The summer of 1933 had begun so happily for Ellie and it continued to bring small pleasures among the daily tasks. Although July turned out to be considerably wetter than June and most Orange men returned home from The Twelfth demonstrations ‘with the shine off their shoes’ as the country expression had it, August was continuously sunny, with just enough rain to plump up the ripening crops and satisfy the farmers without spoiling the pleasure of young people who walked, cycled, or played tennis.

The very warm and fine September which followed such a good summer was a surprise to everyone. By the end of the second week, it had been so sunny, day after day, that the rainwater barrel at the side of the house was bone dry. A delph mug, lost for a year or more, reappeared at the bottom, cushioned on a thin layer of dried and cracked mud, none the worse for having been dropped in accidentally and forgotten.

The unusual extension of summer was welcome to everyone. Usually by mid-September, one had only to step into the forge to hear a note of sadness, even anxiety, as the drop in the nights was observed and commented upon. By then, even on the finest of evenings, the sunlight was paling into dusk by nine o’clock whereas at mid-summer the light had lingered till eleven.

It was the change in the mornings that affected Ellie most. Though she seldom complained about what could not be changed, she was always aware of the mornings growing darker. She dreaded the short winter days, having to get up and dress by candle light in a stone-cold room, a pattern like frosted ferns decorating her window and the odd sliver of ice floating on top of the water she’d have to use for washing.

Now, however, for the first time in her life, the thought of ice brought her some slight comfort. Yes, there were six months to go till the Spring, but thanks to Polly’s encouragement, Ellie’s mind was already moving forward to the first possible opportunity for George to come home.

Over the summer she’d taken Rose’s advice and written more firmly about her need to know his plans for them. She told him that she wanted to know what he would like to do, even if it wasn’t entirely possible. True, he’d made some attempt to reply, but he ended up saying he really couldn’t tell her anything until he was back in Peterborough and could find out what plans his uncle had for him. Of course, he wanted to be with her, but until he was settled in his new job in Peterborough, he just didn’t see how he could plan ahead. He was sure she’d understand.

What he said was perfectly sensible, but it was not exactly encouraging. As she admitted to Polly in one of her letters,

Polly had thought that having George to visit them was a good idea. She’d done her best to encourage Ellie by saying the winter in Peterborough ought to give him long enough to see his way ahead. If he came down in October, he had five months before the seaway opened. Surely time enough to make things much clearer.

Ellie wasn’t familiar with the St Lawrence Seaway. Beyond knowing where it was, she had no idea why it’s opening was in any way relevant to George. But Polly had been finding out on her behalf and it seemed that Uncle Jim was something of an expert on the subject.

The news that Uncle Jim and his wife Rebecca had become friends and now visited the little house in Hunter Street regularly had pleased Ellie very much, but there’d been even better news from Polly in the course of the summer. Jimmy had been given a big step up at Quaker Oats. He was now in charge of a whole section of machines. Not only was the job more interesting and enjoyable, but his pay had been almost doubled.

Polly said she couldn’t be sure, but she did think that Uncle Jim had had a hand in it somewhere. His son Tommy was a foreman at Quaker. He was the one who had given her such a turn the morning she went into the shop and thought she’d seen her brother. He’d been on holiday from Quaker then, just helping his father out. Now that he knew Jimmy himself, she did wonder if his father had asked Tommy to put in a word for him.

It wasn’t just the extra money that was such a relief, Polly wrote, it was Jimmy being more like himself. Doing a routine job, a menial job, had had a very bad effect on him. He was brighter now, in much better spirits and even making more effort with the boys.

Now Davy would be going to school as well as Eddie, she hoped she might be able to do a bit of dressmaking again. She missed her sewing and she was fairly sure she could find customers once she’d got her hand in again. As well as being good-natured and very kind to her and the family, Aunt Rebecca was one of those women who knew everyone. She didn’t gossip, but she took in everything she heard, had a good memory and would be sure to know who would be in need of someone to sew for them. She was beginning to appreciate having an older woman she could talk to, Polly had added. It didn’t make up for missing her little sister, but it was a comfort.

