“Nonsense. All my life I’ve planned my girls’ weddings. Times without number I’ve seen myself fixing the orange blossom in Janet’s hair. I’m not going to be done out of my rightful place as mother of the bride, and Janet’s going to have her day to herself.”

“I should think Barbara and Janet might share, one party for both and all that.”

“Nonsense! In the first place Donald and Janet aren’t even engaged yet.”

“Neither are Barbara and Dick.”

Maggie chuckled.

“I shall be very surprised if you don’t hear about that tonight. I mean, when Barbara knows you are going to be looked after . . .”

“Ah! So we’re comin’ to us at last. But you’ve got the wrong idea, you know. It’s I that’m goin’ to look after you.”

Maggie flushed.

“It’s people like your servants I’m thinking of. I mean, they’ve been with you years. They aren’t going to like a new mistress, especially a mistress like myself who, however hard she tries not to, will always be poking her head into her own kitchen.”

The colonel’s eyes were twinkling.

“No wonder Mincin’ has been seein’ a change comin’. Place full of spooks, and she strainin’ round planning it was my coffin that was causin’ the stir. ’Stead of that it’s you comin’ home.”

Maggie was silenced by the word ‘home’. She saw the Georgian house, the high wall with its wallflowers and stone-crop, its iron gates. The low, lovely drawing-room. The garden round which she could potter. She was not old, she would soon get her strength back, and now the years ahead, instead of being lonely, would be filled with the duties which went with such a house, but above all filled to overflowing with what she loved most, someone to care for and to make happy.

“Oh, my goodness!” she said at last. “I am a lucky woman!”

The colonel had been watching her face; he stretched out a hand.

“Can’t kiss you here, bit public. There’s life in us two warhorses yet, you know. We may be crocked for the time bein’, but I shouldn’t wonder if we managed to have the devil of a time when the children aren’t lookin’. Thank you, my dear, you’ve made me very happy.”

Barbara drew herself out of Dick’s arms.

“You’re an angel to forgive me. I’m not usually the jealous sort, but Sheila is the sort of girl that, if anyone was going to be jealous, it’s about her they would be.”

He kissed her again.

“What an involved sentence! I couldn’t make out all that rubbish the kid was talking. I mean, some people don’t plan to marry people they don’t know. Anyway, why me?”

Barbara rubbed her face against his shoulder.