I never spoiled my son. He was diligent in his studies, always lent me a hand about the house, and carried himself with good mannersa truly fine lad. When Edward announced he was moving away for work, my heart was heavy with worry. I dreaded being left on my own.
“And what about Emily?” I asked, thinking of his sweetheart. “Weve parted ways,” he replied.
That caught me off guard, as I had assumed the two would soon wed. They made such a lovely couple. I was saddened by how things had ended, but it wasnt my place to interfere.
Edward soon set off for London. We kept in close touch. He found employment, made new acquaintances, and before long, he wrote to say hed found someone special. Still, Edward never seemed keen to introduce us just yet. To ease my loneliness, I bought myself a playful little kitten and kept busy caring for it.
Then, one chilly evening as I walked home from the bakery, I heard a timid greeting in the dim light: “Hello!”
Looking up, I recognised Emilys face, pale and anxious, standing beneath the old oak by the gate. In her arms was a small baby. “Emily, whatever are you doing here? Whose child is this?”
“You may judge me if you wish,” she said quietly, “but shes your granddaughter. I couldnt bring myself to tell Edward I was expecting after our painful parting. I returned to my mothers in Bristol and gave birth there. But she passed away last month and Ive no family left. So Ive come to you.”
“So what will you do now?” I asked gently.
“I suppose Ill have to send her to a childrens home. Ive nowhere else to go. I just thought… perhaps if something happened to me, you might visit your granddaughter sometimes.”
“Nonsense,” I replied firmly, “well raise her together. Come inside, its no night to be standing out.”
So Emily and her daughter moved in with me. The little one bore such a striking resemblance to Edward that I never questioned Emilys words. Emily helped with the chores, and with my earnings we managed comfortably enough. Then, one day, Edward rang to say hed be visiting soon. Whether he was bringing someone with him, he wouldnt say.
On the day Edward arrived, I was in the parlour feeding the baby. “And who is this lovely little lass?” he asked.
“Son, meet your daughter,” I told him.
He looked astonished. “Well, as it happens, I havent come alone,” Edward said, as he gently carried in a cradle. “And who might this be?” I asked.
“My son,” he answered quietly. “His mother died when he was born. I couldnt abandon him.”
Emily stepped out to meet Edward. The two spoke at length in the sitting room while I kept to myself, knowing it was their moment, not mine. Remarkably, within the year, they married, and both children grew up with the loving family they deserved.
Now, Edward is hard at work building a spacious new house to replace his cramped flat. Ill confess to you as a secretsoon, I shall welcome my third grandchild. What a great happiness life has brought.