It gave Ellie such pleasure to think of Polly and Jimmy and her other friends here at home as she cycled to work on the first damp morning in mid-October. Leaves blowing in the fresh breeze and hawthorn berries gleaming red in the hedgerows reminded her, however, of her one sadness. She was unlikely to see Sam Hamilton again till the Tennis Club opened at the end of April.

As the thought crossed her mind, she checked herself sharply. By then she might be Mrs George Robinson and be on her way to Canada.

She was shocked to discover the thought did not bring the glow of pleasure she had expected. What could be wrong with her today? Why did the thought of marrying George and sailing off together on the white hulled ship set against a blue sky she’d so often imagined no longer bring the same comforting feeling?

She tried to put the question out of mind, but once asked it wouldn’t go away. Suddenly, she noticed she was cycling slower and slower as it buzzed round and round in her head. Even as she forced herself to speed up, she felt she could almost hear Rose, asking a similar question on the day of her birthday party.

Now the day came back to her, there was something else as well. Was it Rose, or was it Hannah who’d said that if you were quite sure of the man you never gave a second thought to the place or the situation? Yes, it must have been Hannah. She’d said she never even thought of having ‘to play the Lady,’ because she was so sure about Teddy. Rose herself had left her home in Kerry, her mother and her friends and the mountains she so loved, to come to an unknown place called Annacramp, about which she knew nothing whatever, except that it was at the far end of Ireland and it was John’s home.

Suddenly, it all went very quiet inside her head, as if the nagging buzz of questions and answers had simply stopped of their own accord. All she was aware of was the fresh, rain-washed sky, the patches of blue between the moving clouds and the slight hiss of her tyres on the wet road. Perhaps they had gone away, but even if they had, she was far from sure she’d answered any of them.

‘Come in, Miss Scott. Do come in.’

Charlie Freeburn moved a comfortable chair for her to sit in front of his desk.

‘Do sit down, please. Would you like a cup of tea?’

‘Thank you. That would be very nice. Milk please, but no sugar.’

She smiled to herself as she saw him pour tea into cups normally reserved for distinguished visitors. She wondered if there was even a slight shake in the hand that held the silver teapot. Certainly he did not seem quite his usual self.

‘I’m afraid I’ve had some rather bad news,’ he began, glancing at her briefly as he passed over her cup, then staring into his own.

‘Oh, I am sorry,’ she replied quietly, wondering what on earth could have disrupted his usual imperturbable manner.

‘Miss Walker has inherited a rather large fortune from an uncle in America,’ he began matter-of-factly. ‘She has given me neither a month’s notice, which would have been courteous, nor a week’s which is the normal requirement. He paused for emphasis. ‘Nor even a day’s. She has simply telephoned to say she will not be coming to work today, or ever again, to quote her own words.’

‘Oh dear,’ said Ellie, dropping her eyes, and barely controlling the sudden urge to giggle at Miss Walker’s most unladylike behaviour.

She took a deep breath, looked across the well-polished surface of the desk and found herself feeling enormous sympathy for his distress. However difficult he could be, he was always straight. He was invariably polite, even when someone had done something unfortunate, and he was perfectly capable of admitting that he was wrong, even to the carriers or the youngest member of his staff.

‘The situation would be serious enough at this close point to Christmas, but how are we going to manage in the New Year? Miss Hutchinson has been most courteous in telling me of her marriage plans. She hopes to be with us till the end of April, but that depends on her fiancés posting, which could come even sooner, and I am aware, Miss Scott, that you yourself may wish to leave for Canada in the spring.’

Put like that, his problem was glaringly obvious. The buyer, the Senior Assistant and an experienced member of staff all leaving within months was enough to upset anyone and a serious threat to the well-being of the business. She hadn’t really thought about the fact that Daisy and herself might be leaving almost together and now Miss Walker had taken herself off, virtually without warning.

