Ann was on the landing and heard the words. She quickly turned and went quietly back down the stairs, avoiding the boards that would creak and give her away. In the living room she stood by the table and asked herself was she such an ogre her own daughter was afraid to ask for such a small thing as a ribbon in her hair? Things had come to a pretty pass if that was the case.

Tess flung the door open and rushed in. ‘Mam, will you fasten the button at the back, please, I can’t reach.’ As she turned, her eyes lit on the pink ribbon spread out on the sideboard. ‘Ooh, is that for me, Mam?’

‘It is, love! You and I are going out of here like a couple of toffs today. When I’ve combed your hair and put the bow in, I’m going upstairs to put my best dress on. That should give the neighbours something to talk about, shouldn’t it?’

Tess giggled, then studied her mother’s face. ‘Mam, why do you wear your hair like that? You’ve got lovely hair, much nicer than mine ’cos it’s nice and curly. But no one can see the curls the way you’ve got it.’

‘I’ve always worn it like this, Theresa, because it’s easy to manage. And it looks more tidy than hanging about my face and getting in my eyes.’

With no lessons today, and wearing her pink dress, plus the ribbon that would soon be tying her hair back, Tess was feeling on top of the world. And brave enough to talk to her mother as she never had before. ‘You’d look much prettier if you wore your hair loose, Mam, honest! And I bet me dad would like it.’

‘No, I’d look silly.’ Ann the schoolteacher was horrified at the very thought of anything so drastic, but Ann the wife and mother, without knowing, had allowed the seed to be sown. ‘Your father would think I’d lost the run of my senses.’

‘I bet he wouldn’t.’ Tess was holding her ground. ‘Why don’t you let it down tonight and see what he says? I bet he’d love you more than ever, and so would me and Maddy.’

‘Nonsense, it’s out of the question.’ But Ann was not as sure as she sounded. And her daughter looked so crestfallen, she said something she’d really had no intention of saying. ‘I’ll tell you what, Theresa, so you’ll know I’m right, I’ll take my hair down this afternoon when we come back from Aunt Millicent’s. And you’ll see for yourself how stupid I look and never mention it again.’

But as she sat at the table, waiting, Tess was convinced her mother wouldn’t look stupid. She’d look as pretty as any of the other women in their street.

‘Well, this is a surprise!’ Milly Richardson smiled with pleasure as she held the door wide. ‘What’s brought you down to this neck of the woods?’

Ann ushered Tess ahead of her. ‘I’ve come to ask a favour. We’ve been talking about having a few days away while George is on holiday, and he said you’d been to Wales a couple of times and might be able to recommend somewhere.’

Milly pulled two chairs from the table and waved a hand. ‘Sit yerselves down.’ She chucked Tess under the chi