Chapter Two

CHRISTMAS DAY DAWNED, icy but clear, and Tess got up early to take Gran a cup of tea in bed and wish her a happy Christmas, handing over the neatly wrapped parcel and watching as she opened it to reveal the hat and mittens. Gran was clearly delighted with the gift and promptly fished under her pillow for an even smaller parcel which she gave to Tess. ‘I didn’t buy it, but I don’t wear it any longer so I thought you’d like it,’ she said, as Tess unfolded the paper to reveal a tiny silver locket in the shape of a heart.

Tess gasped. ‘It’s the best Christmas present in the world, but how can you bear to part with it?’

‘I’ve had it for years and thought it was about time you took it on instead of me,’ Gran said. ‘My husband – only he wasn’t my husband then – gave it to me instead of an engagement ring. Now mind you take care of it, because it’s what you might call irreplaceable. If you wear it under your clothes it’ll be safe enough. Only you’d best take it off at night because the chain’s a very fine one and could easily snap if you turned over quickly, or had a bad dream and tugged at it.’

‘I’ll be very careful,’ Tess promised, fastening the chain round her neck. ‘Oh, Gran, I wish I had something as good to give to you.’

Gran’s eyebrows rose. ‘You couldn’t have given me anything I’d like more than these,’ she said, promptly putting on the mittens. ‘After we’ve had our dinner we’ll take a walk, and judging by the frost on the window pane these will keep me a lot warmer than even the prettiest locket.’

‘Right. Now, while you drink your tea I’m going into the kitchen to light the stove and start the porridge,’ Tess said gaily. ‘It’s too early to put the chicken on and I prepared the sprouts and peeled the potatoes last night, so if you like we can have our walk after breakfast.’ She beamed at her companion. ‘If you want the truth, Gran, I reckon we shan’t feel much like moving after our Christmas dinner. At the farm we always stayed in and played games, and listened to the king’s speech.’

‘Oh dear,’ Gran said, looking stricken. ‘I knew you’d miss the Bell family and all your friends from the village on Christmas Day. I’m afraid I’m not much company for a girl of your age.’

Tess could have kicked herself. Here was Gran, straining every nerve to make their first peacetime Christmas a memorable one, and she had scuppered her efforts by thoughtlessly talking of the farm. She went back to the bed and took Gran’s hands, still mittened, in her own, shaking them gently up and down. ‘Listen, Gran, you and me are all the family I want, and though I was happy at the farm I always knew I was never really part of the Bell family, though they were very nice to me, and Jonty was a real pal. But I wasn’t even a villager, though I kidded myself that I was. You could blame the government, because they plonked children down anywhere they chose and no one could do anything about it. I admit it’s taken me a while to get used to living in a city, and being in a small family, but if you want the truth I wouldn’t go back to the Bells even if they asked me to, which they won’t.’ She looked at Gran’s face and was pleased to see that the anxious look had faded. ‘Now no more grumbling or regretting times past; let’s get on with being our own proper little family!’