‘Darling, you’ll never forget them, and you’re bound to miss both of them terribly at times, but they would want you to stop grieving now and get on with your life.’ Kate took her hand. ‘They made me your official guardian, remember, so you know they trusted me to take care of you. And I will.’
‘I know that, Kate.’ Jo smiled valiantly. ‘What time are we due at Anna’s?’
Joanna slept late next morning, and Kate, awake early as she always seemed to be lately, got up quietly and had finished her morning’s work before Jo appeared in the study doorway, yawning widely.
‘Sorry I slept so long, Kate.’
‘Did you enjoy your lie in?’
Jo nodded with enthusiasm, pushing the hair out of her eyes. ‘But if you want me to get up earlier I will. Mum would never let me stay in bed after nine.’
Kate switched off her computer and got up. ‘Let’s have some brunch.’
‘The thing is, Jo,’ she said, when they were tucking into bacon and eggs, ‘in my opinion you get enough rules and regulations in school. That doesn’t mean you’ve got carte blanche to run wild at home now you’ve only got me to answer to, but you’re definitely entitled to a lie in on your first morning.’
‘Thanks, Kate. I had such a great time with Anna and Ben, but I was really tired by the time we came home,’ said Jo. ‘But you didn’t have a long sleep, and you’ve been working all morning.’
‘Which means we can now go out to play,’ said Kate promptly. ‘Anna is meeting us at two to go shopping.’
‘I enjoyed that enormously,’ said Anna later, while they were waiting for tea and cakes in her favourite coffee shop. ‘I adore spending other people’s money.’
‘You spent some of your own, too,’ Kate reminded her.
‘Anna just had to buy the baby something,’ said Jo, and smiled in satisfaction. ‘We did, too.’
‘Hard to resist,’ agreed Kate. ‘If I were any sort of godmother-to-be I’d be knitting those cute little white things instead of buying them, but I know my limitations.’
Anna chuckled. ‘You’re off the hook—both grandmothers are knitting furiously as we speak. Oops, I almost forgot.’ She fished an envelope out of her handbag and handed it to Joanna. ‘This is for you.’
Jo’s eyes lit up like lamps when she took out a party invitation. ‘Josh and Leo’s birthday—it’s a disco!’ she added in excitement. ‘I can wear some of my new stuff. What do you think—denim mini-skirt or white jeans?’
‘Jeans!’ said Kate and Anna in unison.
‘The Careys are transforming their barn into a nightclub for the party, brave souls that they are,’ said Anna. ‘Ben’s volunteered his services as extra doorman, and you can spend the evening with me, Auntie.’
With Joanna at home, life was no longer flat for Kate. The days took on an agreeable pattern, with a walk in the park every day as soon as Kate switched off the computer, and some kind of outing in the afternoon. On the first Sunday Kate put a chicken in to roast before the usual walk with Joanna in the park, and waved, smiling, as she saw Tom Logan coming along the lake path towards them with Bran.
Kate made the introductions as they met up with him,eye-ing Tom in alarm. At close quarters he looked pale and drawn, in such contrast to his usual health and vitality that she took his hand to feel his pulse surreptitiously as he kissed her cheek. But his smile was warm as he turned to Joanna.
‘I’m very glad to meet you, my dear. This handsome fellow is Bran, my son’s dog.’
‘How do you do, Mr Logan?’ said Jo, and bent towards the dog in yearning. ‘Will he let me stroke him?’
‘As much as you like, pet. He laps it up.’ Tom turned to Kate. ‘Joanna’s with you for the Easter holiday?’
‘Most of it. I’m driving her to Worcester to stay with her grandparents later this afternoon, but only for a couple of days. She’s invited to a party on Saturday.’
‘It’s a disco,’ Joanna informed him.
He smiled indulgently. ‘I’m sure you’ll have a really good time, sweetheart. Are you going along as chaperon, Kate?’
She laughed. ‘And spoil the fun? No way; I’m just the chauffeur. Come back and have some coffee with us, Tom. Or better still, stay and share our roast chicken.’
He shook his head, his eyes on Joanna as she yearned over the dog. ‘That’s very kind of you, but Jack’s due back from London