Free Legacy of Greyladies by Anna Jacobs Page A

people.’
    ‘You need another job, then. Which is where the Women’s Institutes come in. Leave it with me. Ah, here we are.’ She slowed down and swung left into a drive.
     
    Her house was large, four windows wide at the front. But it was just a square lump of a building without any charm. Whoever had designed it had done a poor job.
    ‘Dull-looking place, isn’t it?’ Babs stopped the car in front of the house. ‘I’ll leave the car here and drive you back later. Yes, I will! It’s going to rain and I’m not having you walking two miles and getting soaked.’
    ‘I did bring an umbrella, but thank you.’
    ‘Come on in. We’ll have a glass of wine and a few chocolates.’
    ‘Wine?’
    ‘The only thing that’s good about this house is the wine cellar. When I sell it, I’m also going to sell the flat in London and buy a house there. I’ll take all the wine with me. Then I’m going to drink it, bottle by luscious bottle.’
    She gestured to a portrait on the wall of a gentleman with ruddy cheeks and a rather full figure. ‘Humfy’s father. Only interested in hunting and fishing, but he did enjoy a drink, so I have him to thank for the wine. Humfy followed his example and drank more than he should sometimes. I’m glad of that now. At least he enjoyed what life he did have before the bullet found him.’
    A maid stuck her head into the room without knocking. ‘Oh, there you are, Mrs J. Do you want some tea bringing in?’
    ‘Yes, please, Annie. Just a few sandwiches and some cake. But we’ll drink wine with it, so no pot of tea. This is my friend Mrs Harbury, by the way.’
    ‘Nice to meet you, Mrs Harbury.’ She left the room.
    ‘She’s a treasure,’ Babs said. ‘I’d be lost without her.’
    ‘I wish she had a sister to work for Cecily and Donald.’
    ‘I’ll ask her if she knows someone looking for work. But your cousins will have to pay higher than pre-war wages.’
    ‘I’ll see if I can convince Donald. Perhaps when he accepts the fact that I really am leaving, he’ll reconsider it.’
    After they were settled with a platter of food in front of them, Babs said briskly, ‘Right. Let’s talk about the Women’s Institute movement.’
    ‘I’m looking forward to hearing more about it. It must be something new.’
    ‘Very new, just starting up and hasn’t really got off the ground in England. It’s thriving in Canada, though, and it’s getting started in Ireland. You know how long it can take to accept something new in England. And one problem is, everyone knows their place in society. You’d think we’d asked them to commit murder by suggesting they form anassociation where all the women in each village are on equal terms at meetings.’
    Olivia smiled. ‘That is outrageous. I can’t imagine Donald allowing his wife to join such a group. Why, she might have to sit next to her own maid! A lot of other people would be very much against such egalitarianism, though, women as well as men. And where would each group meet?’
    ‘There! I knew you were a practical sort. How should I know where they’d meet? Each village is different. Church hall, maybe.’
    ‘Only if the clergyman agreed. They’re not all like our Mr Cummins, who has a very modern attitude towards the world.’
    ‘He and his wife are dears. You’ll find this hard to believe, but I heard that the vicar of one village instituted a curfew for women when they tried to set up a Women’s Institute and forbade them to go out after dark.’
    ‘ What? You’re joking.’
    ‘No. It’s the absolute truth. If I’d lived there I’d have gone out every night and danced on the vicar’s doorstep. But he’s not the only one to try to stop us: some husbands don’t like their wives going out in the evening, especially if that means leaving them to look after the children. Whose children are they, I ask? It takes two people to make a child.’
    She let out a defiant snort. ‘Hah! We’ll find a way to get the institutes