Emma must never be told that Thadius Grady was not her real father. Nor that she was begot from an illicit affair between her mother and Caleb Crowther. Most damning of all, that it was Thadius himself who had murdered Emma’s mother in a fit of insane jealousy, when she took a bargee for a lover. The bargee was Bill Royston. This unfortunate fellow had met his sorry end at the hands of Caleb Crowther. Later, both Caleb and Thadius had remained silent when that man’s own wife, Eve Royston, was hanged for the murder in which she had played no part.

Thadius Grady and Caleb Crowther were cowards of the worst kind: each bound to protect the other. Emma, Molly and her children, were innocent pawns. Vagabonds on the road of life. Now though, because of hope and love, and the kinder hand of Fate, they were vagabonds no more!

The very next evening the house on Park Street rang with laughter. Passers-by smiled knowingly. The story of Emma and Marlow’s reunion with their daughter and grandchildren had been told far and wide. It was good that all had come right for Emma Grady. She was a fine woman who had known great heartache. Now it was only right that she should also know great joy.

‘I do love you so, Emma.’ Marlow had gently drawn her from the table, where she had been helping Tilly Watson, Nelly and Molly to supervise the children’s party. It was a noisy, happy affair. With Molly’s three youngsters and Tilly’s brood, the exasperated Nelly had earlier been heard to remark loudly, ‘By! The whole bleedin’ house is shakin’ on its foundations!’

‘Oh, Marlow, I’m so happy… so very happy.’ Emma’s grey eyes were awash with tears as she lifted her gaze to his.

Taking Emma’s hand in his own, Marlow raised it to his lips, brushing it with a kiss and telling her, ‘We have our family now, Emma, and so very much to look forward to.’

‘Our family,’ Emma repeated thoughtfully. She found untold comfort in those words. She pressed into the arm that lovingly encircled her. ‘And oh, Marlow… aren’t they all wonderful?’ Emma was smiling now, softly laughing as she looked across to where Sal was causing mayhem by indignantly insisting that the other children should ‘take proper turns at the jelly dish’. Nelly was red-faced from trying to keep ‘order’, and Tilly’s brood were all complaining to their mam that ‘Sal’s being bossy again’.

Laughing aloud, Marlow told Emma, ‘Our eldest granddaughter is going to be as cantankerous as her namesake. With my sister Sal… nobody could ever get a word in edgeways.’

At the far side of the room, Molly was helpless with laughter. In that moment, her dark eyes glanced towards Emma. A well of love rose between them, subduing them for an instant. The two of them had talked deep into the night and on into the dawn. There had been many tears, of both joy and regrets, yet through it all had emerged a bond so strong that nothing would ever weaken it.