Free Maggie's Girl by Sally Wragg

there isn’t too much damage done. It’ll give us something useful to do, something to think about—’
    â€˜I don’t need anything to think about!’ Silas blustered.
    Adèle stood up stiffly and went over to him. Her hand sought his, and he grasped it tenderly. Age had done nothing to dim their feelings for each other.
    â€˜I think I should enjoy children being here again.’ She looked up at him. ‘Think about it, Silas! Mrs Pardew is right – there really is nothing for us to worry over. The house will be alive again.’
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    â€˜I promised my dad I’d come up and give him a hand, Mam.’ Billy thrust his spade into the ground and turned over the sort of rich dark loam only arrived at by years of tender loving cultivation.
    William had given a lifetime to his garden, growing mostly flowers. Over the last few months Peter, digging for Victory, had been busy turning it into a large vegetable patch. Plenty needed doing; Daisy knew he’d be really glad of the help – and even more pleased to see Billy taking an interest.
    â€˜You’re a good lad.’ She smiled up at him.
    He’d finished his shift mid-afternoon and got home to have a bath and change before coming up the hill.
    He looked as if he meant business, and Daisy was pleased to see him home and doing something useful – away from his books, for once.
    â€˜Where’s our Mary, then?’ he asked, turning another spadeful.
    It was a beautiful day. Mary’s day off, and Daisy knew she planned to spend it in Castle Maine with her RAF boy. The base was only five miles down the road, and it appeared Mary was intent on making the most of it. She was hardly ever without a date nowadays.
    Daisy told Billy all about it – it did her good to let it all out.
    Thinking about Mary kept her mind off other things, though, and Billy knew that.
    â€˜Mags’ll be back safe and sound, you’ll see.’ Billy knew exactly what was on his mother’s mind.
    â€˜What if she doesn’t come back?’ Daisy could hardly bear to think what was happening in France. If only Maggie had listened to her!
    â€˜What if—’ She stopped. She couldn’t even put it into words. Daisy hated not being able to affect the outcome of things. It made her feel thwarted, defeated almost.
    â€˜Happen you just ought to concentrate on being proud of what she’s doing,’ Billy suggested.
    â€˜I am proud of her!’ Daisy retorted a little defensively. It was true, she was prouder of Maggie than she’d ever admitted to anyone.
    â€˜She shouldn’t have gone.’ Daisy couldn’t keep accusation out of her voice. ‘I have enough on with Dad and the job, and this wretched war, without having to worry about Maggie, too!’
    She stopped.
    â€˜What, Mam?’ Billy prompted, so she said it anyway.
    â€˜I’m too old for looking after children, Billy! I know Holly’s nearly grown, but Harry’s such a handful. He runs rings round us; I never know the half of what he’s up to!’
    â€˜He’s a lad. Can’t you remember some of the things I used to get up to?’
    â€˜You were never like that, our Billy!’
    Billy had been a doddle compared to Harry. Daisy sighed. She ought not to feel this way, not with her own grandchildren, not when she loved them so much.
    â€˜I’m tired, I expect, that’s all. Not been getting a lot of sleep.’
    â€˜You mustn’t worry about things so. It’s the war. It happens,’ he consoled her.
    â€˜Oh, the war! Folk of my age have been through it once already – and lost people, too!’
    Ned was never far from her thoughts nowadays, yet she couldn’t even speak of him, not to this good sweet boy, nor to Mary, and especially not to Peter.
    What would Peter say if he knew she was spending so much time thinking of someone else? She loved Peter, of course, but could she be