Chapter Eighteen
Late in July Maureen didn’t appear for work at the farm one day. Charity was concerned. The week before Maureen had confided that her mother was now gravely ill. She mentioned it to Eddie when he came in for a cup of tea mid-morning. He had been up all night with a sick cow and looked tired.
‘I hope she’s all right.’ He frowned. ‘I wonder if I should pop into town and see her?’
‘I could go,’ Charity offered. She didn’t mind going into town now that her people had moved on. ‘I could take the children with me. I have some shopping I need to get anyway. We’re almost out of flour.’
He nodded. ‘Thank you. I should be here when the vet arrives. I think old Daisy might be on her last legs.’ He sighed. Daisy was one of his best milkers. She had been at the farm for years and he was fond of her.
So, shortly after, Charity tidied the children and they set off for the town. The children always enjoyed going, especially if Charity treated them to a sugar mouse each from the sweet shop.
Thankfully, Charity’s morning sickness had abated now, but she had noticed her waistline was thickening.
She had spent the night before letting the waistbands on her skirts out, but they were still slightly tight.
Soon she would treat herself to some material and make some loose dresses.
She had settled well into the cottage. She enjoyed the solitude of living alone but she still missed Luca desperately.
She would often stand in the window wondering where he was and what he was doing.
And then she would picture him with Scarlet.
He would be kissing her as he had once kissed Charity.
Then the pain of betrayal would come back tenfold.
She had calculated that the baby would come sometime in late January to early February.
She felt nervous at the thought of the birth without her mother to help her, but Maureen had promised that she would be there for her.
Eddie had also promised to organise the midwife from the village nearer to the time.
It was a beautiful day. The sun was riding high in a cloudless blue sky.
As they approached the high street in the small town, the children became excited.
They loved to peer into the shop windows.
Charity quickly got the shopping they needed before taking them to the sweet shop.
Simon chose a sugar mouse and Tilly opted for a liquorice twist. And then they headed for Maureen’s house.
It was a small terrace where the doors opened directly onto the street.
Some little girls were rolling hoops along the cobbles or playing hopscotch.
The boys were kicking about an inflated pig’s bladder that served as a football.
When they came to Maureen’s door Charity tapped on it. She didn’t want to make too much noise in case her mother was asleep. Maureen opened it almost immediately. She looked tired and drawn but she smiled at the sight of them.
‘Come on in.’ She held the door wide. ‘I was just about to make a cup of tea. And I bet you two wouldn’t say no to a glass of lemonade.’
The children skipped out to look at the yard and Charity asked, ‘How is she?’
Maureen sighed. ‘The doctor came this morning.’ She blinked back tears. ‘He said her heart is failing now. It could happen anytime.’
‘I’m so sorry.’ Charity knew how much Maureen loved her mother.
‘Death comes to all of us be we beggars or kings,’ Maureen said quietly. ‘But how are you? I’m sorry I couldn’t leave her today.’
‘Oh, don’t worry about that, and I’m fine,’ Charity assured her. ‘The morning sickness has all but stopped now.’
They stayed for another ten minutes. The children were becoming restless by that time so they set off for the farm again. ‘How is she?’ Eddie asked when they were home and he came in for his lunch.
‘She looks tired and her mother is failing.’
He shook his head. ‘Maureen has devoted her life to caring for her mother and her family since her father died. And she’s been wonderful to me since I lost Mary. She’s a good woman.’
Charity nodded in agreement.
Maureen sent word three days later that her mother had passed away peacefully in her sleep.
Eddie immediately stopped what he had been doing to go to her. When he came back, he told Charity. ‘I have asked Maureen to move in here to be with us.’
‘Oh, I see.’ Charity had been hoping he would say that. But it did make her wonder where that would leave her.
He instantly put her mind at rest when he said next, ‘I think there’s more than enough work here to keep you both busy.’
Charity stifled a sigh of relief. She just hoped that one day Maureen and Eddie would realise they had feelings for each other. They were both good people and deserved a happily ever after.