The Spoon Stealer by Lesley Crewe

Author:Lesley Crewe
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781771088824
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Published: 2020-09-11T12:08:43+00:00

* * *

It was noon the next day when Emmeline finally gave Emily a call to let her know she was ready for company. She’d spent the morning unpacking and getting herself a little more organized. She was very grateful that at some point Martin had installed a shower in the bathroom, because the old cast-iron tub was a death trap at her age. If she ever managed to get into it, she’d never get out.

One of the first things she did was to take out one of the three aprons she’d packed and slipped it on over her head, to hand wash a few delicates. She found the cloth bag with the clothes pegs still hanging on the wall of the front porch and put some in her pockets before venturing out, with Vera hopping along, smelling everything but staying close. Last night had spooked her.

Emmeline took down the mop and the old rags and wiped off the clothesline with one of the rags before hanging up a panty girdle and brassiere. She’d only used her towel once, but she hung that out to capture the summer breeze. She’d even washed the soft blanket that was in Vera’s dog carrier and now it was waving on the line. How glorious.

Emmeline and Vera were sitting in the rocking chair on the front porch when a car approached and came up the driveway. She was expecting Emily, but from the passenger side, out popped Meg. Emmeline would have known her anywhere, despite her greying hair and fine facial lines. And Emily was the spitting image of her mother, a very pretty young woman.

Emmeline rose up to greet them, but Vera got to them first.

“Oh, what a dear little dog!” Emily squealed.

“Her name is Vera. She’s very friendly. Oh, Meg, it’s so good to see you.”

Meg came up the stairs and her face crumpled. “I never thought I’d see you again.”

They hugged each other tightly. This was what Emmeline had been waiting for. She savoured every moment. And then Emily came charging up the stairs and demanded to get in on it. The three of them laughed and laughed.

“You look exactly the same!” Meg insisted. “You don’t even have wrinkles on your face. Must be all that fine British mist.”

“Oh, hardly. I’m an old woman now.”

“An old woman with a young face. That’s going to drive my mother crazy!”

“She’ll hit the roof!” Emily said, laughing.

“Your grandmother seems to spend a lot of time hitting the roof.”

“It’s her favourite pastime.”

“Come on in. I’ve made tea.”

The three generations of Darling women gathered around the dining room table and spent most of the time grinning at each other. Meg told Emily of all the times Emmeline would come over to the house to rescue her and Toby for the afternoon, always thinking of something fun for them to do.

“I always wanted you to be my mother. I remember I told you that before you went away and you said no, you’d forget to feed me.

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