‘Aye, that’s so, but it is high season and the visitors are many – the landlord may ne’er cope, lassie.’

‘He doesn’t have to. We’ll do owt as needs doing. He just needs to sell his ale. It’ll be grand. I’ll start baking this afternoon.’

Betsy saw the look exchanged between Angus and her brood and smiled to herself. They knew when to stop objecting to any of her ideas. She’d won that one, and felt the excitement of all the organizing she would have to do. Grabbing her cardigan, she made for the door.

‘Where is it you’re off to, lassie? Ye change as quick as the tide; I ne’er know where I am wi’ thee.’

‘To see Susan. She opened the shop by herself this morning. I’m to see if she can cope for a couple of days without me.’

‘I could help her out, Ma, unless you need me, that is.’

‘Oh? Have ye no work to go to, Rosie?’

‘Naw, Da. We all finished yesterday. We . . . well, we didn’t want to worry you by telling you too soon.’

‘Och, I ne’er realized it’d all happen that quick, me lasses. A wee hasty for me liking, but still, there’s no undoing what’s done.’

Betsy sighed, as it all became real to her. How was it that the country was preparing to the extent of taking her girls into the army, when war wasn’t yet declared? Eeh, I thought it would be a while yet, but it’s happened – it’s really happened! But this frightening thought didn’t dispel the nice feeling she got, on hearing her girls call Angus ‘Da’. And she knew it pleased him, too. It was something they’d only started to do recently. They’d all been having a laugh with Angus, when he’d chastised them for the way they left their rooms so untidy when they were home, and Rosie had said, ‘You knaw, ever since you married our mam, you’ve been like a da to us, and from now on I’m going to call you that.’ Then Florrie and Daisy chipped in that they had always wanted to, but were waiting for Rosie to be sure she wished to. This had led to a group hug, and Betsy had looked at her brood – and her fine husband – and had felt the love for them all surge through her. Now it was possible that she was going to face seeing her family torn apart by a force she couldn’t stop. How was she going to bear it?