In the midst of all the mounting gossip, Sybil smirked like a cat that had got the cream. It hadn’t taken long for the children and their ineffectual mother to fast lose whatever popularity or pity the residents had originally had for them. Now on a warning from Matron, Ronnie and Sally had to be on their best behaviour, the mother too for that matter, or face the dire consequences. Sybil decided to give it a week to let things settle down before she activated the next stage of her plan. If her ambitious complicated plot were to succeed, it required clear advanced planning and would have to be precisely executed to create maximum impact. Like a malevolent spider in its web, Sybil had time to plot, plan, and weave a drama that would successfully remove the Pickles children from Mary Vale.

17. On a Knife-edge

A week later Sybil specifically chose her day to take action. After careful observation she established Ronnie and Sally’s daily schedule; accompanied by Sister Theresa, and sometimes their mother on the occasional day that she was strong enough to make the journey, they were taken to the little Kents Bank Station, where they boarded the steam train into Grange. They weren’t seen again until their return from school around four thirty in the afternoon. Though why the nun bothered was beyond her, as she watched Theresa trail after Ronnie and Sally, who went roaring up the garden path yelling (as ever) at the top of their voices.

‘Hooligans,’ muttered Sybil, as she slammed down her bedroom window to drown out their racket.

Rosie Pickles proved to be the biggest stumbling block, because her poor health dictated that she spent most of her time resting in the family bedroom.

‘Surely the woman must go out sometimes?’ Sybil fumed, as she stalked Rosie’s movements.

As luck would have it, she overheard Rosie one lunch-time talking to Sister Theresa, who was as usual lending a hand in the busy dining room.

‘Did the children get off all right this morning?’ she asked.

Smiling, Theresa replied, ‘Good as gold.’

‘Don’t you think the guard might chuck the pair of them off the train?’ Rosie joked.

‘We might have to glue their bottoms to the seats,’ Theresa joked back. After wiping down a table with a damp cloth she remarked, ‘Dora tells me you’ve got a hospital appointment in Lancaster on Thursday. Is it a regular check-up?’

Looking anxious, Rosie shook her head. ‘No, Matron and Ada are concerned that the baby’s not as big as they’d like it to be, so they’re sending me off to Lancaster for some tests.’

Seeing Rosie looking nervous, Theresa gave a bright cheery smile. ‘Good idea – always best to get a second opinion, don’t you think?’

Rosie nodded miserably. ‘Of course, but it seems to be one problem after another with this pregnancy.’