but take yer time an’ I’ll go an’ stay with her till yer get back.’ And true to her word Bessie pottered away, leaving the sheet to steam in the warm sunshine.
The doctor arrived almost two hours later. By then, Molly was feeling slightly better. Bessie had helped her to wash and dress, and she was sitting in her chair by the fire.
Even so, the big man tutted when he had finished examining her. ‘That’s a rare bad chest you have on you there, Mrs Ernshaw,’ he scolded. ‘You should have seen me sooner and then I could have given you something to stop it from getting to this stage.’
‘Pah! You know I ain’t never been one fer runnin’ to the quack wi’ the least little ailment,’ she grumbled.
The doctor winked at Amy. ‘Happen this time you should have. Now I’m going to give you some linctus and I want you to take it three times a day. And just mind you do take it, otherwise Amy will tell me. Besides that, I want you to rest. You’re not as young as you used to be, Molly, and I’m sure that Amy is quite capable of seeing to anything that needs doing, so just do as you’re told for a change, eh?’
Molly muttered something under her breath and when he had snapped his bag shut Amy saw him to the door.
‘Does this mean that Gran shouldn’t go to the ball tonight?’ she asked.
The doctor looked at her regretfully. ‘I’m afraid it does, Amy. It wouldn’t do her any good at all in her present condition. If we are to clear that chest of hers she should stay in the same temperature.’
Amy was unable to hide her disappointment as Bessie squeezed her arm sympathetically. ‘Never mind, love, there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t still go. Me an’ Toby will see as she’s all right, I promise. Those grandparents of yours have gone to a lot o’ trouble to organise this affair, so you just get ready an’ leave the rest to us. Yer gran will be as right as ninepence, you’ll see. An’ she’d hate for yer to miss it.’
Amy looked at her kindly neighbour, feeling as if she was being torn in two. One half of her wanted to stay with her gran. The other half of her recognised the truth of Bessie’s words, for the Forresters had pulled out all the stops to arrange this ball in her honour. It looked set to be an occasion that would be remembered for a long, long time to come, so how could she let them down?
Seeing the dilemma she was in, Molly, who had been listening intently, added her comments to Bessie’s. ‘Don’t even think o’ not goin’, my gel,’ she told her sternly. ‘I shall be perfectly all right here wi’ Bessie an’ Toby. To tell yer the truth, I’m relieved. Yer know I ain’t never been one fer fancy dos. But I ain’t half lookin’ forward to seein’ you all dolled up in yer glad rags.’
Knowing when she was beaten, Amy sighed heavily then set about cleaning the cottage. She was no match for her gran and Bessie when they stood together, and well she knew it.
Amy was still getting ready in her bedroom that evening when Toby arrived at the cottage and she heard her gran chatting away to him. Molly loved nothing better than for Toby to sit and read to her, and it was a comfort to know that she would be leaving her in safe hands.
Turning her attention back to the reflection in the mirror, Amy eyed herself critically. Deciding that her gown was too sophisticated for her hair to hang loose, she began to pile it on to the top of her head. Once it was clipped into place she began to tease it into long fat ringlets that framed her heart-shaped face. The springing curls seemed to have developed a life of their own and she struggled with the style for some time, wishing that Nancy were there to help her. Nancy could do in minutes what it always took Amy ages to achieve. But at last it was done and rising from her dressing-table stool she shook out her stiff taffeta skirts and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
Molly and Toby were deep in conversation but they stopped speaking when she entered and gazed towards her in awe. Her gown was in a shade of palest gold, which complemented her thick auburn