Read The Promise for Free Online Page B

yourself, as I’m quite the nosiest old woman in town.’ Taking a firm grasp of her elbow, she began to lead Chrissie along the path. ‘Are you married, dear?’
    Chrissie would have answered but words failed her, as they so often did, even after all this time.
    Georgia jerked to a halt to gaze at her in some concern. ‘I’m sorry, that was clumsy of me. Was it the war?’
    Chrissie bleakly nodded.
    ‘Then we will say no more on the subject, although you must have been very young.’ The older woman squeezed her hand in a warm grip. ‘Am I allowed to say that you will almost certainly learn to love again, given time?’
    ‘Thank you, I don’t intend the loss to make me bitter,’ Chrissie said, thinking of Vanessa.
    ‘Very wise.’ Georgia cast her a sideways glance. ‘There’s no one on the horizon at present, then?’
    ‘There is someone, yes. A very nice man who is keen to marry me, but I’m not sure he’s—’
    ‘The right one? Then take the advice of an old woman and do not say yes until you are absolutely certain. Marriage is for life, remember.’
    ‘I fully intend to take my time before making any decisions. That’s partly the reason I came here, to give myself space to think. I’m afraid my mother never quite approved of my rushing into marriage at just eighteen. I’m glad I did, though, in the circumstances. At least Tom and I had one night together as man and wife.’
    Later that evening, seated in the dining room at her grandmother’s table, Mrs Gorran serving piping-hot Scotch broth and home-baked bread rolls, followed by a delicious steak-and-kidney pie, Chrissie was entranced as Georgina fussed gently over her. ‘Tuck in and eat up every scrap, you look as if you need it,’ she ordered, before continuing with their earlier conversation.
    ‘Mothers don’t always know what is best for their daughters, though they may fear for their happiness and sometimes be overprotective. I didn’t get it right, and my own mother certainly didn’t. But then it was a different age back then, with more rigid standards and moral codes than you youngsters of today would tolerate. My parents were very authoritarian, and I the dutiful daughter, the result of a lifetime of rigorous training. I did rebel in the end, however. Very much so.’
    Chrissie felt surprisingly comfortable in her company, almost as if she had known her for years. ‘Where were you brought up, Mrs Cowper?’ She asked the questionsoftly, not wishing to alarm the old lady by seeming too curious, but the answer came without hesitation.
    ‘San Francisco, or “Frisco”, as we called it. Oh, and didn’t I just love that town: the undulating hills, the tramcars, the excitement of the wharves and waterfront, the elegance of it all, and the chatter in a dozen different languages, even back then.’ The faded grey eyes grew misty with memory.
    ‘You must miss it?’
    She laughed. ‘I certainly miss the Californian climate, but I love the Lakes too, despite the rain.’
    ‘Tell me about your mother. Why was she so strict? Did she approve of your marriage with Mr Cowper?’
    ‘Of Ellis? Goodness, no! She was outraged at the very idea. He was a foreigner, for one thing. She also dismissed him as unhealthy, because being British he was naturally pale. In those days we lived in fear of disease, of consumption and the like. Even worse, he was not at all of the right class and upbringing. You can laugh now, looking at all of this, but my mother didn’t set any store by some ruin of a house in the backwaters of England, even if it had been in his family for generations. She saw him as a chancer, not the honest sailor that he actually was.’
    ‘A sailor? Oh, how romantic.’
    Her grandmother’s eyes were radiating happiness now, her mind clearly picturing the handsome young man she’d fallen in love with all those years ago. ‘I suppose it was rather romantic, at least at first. Before …’
    Chrissie waited, holding her breath for