critically. ‘Perhaps we should put the meat on the individual plates before we start,’ Jane wondered.
‘No, we should let them help themselves. Oh I wish our Nellie would hurry up and come; she’ll know what to do.’
‘For goodness sake, anybody’d think the queen was coming.’ Will was fed up already, what with having to suffer a haircut and cut his fingernails, even though he’d done them only last week.
‘Our Will’s right. Emma must take us as she finds us, and if she won’t, then she’s not the right girl for our Ben,’ Lucy said. ‘Go and borrow two chairs off Mrs Slater, Will.’
Will went off willingly, glad to escape and hoping Ernest would be at home. Ernest was nowhere to be seen but his sister Joyce and a friend were outside playing skipping with a crowd of others from Second Row.
‘I’ll turn for yer.’ Will took hold of one end of the rope and chanted with the rest, ‘Salt, mustard, vinegar, pepper,’ whilst the skippers jumped the rope and tried to avoid tripping over as the rope accelerated at the call of ‘pepper’.
‘Will!’ Jane called. ‘Don’t you dare to get dirty, and where are those chairs?’ Will handed over the rope and grudgingly fetched two kitchen chairs from the Slaters’ house. By now Mary and Jacob had arrived and Nellie was walking on the row. Lewis Marshall whistled and Nellie laughed and exaggerated the swinging of her hips. ‘Have you nothing better to do, Lew Marshall, than sit on yer mother’s doorstep ogling older women?’
‘What could be better than watching you, Nellie?’
Nellie disappeared laughing into the house. It was good to be back on Top Row. It had upset her to be banned from the house in which she had been born. She vowed to put that awful day behind her and enjoy her visit, and anyway she and her mother had made up before she died; that was all that mattered.
‘Oh Nellie, thank goodness you’re here,’ Lucy laughed. ‘Our Jane’s nattering about the table looking right.’
Nellie surveyed the table. ‘Well it looks all right to me. How are you all?’ According to the replies everyone was fine. ‘Right then,’ Nellie said, ‘so we’ll all enjoy our teas. What time is our visitor expected?’
‘Our Ben’s gone to meet her off the bus. They should be here any minute now.’
And they were. Ben came in rubbing his hands. ‘Right then, Emma, let me introduce you to the family: Mary, the eldest and her husband, Jacob. This is Nellie, Jane, Lucy and … Where’s our William?’
Lucy went towards the door. ‘He’s sneaked out again. I’ll go find him.’
‘No, please leave him,’ Emma said. ‘I’ll see him later. It’s so nice to meet you all at last.’ Emma thought there were quite enough people staring at her for the time being without William.
‘Nice to meet you too.’ Mary shook hands with the pleasant, gorgeous-looking girl. ‘I’ll mash the tea then, shall I, Jane?’
‘Yes please, and I’ll go fetch our Will, if I can find him.’ They managed to squeeze themselves round the large kitchen table and Mary poured the tea.
‘Is it a party then?’ William asked as he helped himself to salad from the cut-glass bowl that had once belonged to Grandma Gabbitas.
‘Aye it is,’ Ben told him. ‘It’s some time since a party was held in this house, so we’ll have one today, to celebrate Emma’s first visit to our house.’
‘Welcome to our home, Emma,’ Lucy said. She liked the look of Ben’s girlfriend and hoped she would make her brother happy.
When the tea plates were cleared away and the tea cups replenished Lucy served the pie. ‘Hmm.’ Nellie rolled her eyes. ‘Who’s made this?’
‘Our Lucy,’ Jane answered.
‘Hmm, you can come and bake for me at the manor.’
Lucy blushed.
‘Nellie’s right, it’s delicious,’ Emma added. ‘I’m afraid I’ve yet to learn how to cook.’
‘I’ll teach you. That’s if you want to come again of course.’
‘Oh yes, I’d love to come
‘No, we should let them help themselves. Oh I wish our Nellie would hurry up and come; she’ll know what to do.’
‘For goodness sake, anybody’d think the queen was coming.’ Will was fed up already, what with having to suffer a haircut and cut his fingernails, even though he’d done them only last week.
‘Our Will’s right. Emma must take us as she finds us, and if she won’t, then she’s not the right girl for our Ben,’ Lucy said. ‘Go and borrow two chairs off Mrs Slater, Will.’
Will went off willingly, glad to escape and hoping Ernest would be at home. Ernest was nowhere to be seen but his sister Joyce and a friend were outside playing skipping with a crowd of others from Second Row.
‘I’ll turn for yer.’ Will took hold of one end of the rope and chanted with the rest, ‘Salt, mustard, vinegar, pepper,’ whilst the skippers jumped the rope and tried to avoid tripping over as the rope accelerated at the call of ‘pepper’.
‘Will!’ Jane called. ‘Don’t you dare to get dirty, and where are those chairs?’ Will handed over the rope and grudgingly fetched two kitchen chairs from the Slaters’ house. By now Mary and Jacob had arrived and Nellie was walking on the row. Lewis Marshall whistled and Nellie laughed and exaggerated the swinging of her hips. ‘Have you nothing better to do, Lew Marshall, than sit on yer mother’s doorstep ogling older women?’
‘What could be better than watching you, Nellie?’
Nellie disappeared laughing into the house. It was good to be back on Top Row. It had upset her to be banned from the house in which she had been born. She vowed to put that awful day behind her and enjoy her visit, and anyway she and her mother had made up before she died; that was all that mattered.
‘Oh Nellie, thank goodness you’re here,’ Lucy laughed. ‘Our Jane’s nattering about the table looking right.’
Nellie surveyed the table. ‘Well it looks all right to me. How are you all?’ According to the replies everyone was fine. ‘Right then,’ Nellie said, ‘so we’ll all enjoy our teas. What time is our visitor expected?’
‘Our Ben’s gone to meet her off the bus. They should be here any minute now.’
And they were. Ben came in rubbing his hands. ‘Right then, Emma, let me introduce you to the family: Mary, the eldest and her husband, Jacob. This is Nellie, Jane, Lucy and … Where’s our William?’
Lucy went towards the door. ‘He’s sneaked out again. I’ll go find him.’
‘No, please leave him,’ Emma said. ‘I’ll see him later. It’s so nice to meet you all at last.’ Emma thought there were quite enough people staring at her for the time being without William.
‘Nice to meet you too.’ Mary shook hands with the pleasant, gorgeous-looking girl. ‘I’ll mash the tea then, shall I, Jane?’
‘Yes please, and I’ll go fetch our Will, if I can find him.’ They managed to squeeze themselves round the large kitchen table and Mary poured the tea.
‘Is it a party then?’ William asked as he helped himself to salad from the cut-glass bowl that had once belonged to Grandma Gabbitas.
‘Aye it is,’ Ben told him. ‘It’s some time since a party was held in this house, so we’ll have one today, to celebrate Emma’s first visit to our house.’
‘Welcome to our home, Emma,’ Lucy said. She liked the look of Ben’s girlfriend and hoped she would make her brother happy.
When the tea plates were cleared away and the tea cups replenished Lucy served the pie. ‘Hmm.’ Nellie rolled her eyes. ‘Who’s made this?’
‘Our Lucy,’ Jane answered.
‘Hmm, you can come and bake for me at the manor.’
Lucy blushed.
‘Nellie’s right, it’s delicious,’ Emma added. ‘I’m afraid I’ve yet to learn how to cook.’
‘I’ll teach you. That’s if you want to come again of course.’
‘Oh yes, I’d love to come
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