sheâd see her all the time. Cuddle her, and talk to her, and watch her grow up. Spending her weekends in joy and wonder; playing games, singing songs, reading to her, teaching her to play the piano, going on picnics and spoiling her with all the things that little girls wanted. Her little girl. As nearly hers as she could hope for.
Ted lay the sleeping baby back in her cot with a tender kiss, sat down and took Peggyâs hand. âLook, Peg. Can you really afford the expense? Two pound ten a weekâs quite steep. If you canât, just say so and Iâll chip in.â
âThereâs no problem. Mr Agarowliaâs staying on in the back bedroom when I get home, so his rent will more than cover the cost, and the library have offered me a post at Summertown. Itâs lower grade for now but they said Iâll go up the ladder again when any vacancies arise. Iâll make out to Stan and Edie itâs a promotion, though. Summertown will suit me well. Short walk up Little Clarendon Street, and the No.2 bus from St. Giles takes me all the way there.â
âItâs really all come together, hasnât it. Everythingâs going to be alright.â
March 30th 1954
Dear Peg,
Re: the âhandover arrangementsâ for next Tuesday. As we discussed Iâve hired a fully qualified nanny and a private car to take Angela down to No.55, so expect it to arrive with you around 11.00am. Stan and Edie are so excited â hopping around like two scalded cats! Iâm pretty excited myself and Iâm going to really enjoy being an Uncle. Peg, I canât wait to have you home again, but it might be a good idea to leave it a week or two before you make an appearance.
All my love, and a big kiss to our dear little girl from her devoted Uncle Ted.
April 2nd 1954
Dearest Ted,
My dear friend, I will never forget how kind you have been to me. Thank you so much for everything, and Tuesday morning is all arranged with the Sisters. Itâs going to be heart-breaking to hand my darling over, and Iâm dreading it, but I just canât believe my luck thatâs she still going to be in my life, and only a brickâs width away. Of course I want to rush back home so I donât miss a single minute of her settling in, but Iâve taken your advice. Iâve booked into a small hotel in Weston-Super-Mare for a couple of weeks, and my âexileâ will probably do me good. To have some peace and quiet and to come to terms with everything, so expect me home towards the beginning of May.
Once again, I canât express my gratitude more strongly.
With much love,
Peggy
The time had come. A sleek, shining Rover pulled up at St. Olaveâs and the nanny emerged, dressed in a formal uniform of brown tweed coat and matching hat. The Sisters, in welcoming in the young lady, play-acted their deceitful roles of caring custodians, fussing and fluttering, and smiling like the motherly angels they certainly were not. But was Peggy there to hand over her precious daughter? Her beloved little girl that sheâd fed and nurtured for six whole weeks. To ensure the nanny that she loved her, and she was only giving her up because her circumstances couldnât cope. To kiss her one last time and to whisper, âMummy will see you soon, darling.â No, she was not. She was ordered into an upstairs back room shortly before the event on the pretext of her signing some papers, only to be swiftly abandoned and the key turned. Oh, what a fool to have been tricked! She knew the horrors of âthe handing over ritualâ from the pitiful screams of other girls whoâs babies were just off for adoption and had been removed âfor their own goodâ, but sheâd never dreamed she would be treated so cruelly in the same way. She, too, shouted, and kicked on the door, and yelled with all her strength, but with exhaustion sheâd fallen in a heap on the floor, crying, shivering and
Sharon Kleve, Jennifer Conner, Danica Winters, Casey Dawes