“I’m very sorry, lass.” It came as no surprise to the old gent that he had put his foot in it, because women had always been a mystery to him.

“I know you are.” And to prove it, his granddaughter gave him a huge cuddle. “You’re just a bit dippy at times.”

At which both he and Maddy smiled at each other, and when he gave her a reassuring wink, she gave one right back.

Later that day, Grandad popped down the road to the bookies. “I’ll not be long,” he announced. “If you two want to go into town, I’ll run you there one day this week.”

“We might take you up on that,” Ellen replied.

When he was out the door, she checked in the cupboards and fridge. “We’re short on bread and sugar,” she told Maddy, “and there’s only half a pint of milk left. If you really want to make that rice pudding tonight, we’ll need another couple of pints.”

“And I desperately need some bigger knickers,” Maddy groaned. “My belly’s hanging over these ones – look!” Dropping the waist of her elasticated skirt she displayed the pink mound of flesh that was her baby. The knickers were all bunched up underneath. “Every time I stand up, I’m frightened in case my pants end up round my ankles!”

Laughing, she rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Ellen, I feel like a walrus out of water. I long for the day when I’m normal again, and I can throw out all this baggy underwear.”

“Oh no, you mustn’t throw them out.” Ellen acted horrified. “Best to burn them in the grate.”

Maddy was puzzled. “Why?”

“Because it makes sense,” Ellen replied with a twinkle in her eye, “Why spend good money on expensive coal, when your big knickers will keep us warm for a week?”

When Grandad opened the front door, he could hear the two of them helpless with laughter. “Tell me the joke then,” he asked, and they did. “I had thought about having radiators put in,” he confessed, “but I can hang on a bit, if you like.”

When the laughter subsided, he thought how wonderful it was having them here. “You’re a pair of terrors,” he chuckled. “One thing’s for sure, this house is more alive since you’ve been here, and so am I. God only knows what I’d do if you ever upped sticks and left.”

With that he collected his pipe and baccy and retired to the front room, to check on his cherished sculptures.

Grandad’s innocent remarks had set Maddy and Ellen to thinking, and when he was out of hearing distance, Ellen reminded Maddy, “I would hate to hurt him, but you and I both know, we can’t stay here forever. When the baby’s born, we said we’d find a place of our own. But if we move out, he’ll be heartbroken.”

“Maybe not.” Maddy had seen for herself how strong-minded and independent Grandad Bob could be, and after all, he had been content enough before they arrived on the scene.

“We owe him a lot,” she told Ellen now, “but if we don’t find a place of our own soon, he might begin to think we’re taking advantage, and that wouldn’t be fair on him, or us. So, maybe the sooner we do get a place the better; as long as it’s not too far for us to visit each other, I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

“You could be right,” Ellen conceded. “We can’t put on him forever, and with a baby, it’s bound to be a bit squashed here.”

“So we’re agreed then,” Maddy asked. “We’ll get a place of our own, yes?”

“Hopefully, yes. We’ll stick to our original plan, and like you said, Grandad will still be a big part of our lives. He can visit any time he likes, and when he’s had enough of us, he can always come home for some peace and quiet.”

Maddy said she thought that would be kinder to him than having his sleep and his life disturbed by a new member of the household. “Babies are small and wonderful, but we all know, they can make their presence felt.”

Maddy was ready to go along with whatever Ellen and her grandfather decided, but, “The baby isn’t due for nearly a month, so we don’t need to fret about it just now, do we? I mean, there’s still plenty of time for us to talk it all through if needed.”

One thing she was sure of. “It would only be fair to let your grandad know what’s on our mind. He might even have some good advice for us, especially if we let him have a say in where we choose to live.”

“Of course!” Ellen clapped her hands. “We’ll let him feel as though he’s in charge – well, to a certain extent,” she added with a wry little grin. “I know from old that Grandad Bob likes nothing better than to be at the helm.”

The truth was, neither Ellen nor Maddy could have known how events were already out of their hands.

Very soon, the decision as to whether they might stay or go would be decided for them.

The next day was like a mini summer. The skies cleared and the wind dropped, and even the sun showed its face. “Why don’t we take a run out to the Ribble Valley?” Grandad asked, his nose pressed to the window. “We should take advantage of this fine weather, in case it turns cold and wet again tomorrow.”

Both Maddy and Ellen thought that was a brilliant idea. “We’ve been cooped up long enough,” Ellen declared lightheartedly. “Let’s go where the road takes us.”

Maddy was excited about taking a drive out to the countryside. “It’s just what we need, a change of scene.”

Ellen recalled a place from her childhood. “Can we stop for lunch at that lovely old inn on the moors – Whitely Inn, Whalley… oh.” Screwing her face up in frustration, she admitted, “I can’t recall the name now, or even where it was exactly.”

“I reckon you had it right the first time, lass.” Grandad Bob scratched his head in that comical way he had when thinking hard. “Whitely Inn, that’s the one. I think!” He also was uncertain.

An hour later, they were making their way along the Preston New Road. “This is the best car I’ve ever had.” Grandad Bob loved his secondhand Rover, though it was a little car and he was a big man, and sometimes he got a crick in his neck. However, the freedom of driving more than compensated for any niggling discomfort. “I’d forgotten what joy it was to get wherever you want, without waiting for a bus or a train. I got rid of my Escort after your nan died, and missed it ever since.”

“I remember that Escort,” Ellen said, and she giggled. “Always breaking down.”

“Aye well, I’ll admit that, but when it were gone, I missed it all the same. Many was the time when I thought of getting another, but I never did. Then you and Maddy came along, and that was the excuse I’d been waiting for. I’m not short of money, because I’ve been prudent over the years. And anyway, like I said, I’d been thinking of getting a car for some time. Oh, and I’ve already altered the insurance to accommodate you girls, so you can take it out whenever you like.

“You do have a license, don’t you, lass?” He looked at Maddy through his driving mirror. “If not, we can soon teach you the ins and outs, once the baby is born.”

“I do have a license,” Maddy informed him, “but I haven’t driven a car for a long time now. The traffic is so awful in London and parking is always a problem.”

“Aye well, it’s like riding a bike. Once you’ve been there you never forget.” He discreetly made reference to Maddy’s growing proportions. “Traveling about on trams can’t be very pleasant, when you’re eight months’ pregnant and-” he was about to say, “with a belly the size of Blackburn Gasworks.” Instead, he tailed off and gave a sheepish grin. “So, you’re all right, are you?” he asked lamely.

“Fine and dandy, thank you, Grandad Bob,” she replied with a knowing smile. “And you’re right, it’s not easy getting on and off buses and trams when you’re as big as an elephant.”

“I never said that!”

Maddy laughed. “Ah, but you were thinking it, I could tell.”

“But it were you that said it, an’ if it had been me, the two of you would have been down my throat like a ferret down a rabbit-hole!”