There was a touch of bitterness in Cissy’s voice, and as Rose stared at her she wondered if the rumours were true about Cissy and the chairman of the local councillors. According to the market gossip, the man, who was married with a couple of bairns, had made Cissy fall head over heels in love with him and then after a brief affair finished the relationship. Several months later Cissy had given birth to a bouncing baby boy that was said to be the spitting image of the man in question.

Quietly, Rose murmured, ‘I don’t want to feel special, Cissy. I just want to bring Betsy up the best I can.’

Cissy nodded and the warmth was back in her voice when she said, ‘Aye, she’s a grand little lass, Rose. Excited about Christmas, is she?’

Christmas was just a week away and tonight when they got home from the market Rose had promised Betsy they would decorate the kitchen and front room with paper chains and some other bits and pieces she’d bought. Unbeknown to Betsy she had ordered a small Christmas tree from one of the stallholders too. She smiled now, glad of the change of subject. ‘She doesn’t know yet but I’ve booked two seats for the pantomime at the Royal for Christmas Eve afternoon.’

‘You won’t be here then? There’s always a lot of customers on Christmas Eve buying last-minute bits.’

Rose shook her head. She’d considered that but had decided this year she wouldn’t work on Christmas Eve like she had done before. As Christmas Day fell on a Friday, it would mean she and Betsy would have four whole days together before she returned to work the following Monday after Boxing Day. Her bank account had again grown very satisfactorily this year, and what was the point in being her own boss if she couldn’t choose when to spend time with her daughter?

‘Aye, well, you know your own best, lass. Me, I’ll be here early and leave when the last customer goes. It’ll be mayhem at home with my lot.’

Rose smiled again but didn’t comment. In spite of her large brood Cissy wasn’t exactly a maternal creature and had happily admitted in the past that she let the older children take care of the younger ones when she was at work. Her husband had a job at the ironworks and worked shifts, so it seemed to Rose that the bairns mostly brought themselves up.