Sam stared at her. ‘But you were their teacher; you could have found out what was happening,’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘You chose rather to sit back and let them get on with things until they came to your door that night . . .’

Jimmy suddenly jumped to his feet and banged both fists down on the table. ‘Are you deaf, our dad?’ he shouted. ‘We’ve told you and told you that Auntie Glenys saved our bacon, and though she’s a schoolteacher – or was, rather – she didn’t teach at our school but at a posh high school for girls, and anyway we didn’t meet each other until the Christmas holidays! You’d better say sorry for the rude things you’ve been saying, or Mo and me will never speak to you again!’

There was a startled silence, but when this was broken it was not by Sam but by Glenys. ‘It’s all right, Jimmy,’ she said quietly. ‘Your father was not to know how I was situated since I didn’t choose to tell him. And now, since we’ve all finished this excellent supper, I really must be going.’ She turned to the Griffiths. ‘Thank you so much for your kindness and hospitality; I shall never forget you or Weathercock Farm.’ She turned back to Jimmy. ‘It’s very kind of you to come charging to my rescue like a knight on a white horse, but it really isn’t necessary. After all, your father has only got to put up with me whilst I make my farewells, and then he can forget all about me.’

Mo promptly burst into tears. ‘Don’t leave us, don’t leave us,’ she wailed. ‘I know Daddy says he’ll stay with us on the farm but he left us before and he’ll leave us again, I know he will.’ She sniffed, and added in a watery tone: ‘Daddies have to go away to earn money so’s they can look after their children; that’s how awful things like the Huxtables come to happen. Oh, Auntie Glenys, why don’t you and our daddy get married? Then you could stay with us and it wouldn’t matter when Daddy went off for a job.’ She sniffed again, then knuckled her eyes, leaving her face smeared with dirt. Glenys, very embarrassed, began to mumble something, but Mo grabbed her arm and rubbed her face against the older woman’s shoulder. ‘Please, please don’t leave us! Our Jimmy and me loves you, so we do.’

Glenys looked across the table and saw the look of black jealousy on Sam’s face. She sighed inwardly; what an idiot the man was! It must be obvious to everyone except him that the child was in danger of being overwhelmed by the happenings of the last few days, and was fighting to keep familiar things and people about her. But it would not last. Once she, Glenys, had gone they would miss her for a while and sometimes talk about her when they were discussing their adventures, but knowing children as she did she was confident they would soon put her to the backs of their minds. Their new school would provide them with friends and the farm itself would employ all their spare energy. Furthermore, their father would have time for them, something which he had not had before, so that the relationship between them would flourish and grow. But she realised that to put this into words was impossible, and even if it had not been, it would have caused unnecessary distress. Jimmy and Mo would insist that she was essential to their happiness, Sam would glower and keep trying to put her down, and Nain and Taid, whilst rejoicing in their grandchildren, would be embarrassed and humiliated by their son-in-law’s attitude.