‘I don’t know what to say.’ He took a sip of his tea and then winced. It was scalding hot. ‘I’ve always had it at the back of me mind to sell at some point, to be honest. The wife’s got a brother in Australia who’s done very well for himself and he’s written a number of times to ask us to go out there for a few months. He’s her only sibling and she more or less brought him up when her mam died young. Broke her heart when he skedaddled off to the other end of the world, it did straight, but like I said to her, a man’s got to follow his own destiny.’ He shook his head. ‘You’ve taken me by surprise, lass. Let me think about it, all right?’

‘Of course.’ It wasn’t an outright refusal, which she had been afraid of. She had been thinking about it for the last six months. The bakery was doing so well that even with giving Daisy a rise in pay she had been able to add a considerable amount to the nest egg in the bank each month, and she’d had a word with the bank manager the week before and explained what she wanted to do. He had talked about a loan to make up any shortfall. She was an excellent customer, he had assured her, and the bank would do anything it could to further her business.

‘And you’re sure you want to do this, Rose? It’s not going to put you in queer street? It’s different meeting the rent each month to owning a place, you know.’

‘I’m sure.’

Albert nodded and asked no more. Perhaps the rumours about the lass and the Bembridge son and heir were true after all? He’d told his wife he didn’t believe that Alexander Bembridge was Rose’s fancy man, but for a young lass to have the sort of money behind her to buy a property . . . Well, it spoke for itself, didn’t it. Still, it was none of his business – live and let live, that was his motto – but if folk got wind of it it’d add fuel to the flames for the gossipers. He suspected Ruth would be all for selling the bakery on; it’d mean they could go and see Ronald and his wife and bairns and pay their way while they were there, and still have a nice bit to come home to. He wasn’t getting any younger and it would be enough to maintain the outfitters and his own house in the future. Aye, all in all, this could work out well for everyone.