sheen as was the furniture and the brown linoleum on the floor.
Ma was sitting in a high backed chair with a lovely crochet shawl over her knees. A small tray with cups and saucers and a plate of biscuits lay on a tiny table at her elbow. The kettle was boiling on the gas cooker while the teapot had spoonfuls of tea in its base.
Ma looked pleased to see me. ‘Just put some boiling water in the teapot, Ann, and come and sit beside me.’
I did as I was told and sat opposite her with another cup of tea. I would be waterlogged before the end of the day, I thought.
‘How are Maddie and Daniel?’ she asked.
My heart sank. Did she know something bad about them? Having the sixth sense as she so often said could be a curse instead of a blessing.
In spite of the tea, my mouth was dry. ‘They’re fine, Ma. I saw them last week and Daniel is getting quite big. Maddie is missing Danny so much and just wishing this war was over.’
Ma nodded. ‘And what’s the news of your young man, Ann. How is he?’
Where was all this leading? I wondered. I gave her all the latest news of Greg as received in my last letter from him.
‘You’ll be wondering why I asked you over here?’
I nodded.
She gave me a curious look. ‘I did debate about telling you this but the feeling is so strong that I feel you should know.’
My eyes were like saucers and my heart was thumping in worried anticipation. It was another of Ma’s warnings. She had warned me once before while I was working at the Ferry with Mrs Barrie and that had come true. This new warning could only mean some sort of danger. Otherwise why ask me over to her house like this?
She leaned forward. ‘The feeling is a bit patchy, Ann, but very, very strong. Watch your step, that’s all I can say. Watch your step very, very carefully.’
I was perplexed. ‘In what way, Ma, do I have to watch my step? Is it in everyday life? Something I do every day?’
‘I’m sorry, Ann, but I can’t tell you because I don’t know. I just keep thinking you’ve to watch your step because there’s danger of some sort.’
Oh, no, I thought. Was my life always going to have this dangerous element? Surely I wouldn’t meet another Miss Hood – the housekeeper at the Ferry who had tried to kill me.
I made a mental note to look extra carefully when crossing the road and to make sure I never went up a ladder. I told Ma I would take care and went to pick up Lily. Kit seemed a bit more cheerful and I told her not to worry about Kathleen or Maggie.
Lily chatted all the way back in the tramcar, stopping only to gaze down on the streets now and then. She loved the top deck of the tramcar. We soon reached our stop and my mind was full of Ma’s warning. What did it mean?
Lily went downstairs ahead of me but, halfway down the metal spiral stairs, my heel caught and I was suddenly thrown forwards. I think I screamed but there was no sound as far as I could recall and I saw Lily’s wide-eyed stare as I hurtled past her.
Suddenly, a strong arm grabbed me. It was the tramcar conductor. ‘Watch your step, love. You almost fell out on to the road.’
Lily was almost crying when we stepped on to the pavement.
‘It’s all right, Lily – I’m not hurt,’ I told her.
Reassured, she set off towards the flat with me following her. I was shaking a bit with the fright and my legs felt numb with the shock of the incident.
Ma had been right about her warning. I should have watched my step. Surely this was what she meant, wasn’t it?
7
Grandad was ill and Granny was worried sick about him. It was also clear to the rest of the family that his bronchitis, which was a yearly winter affliction for him, was getting worse. But he wouldn’t listen to anyone when we told him to stop smoking his pipe with its dark, foul-smelling slivers of Bogey Roll tobacco stuffed into its bowl.
‘I’ve been smoking since I was sixteen and it’s never done me any harm,’ was the usual statement when Granny or I
Ma was sitting in a high backed chair with a lovely crochet shawl over her knees. A small tray with cups and saucers and a plate of biscuits lay on a tiny table at her elbow. The kettle was boiling on the gas cooker while the teapot had spoonfuls of tea in its base.
Ma looked pleased to see me. ‘Just put some boiling water in the teapot, Ann, and come and sit beside me.’
I did as I was told and sat opposite her with another cup of tea. I would be waterlogged before the end of the day, I thought.
‘How are Maddie and Daniel?’ she asked.
My heart sank. Did she know something bad about them? Having the sixth sense as she so often said could be a curse instead of a blessing.
In spite of the tea, my mouth was dry. ‘They’re fine, Ma. I saw them last week and Daniel is getting quite big. Maddie is missing Danny so much and just wishing this war was over.’
Ma nodded. ‘And what’s the news of your young man, Ann. How is he?’
Where was all this leading? I wondered. I gave her all the latest news of Greg as received in my last letter from him.
‘You’ll be wondering why I asked you over here?’
I nodded.
She gave me a curious look. ‘I did debate about telling you this but the feeling is so strong that I feel you should know.’
My eyes were like saucers and my heart was thumping in worried anticipation. It was another of Ma’s warnings. She had warned me once before while I was working at the Ferry with Mrs Barrie and that had come true. This new warning could only mean some sort of danger. Otherwise why ask me over to her house like this?
She leaned forward. ‘The feeling is a bit patchy, Ann, but very, very strong. Watch your step, that’s all I can say. Watch your step very, very carefully.’
I was perplexed. ‘In what way, Ma, do I have to watch my step? Is it in everyday life? Something I do every day?’
‘I’m sorry, Ann, but I can’t tell you because I don’t know. I just keep thinking you’ve to watch your step because there’s danger of some sort.’
Oh, no, I thought. Was my life always going to have this dangerous element? Surely I wouldn’t meet another Miss Hood – the housekeeper at the Ferry who had tried to kill me.
I made a mental note to look extra carefully when crossing the road and to make sure I never went up a ladder. I told Ma I would take care and went to pick up Lily. Kit seemed a bit more cheerful and I told her not to worry about Kathleen or Maggie.
Lily chatted all the way back in the tramcar, stopping only to gaze down on the streets now and then. She loved the top deck of the tramcar. We soon reached our stop and my mind was full of Ma’s warning. What did it mean?
Lily went downstairs ahead of me but, halfway down the metal spiral stairs, my heel caught and I was suddenly thrown forwards. I think I screamed but there was no sound as far as I could recall and I saw Lily’s wide-eyed stare as I hurtled past her.
Suddenly, a strong arm grabbed me. It was the tramcar conductor. ‘Watch your step, love. You almost fell out on to the road.’
Lily was almost crying when we stepped on to the pavement.
‘It’s all right, Lily – I’m not hurt,’ I told her.
Reassured, she set off towards the flat with me following her. I was shaking a bit with the fright and my legs felt numb with the shock of the incident.
Ma had been right about her warning. I should have watched my step. Surely this was what she meant, wasn’t it?
7
Grandad was ill and Granny was worried sick about him. It was also clear to the rest of the family that his bronchitis, which was a yearly winter affliction for him, was getting worse. But he wouldn’t listen to anyone when we told him to stop smoking his pipe with its dark, foul-smelling slivers of Bogey Roll tobacco stuffed into its bowl.
‘I’ve been smoking since I was sixteen and it’s never done me any harm,’ was the usual statement when Granny or I
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