‘Do you have any thoughts as to what we might do, Miss Scott?’

Ellie sipped her tea. It was beginning to get cold and she really was very thirsty. To her great surprise she saw a slight smile touch his lips as she collected herself and nodded.

‘As for the buying, Mr Freeburn, I could take that over. Since I became Senior Assistant you’ve given me a great deal of freedom to make decisions. If you’re happy about that, then it’s only a matter of carrying the decisions through by going up to Belfast myself.’

‘You would be prepared to take that on?’

‘Yes, I would. Buying, yes, but accountancy, no. I have no gift with figures, but you have two members of staff who have, Miss Hutchinson and Mr Hanna.’

He nodded slowly.

‘You are quite right. There is no reason why the buyer should also be the accountant,’ he said matter-of-factly. ‘It was simply a matter of convenience and it suited Miss Walker.’

He sighed.

‘You have certainly solved the immediate problem,’ he said, nodding vigorously. ‘But where am I ever going to find a buyer when you leave me, Miss Scott?’

He looked so crestfallen, she almost wished she wasn’t going.

‘I do have one suggestion,’ she said tentatively.

‘You do? You know a buyer?’

‘I know where we could get one.’

He opened his hands in a gesture of amazement.

‘Mr Hanna,’ she said, pleased with herself for remembering not to say ‘Joe’.

He looked quite startled, peering at her closely to make sure he was hearing her properly.

‘But the Ladies Department?’ he spluttered. ‘Underwear? Corsetry?’

‘I think that Mr Hanna would see such items merely as stock. Merchandise. You remember his graphs and charts. Besides, I think he could draw on Miss Sleator’s knowledge. She may have been rather slow to accustom herself to how we work, but she hasn’t any difficulty now. If she had another six to nine months training with the idea of supporting Mr Hanna in view, I think she might surprise you.’

‘Well, you do surprise me, but then you know the young lady’s work much better than I, though I confess I can find no fault with what I see of it,’ he said warmly. ‘I must admit her mother has spoken to me most enthusiastically about her progress here.’

‘Susie is entirely practical,’ she began smiling. ‘She needs to see a problem. Preferably lay her hands on it, like those old chairs in the staff-room,’ she said, with a little laugh. ‘Then she can work out a solution. She can’t do things in her head in the way that Mr Hanna can.’

‘My dear Miss Scott, I haven’t offered you a second cup of tea. I’m so sorry. I confess I was somewhat dispirited this morning and totally preoccupied with my own problems.’

‘When I have a problem, I cycle very slowly,’ she began laughing. ‘I forget that, at that speed, I’ll be late for work.’

‘I hope you don’t have problems, Miss Scott. If I could be of any assistance …’

‘That is kind of you. My problems are really more uncertainties. Things over which I have no control. Like not knowing when my husband-to-be will be able to come home from Canada to marry me.’

‘May I ask what the possibilities are?’

‘The earliest he can possibly come is mid-March when I’m told the ice breaks on the St Lawrence Seaway, the latest would be October, though of course, I hope it will be long before that.’

‘Perhaps I might be able to make you an offer for our mutual benefit,’ he began, completely restored to his normal self. ‘Obviously your salary will be increased when you become our buyer, as from the beginning of this current month. But if you were able to stay till the end of June, to assist with Staff training in addition to buying, there would be a further increase. Perhaps helpful in setting up a new home?’ he suggested, with a slight smile, as he named a remarkably generous figure.

Ellie began to shape a courteous refusal, then changed her mind.

‘Perhaps you’d like to think it over,’ he said, seeing her hesitate.

‘No,’ she said, somewhat to her own surprise. ‘I think it’s a generous offer and I’d like the new experience. Let’s say the end of June. The summer is a much better time for travelling back and forth to Canada.’

18, Hunter Street,

Peterborough, Ont.

30, November 1933.

