it won’t be as bad as you imagine,’ Abi told her. She then listened to Ellen as she continued her rant against the tree guy, against the paper delivery boy who’d completely shredded the paper in the letterbox – again, and the local supermarket who’d given her the wrong change. Abi let Ellen get it all out of her system before she dared to speak.
‘Listen, I was thinking of coming down tomorrow as it’s Saturday and the girls will be home.’
‘Were you? It’s a bit late notice,’ Ellen said.
‘Oh, are you out?’
‘No.’
Abi paused. The fact was that no time was ever convenient for Ellen. There was always some drama happening in her life and everything and everyone was an inconvenience. So Abi played her best card.
‘I could take the girls out – give you a break. I mean, if Douglas isn’t home and wanting to spend time with them.’
‘No, he’s still away.’
‘And I’ve something to tell you.’
‘What?’
‘I want to tell you in person, don’t I?’ Abi said with a laugh.
‘Well, I suppose you could come down. Heaven knows I could use a break from the girls.’
‘Great! How about mid-morning? I could take the girls out for lunch by the sea.’
‘As long as you don’t pump them full of chips and ice cream,’ Ellen warned.
‘Ice cream – in March! You’ve got to be kidding,’ Abi said with a grin, but she could almost smell the hot vinegar of the chips she was planning to buy for them all.
Chapter Six
Abi always got excited about seeing her nieces and it was even more exciting now that she knew she’d soon be living closer to them. The drive from London was never a problem for her, but she’d welcome being nearer to her family in the future.
She passed the turn off for Winfield and it was hard not to make a detour, but it would be weird if Edward caught her there, wouldn’t it? The place wasn’t hers yet and she didn’t want to intrude and so she continued on her way towards Brighton and to the comfortable Victorian home where Ellen lived.
She parked on the street outside when she arrived. Ellen didn’t like her taking up the driveway even though there was always plenty of room.
‘You never know when someone might call,’ Ellen told her.
Abi wondered why her sister never considered that Abi was actually someone.
Ringing the doorbell a moment later, she heard the excited thunder of footsteps in the hall beyond the front door which was a smart navy with a small pane of stained glass.
‘Aunt Abi!’ Rosie, who was six, skipped and jumped her way towards Abi before leaping into her arms.
‘Sweetheart! How are you?’ Abi laughed.
‘Your hair’s longer!’ Rosie told her.
‘Is it? I suppose it is.’ It was true that, since leaving her company, Abi had gently allowed her appearance to return to nature – not worrying about having to be quite so neat and pristine and letting her hair grow in just the way it wanted to which, it had to be said, could get a little wild in its curliness.
‘I like it!’ Rosie declared.
‘Well, good – I like it too.’
‘You look like Rapunzel,’ Bethanne said as she approached for a hug. She didn’t skip like her sister. She was ten now, and a very mature ten at that, but now that Abi came to think of it, she couldn’t ever remember Bethanne skipping at all.
‘Hmmmm, maybe I should get it cut,’ Abi mused.
‘Nooooo!’ the two girls cried in unison.
‘Mum’s got short hair and it’s so boring!’ Rosie declared.
Abi tried not to laugh. ‘Well, maybe just a little trim then. Where’s your mum?’
‘In the kitchen,’ Bethanne said.
‘Ellen?’ Abi called through and, a moment later, Ellen appeared in the hallway.
‘Come here,’ Ellen said. Abi did as she was told and stared out of the kitchen window in the direction Ellen pointed. ‘Didn’t I tell you they’d leave a mess?’
Abi frowned. Was it the small circle of sawdust Ellen was objecting too?
‘How about a cup of tea?’ Abi prompted. She was desperate for one after her drive.
‘Of course,’ Ellen said and Abi sat down at the kitchen table, noticing the oilcloth on the table that wasn’t an Abigail Carey design. Abi had never forgotten her grave disappointment when she’d shown Ellen the first printed tea towels with her sunflower motif.
‘I’m not really keen on yellow,’ she’d said with a grimace. ‘But I guess they’re pretty enough.’
And that, as far as Ellen was concerned, was a compliment. Abi had never seen any