Free A Family Christmas by Glenice Crossland Page B

it by saving all the money she could have spent on herself. Every penny, so that we should have security when she had gone. She did it for our William and you and me.’ Lucy stood up and ran upstairs. When she returned she emptied the sock on the table. ‘She said it was for us three, but I don’t think that’s fair. You’ve all gone short , especially our Ben who’s tipped up the most. I shall put my share back for when our Will needs new clothes, which he will because he’s growing so fast. But you must share the rest. Me mam said I had to stop you spending your share on daft things.’ Lucy smiled at Jane. ‘She said you were a good lass but a bit flighty.’
    Jane blushed but the tears had ceased by now and she was grateful for the chance to make amends for her neglect of her mother. ‘You must have my share for our Will, and we’ll come to some agreement about how much we shall be able to manage on for running the house.’
    ‘No, Jane. If me mother said it was for you three then we must respect her wishes.’ Ben looked questioningly at Mary and Nellie.
    ‘Of course they must have it. I wouldn’t dream of taking any of it. I don’t need it,’ Nellie said. ‘In fact I can contribute a bit each week if necessary.’
    ‘It won’t be necessary whilst I live here, though if I leave I don’t know what will happen. It looks like I’m stuck ’ere until you start at pit, Will.’
    ‘I don’t want to go to’t pit; I’d be scared shut in all’t time in the dark.’ William had turned pale.
    ‘Me mam didn’t want you to go, but I can’t see any alternative,’ Lucy said, ‘not if our Ben wants a home of his own.’
    ‘We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,’ Ben said. ‘In the meantime I think this little lot should go in the bank for safety.’
    ‘In our Will’s name,’ Jane stressed. ‘How much is there?’
    ‘I don’t know. I haven’t counted it.’
    ‘Then we’d better do it now, and the first chance we get we’ll take it to the Yorkshire Bank.
    ‘Come on, Jacob, you work with money. Would you like to count it for us?’ Jacob nodded. As an accountant he was pleased to be of assistance to his wife’s family and even more pleased to be included in their affairs. Being an only child he considered this family – who admittedly had just lost their mother but had a close relationship with their brothers and sisters – to be so much more fortunate than him. He counted the money and delved into his pocket, bringing out a florin, which he added to the rest of the money. ‘Exactly two hundred and forty pounds.’
    ‘What? Bloody ’ell.’ Ben usually reserved any bad language for the pit, but he was too shocked to notice. ‘How did she manage that?’
    ‘Well, I reckon she must have saved all of her pension since your father died. There’s also a hundred pounds from Aunt Kate and a donation from the colliers at the time of your father’s death.’
    ‘She’d been scrimping before me dad died, she told me.’ Lucy was proud that her mother had chosen her to confide in.
    ‘Ah yes, but there would have been a time of hardship during the strike, with bills to be paid,’ Jacob reasoned. Nobody informed him about how mean Annie had been. In fact they would all have been willing to exist on stew for the rest of their lives just to have their mother back. Only in one piece though – none of them would have wished her back to suffer. And each and every one of them was relieved not to have the worry of caring for an invalid, though none of them would ever have admitted it.

Chapter Seven
    IT WAS TWO o’clock in the morning when Lucy woke. Her pillow was wet with tears and the realisation that she would never see her mother again dawned on her for the first time. She looked to the bottom of the bed and wasn’t at all surprised to see her mother standing there. She was wearing the new flannel nighty with the embroidered Peter Pan collar, which had been folded neatly in her mother’s