The Exiles

then.’
    ‘Bye.’
    They watched him cycle away, saw him turn and wave, and heard him shout something over his shoulder.
    ‘What’s he say?’
    ‘Said he wasn’t marrying Rachel though,’ said Ruth.
    ‘I don’t suppose he wants to now,’ said Rachel sadly.
    Nobody even smiled.

    ‘We’ve got to go in,’ said Ruth much later in the afternoon. ‘We’ve left her on her own too long as it is. We’ll have to try and say sorry.’
    ‘I think I heard her crying,’ said Naomi. ‘I’m sure she was when Mrs Brocklebank took her up.’
    ‘She was,’ Rachel nodded. ‘I saw her and she saw me seeing her. I couldn’t help it.’
    The door that had opened into the dark little storeroom filled with a life time’s collection of books now looked straight out onto the fellside, showing a picture of gold and purple heather and green waves of bracken. Big Grandma had opened the door, and now sat on her bed gazing silently through, while tears ran down her cheeks.
    ‘Grandma,’ said Naomi, ‘we’ve come to say sorry.’
    ‘Very sorry.’
    Big Grandma did not even turn to look at them. ‘Go away.’
    ‘It was my candle,’ Rachel said bravely.
    ‘Go right away.’
    ‘We can’t tonight. Mrs Brocklebank says there isn’t a train. We’ll go tomorrow, very early.’
    ‘We know where the tickets are. You don’t need to get up or anything – we can easily go to the station ourselves.’
    ‘I took your key,’ Phoebe confessed. ‘I’m very, very sorry.’
    ‘We all are,’ said Ruth. ‘We’ll go now. It was a lovely summer until yesterday.’
    It began to dawn on Big Grandma that they were saying goodbye, not just for the night or for the summer, but for always. An old memory of Robert flickered at the back of her mind.
    ‘Thank you for having me,’ she heard Rachel say.
    ‘It was lovely having you,’ said Big Grandma.
    ‘Mrs Brocklebank’s got a brilliant tea all ready downstairs,’ said Rachel.

    ‘You seem to have the sympathies of the entire village,’ said Big Grandma, some time later, when normal relationships had been resumed. ‘I suppose I ought to thank you for saving my life.’
    ‘That’s okay,’ said Ruth.
    ‘It was the least we could do,’ said Naomi.
    ‘We’ll get you some more books,’ Phoebe promised. ‘I’ll use my Christmas List money.’
    ‘You’ve still got my diary, and that Shakespeare,’ said Rachel.
    ‘Things could be a lot worse,’ agreed Big Grandma.
    ‘Graham said he’d keep an eye on you,’ Rachel told her, ‘but,’ she added honestly, ‘he won’t be much use. He hasn’t any books.’
    ‘Only three Reader’s Digests,’ admitted Naomi.
    ‘He promised me he’d keep an eye on you ,’ said Big Grandma, ‘for fifty pence an hour I think it was.’
    ‘He’s not charging us,’ said Ruth. ‘Is he still charging you? It must be pounds by now!’
    ‘He stopped charging after the first day,’ said Big Grandma.

Chapter Fifteen
    ‘Dear Big Grandma,’ wrote Ruth
    Naomi and I have arranged to do the bookstall for the school bazaar. It was a bit hard because we are in different classes. (Naomi should be doing cakes and she had to get herself thrown out of cookery), but we have managed it so you will soon get a lot of books. Some will be quite good because we helped the English teacher sort out the library stockroom (this was hard to arrange too) and he likes us. Did you know that in all the hurry I came away without my bones. They are all packed and ready so could you post them?
    Lots of love from Ruth

    Dear Sir/Madam,
    If you have finished with my diary could you send it back now? These are from me and Phoebe. They gave us fifteen books for a pound on the market so now you have something to read.
    Very much love and very sorry from Rachel

    They are givin my Xmas list muny 50p a week for the rest of my life dad says so me and Rachel bort you these.
    Love Phoebe Conroy

    Dear Big Grandma,
    I hope you got your insurance money, and that the lettuces and radishes I planted were all right. We didn’t know Rachel and Phoebe hadn’t put stamps on their books until too late. When they said they had made a long thin parcel, and squeezed it into the letter box to swiz the postman we went to try and get it back, but it had gone. Luckily they were paperbacks, so they shouldn’t cost too much. Rachel and I have got you some very good books. But Mum says you will have to come and get them if you want them because there are fifty-seven.
    You should