Dear Ellie,

Well, we finally managed it. George seems to have been so busy since his uncle sent for him a month ago now that it was only last night that he managed to fit us in and come for his tea. I had telephoned Peterborough Lumbering as I thought he had gone back to the section he was in last year, but the foreman there told me he wasn’t in the mill itself and to try Head Office.

Anyway, he came, looking very fit and well. He’s very suntanned and seemed in very good spirits. He very kindly brought us all presents. Jimmy got a bottle of whiskey which was more than generous. I had a very nice plant and the boys had toffees. I think he enjoyed his tea. I did a big fry up like we would have had at home when we had visitors and he tucked in and left a clean plate.

He told us a lot about the company and the opening up of new sections. It appears that lumbering was terribly important to the first settlers back in the 1800’s but the whole business has changed radically since then. He explained how in the old days trees were cut in winter and sledded to the rivers over the snow to float down in the Spring. It was most interesting to hear about the different methods of controlling the logs. Sometimes rafts of logs were constructed, but this was not suitable for every location. In many rivers the logs had to be controlled by men who rode the logs, breaking up the logjams by rolling the logs loose with their spiked footwear. It sounded very dangerous to me.

I did ask exactly what he did at Head Office, but he said for the moment he was ‘getting the feel of things’ but it seemed to me he would be on the sales side. Huge amounts of timber go to Europe and he did talk about exchange rates and European currency. To tell you the truth Ellie, I didn’t follow that bit as I was getting tired. I’d had a long day wanting to have the house nice for them coming. He was to have brought someone called Jimmy, (was that the cousin from Portadown?) but he didn’t show up.

I asked him what he thought of your new job and he said it was great, just great. He was sure you’d be very good at it. Finally, I asked him when he thought he’d be able to go over for you and he said: ‘Now you’re asking.’ Then he said it was a very critical time for him, that what happened now would make a big difference later on. He was sure you’d want him to do the best he could.

He didn’t stay late as he said they have to be in the office at 7.30 in the morning because of the invoices for the outgoing timber from the mills. He said he had to wash and iron his own shirts and he wasn’t very good at it. But I must say the one he was wearing looked brand new. In fact, when he arrived I was worried the boys might climb up on his knee and mark his suit. It was very smart. He says all the young men have to wear smart clothes in his office.

Now Ellie dear, I hope I’ve told you everything. I’m very tired today for some reason or other though we weren’t late in bed last night. I’m off to post this right away as I know you’ve been waiting to hear.

With lots and lots of love from us all and especially

from your loving sister,

Polly

She added a generous row of kisses read the letter through again and sighed.

‘Jimmy, I know yer readin’ the paper, but would you just cast yer eye over this.’

He put his paper down, saw the look in her eye and reached out for the pale blue sheets she’d been about to fold to fit the airmail envelope. Jimmy was always a slow reader and Polly sat fidgeting as she watched him working his way down the pages.

‘Aye, well,’ he said handing it back to her, the question unspoken in his eyes.

‘D’ye think I’ve told it right?’

‘I think ye’ve done a great job. Ellie’s no fool. I think she’ll read between the lines.’

‘What d’ye mean? I was just trying to tell her all about him comin’.’

‘Aye an’ I’ve said ye’ve done a grand job. It’s a pity the man’s so fond of the sound of his own voice and full of himself as well. If Ellie’s any wit, she’ll see it for herself. I don’t think George Robinson has any plans for anyone other than George Robinson.’

‘Oh Jimmy, you don’t mean it do you? She’s been goin’ with him since goodness knows when. She loves him.’

‘Aye, but does he love anyone but himself? Ask yourself that, Polly?’

Polly had known for a long time that something wasn’t right and now Jimmy had put his finger on it. Just like him. He said nothing and said nothing and then when he did say something you knew he was right.

‘What am I goin’ to do, Jimmy? What am I goin’ to do?’ Polly asked, as she dropped her head down in her hands and burst into tears.

Jimmy let the newspaper fall on the floor and put his arms round her.