Chapter Fourteen

IT WAS MARKET day and Mrs Bell had joined other farmers’ wives at the WI stall where they sold their excess produce. Consequently, Tess had made the breakfast and was eating toast when Jonty slung the post down on the kitchen table. She reached for Gran’s letter – always full of news – and began to read, her eyebrows rising almost to her hair as she digested the contents.

‘Tess? What’s up? Not bad news, I hope?’

Tess gulped. Oddly enough, her first reaction to the news that Albert’s daughter had returned was jealousy, and this feeling did not dissipate when she read that Janine was pregnant. In fact, it became worse. Tess was no stranger to jealousy, she realised with shame. She had been jealous of the growing affection between Gran and Albert for a long while, though she knew it was ridiculous; over and over, Gran had said that she and the tobacconist were just good friends, and Gran would never lie to her. So why on earth should she feel jealous because Janine had come home? Surely it would mean that Albert and Janine would be like herself and Gran, a nice little family of two, needing only each other? As for the baby, it would simply strengthen their family ties when it came, she supposed. Jealousy of Janine must be banished, because it was an ignoble emotion; Tess banished it and realised, suddenly, that father and son were staring at her, and she had not answered Jonty’s questions.

‘Sorry, I was a thousand miles away. I’ll read you Gran’s letter, then you’ll know why I’m somewhat surprised,’ she said. ‘It’s good news, but – but unexpected.’

She read the letter aloud and Jonty’s reaction was immediate. ‘Gosh. I never even knew Mr Payne had a daughter,’ he exclaimed. ‘Wait till Ma hears! She’s been saying for a while now that she doesn’t understand why he and your gran haven’t plighted their troth, but I suppose they’re both too old to think about marriage.’

Mr Bell had been eating toast and marmalade and had not yet commented, but his shrewd blue eyes dwelt thoughtfully on Tess’s face before he spoke. ‘I always did reckon you didn’t much fancy having that chap around the place,’ he said. ‘Ah well, the young are always selfish.’

‘Do you mean me when you say that?’ Tess said, astonished at Mr Bell’s words. ‘I love my gran dearly, and while we’ve got each other . . .’

Mr Bell picked up his mug of tea and took a swig. ‘One of these days you and that Snowy White lad, or some other feller, will doubtless want to get wed,’ he observed. ‘What’ll happen to Mrs Williams then, eh?’

‘Oh! Well, I suppose we’ll move out, get a place of our own . . . No, I suppose we’ll stay in the flat above the pet shop and Gran will move out . . .’ Tess said uncertainly. ‘But that won’t be for ages and ages, perhaps not for years . . .’