Off the Rails by Beryl Kingston Read Free Book Online Page B

into misgiving. What if her old neighbours sneered at her and called her names? Aunt Tot had thought it likely. Well, if they did, she thought, trying to be valiant, she would have to face it. She did so want to see her ma and if this was the only way it could be done, then so be it.
    Luckily, she arrived a matter of minutes before the service was due to begin and only just had time to sneak into the church and scuttle into the pew beside her mother before the rector made his entrance. And oh it was so good to be with her again and to pull back the shawl and show her Milly’s dear little smiling face and watch as she kissed her dear little warm fingers.
    ‘She’s a pretty child,’ Mary Jerdon said under cover of the first hymn. ‘She looks as if she feeds well.’
    ‘All day long,’ Janey told her proudly. ‘Don’t ’ee, my darling.’
    ‘Lovely fat cheeks,’ her mother approved, gazing at her granddaughter. ‘Oh, it is good to see you, Janey.’
    Neither of them paid very much attention to the service and when the rector cleared his throat to begin the sermon, they simply let him get on with it and gave themselves up to baby worship and the joy of being together. It was the happiest, easiest time. When the service was over they slipped out together as quietly and unobtrusively as they could and found a hidden corner behind the cart where they could talk more freely until Jem arrived. At last Jane could tell her mother how much she missed her.
    ‘They treat you well, though,’ Mary Jerdon prompted.
    ‘Aye, well enough,’ Jane told her. ‘But they’re not you. Oh, Ma, I’ve been wanting and wanting to see you.’ She was in tears by then. She simply couldn’t help it.
    Her mother held her and kissed her and told her that they were back together now and there could always be another time; Scrayingham Church wasn’t all that far and happen she could get home for Christmas, there was always Christmas. And Jane promised to come to Scrayingham again as soon as she could and to see what could be done about Christmas. But they parted in tears despite all their commiserations because Jem was walking towards them and the rest of the congregation had begun to leave the church. The sight of them all, so gathered together, walking down the path towards her, put poor Jane into a panic and she scrambled into the cart before they could see her and nodded to Jem to start the horse. But once they were round the first bend and travelling steadily, she calmed down, comforting herself that she’d been quiet and behaved very sensibly, not gone up to take communion, nor spoken to anyone other than her parents, andonly whispered to her ma at that, and they’d left the church very quickly, slipping away like shadows, so happen no one would have noticed her.
    She was wrong, of course, for there’d been one pair of eyes in the congregation that never missed a face or a trick. One very sharp pair of eyes and they belonged to Mrs Hardcastle.
    ‘Was that your Janey I saw in church?’ she said to Mary Jerdon, as they walked towards the Howsham road.
    Mary admitted that it was.
    ‘I trust she’s keeping well.’
    ‘Fair to middling.’
    Even though Mary was turning her head away and looking as discouraging as she could, Mrs Hardcastle persisted with her interrogation. ‘She brought the baby with her, I think.’
    ‘Aye, she did,’ Mary said, looking at her fiercely, ‘and let me tell ’ee, she’s a very pretty baby and a very good one. We never had a peep out of her the whole time. Not one peep.’ She looked at her husband for support but he was far too much in awe of Mrs Hardcastle to venture a word on such a delicate subject and merely nodded.
    ‘I’m uncommon glad to hear it,’ the midwife said. ‘Good babies are worth their weight in gold, as I should know. I’ll not judge a child by the sins of its parents.’
    ‘I’m glad to hear you say it,’ Mary told her, even more fiercely. ‘For I tell ’ee, ma’am,