Chapter 3

The next item on James's and Molly's agenda was to meet the in-laws. Both agreed that it was important that they visited their late spouses' parents as well. Each had kept in close touch with them and had received much love and support from them.

James's parents were not far away. They had a charming house in the Cotswolds. It was less than an hour's drive and so they merely arrived in time for lunch and left after tea. Bill and Anne Bentwater took to Molly and Dan immediately. Dan was mildly disappointed when Bill and James decided that a short walk en famille took precedence over watching the Test Match on television. He decided though that he liked his new grandparents. He liked the way they teased and laughed. He noticed how much they loved Gina but was in no way jealous. Molly thought they were a delightful couple and it was clear that they approved of her.

Molly's parents, Grant and Sally, lived in Warwickshire and it took over an hour and a half to get there so they arrived for lunch on Saturday and left after lunch on Sunday. The children were a little restless towards the end of each journey but no more than that. Molly's parents were farmers: straightforward and hard-working. They were nevertheless warm and welcoming. James took to them immediately. Gina was shy and retiring but came out of it when she met the sheepdogs. She also delighted in the piglets who could not have been less interested in her but were funny.

"I liked James," said Grant after they had left. "Not as lively as Ned but I reckon he's a good egg."

Sally agreed. "That Gina's going to take time to get used to though."

"Oh?"

"She was shy which you'd expect and she responded to the animals but she was pretty cagey even so."

"I reckon it was just shyness."

"Hmm. We'll see.

Hilary's parents lived in the New Forest where her father was a doctor. That again was a short journey and went well. Her mother took Molly on one side.

"You must never feel that we look on you as second best. Hilary is dead and naturally we all still miss her. All we want now is for James and Gina to be happy and I'm sure they will be. We're thrilled that you wanted to meet us and I like your Dan very much. I hope we'll see lots more of you."

Molly was touched and promised to visit often.

Ned's parents lived in Yorkshire so the visit to them was a major expedition. They decided that, for the children's sake, they should break the journeys and booked in at a bed and breakfast on the way there and back. As it was they had to wait until the school holidays, driving up on Thursday and Friday and back down again on Monday and Tuesday. Ned's father, Martin, owned a wool factory and his mother, Jean, ran a couturier shop in York selling many of his products.

They were overjoyed to see Molly and Dan and took to James immediately. Gina hung back in shyness again. Martin and Jean were delighted to have adopted a grand-daughter and Martin spoilt her unashamedly. She responded almost flirtatiously which amused him no end.

Jean was less impressed. "Yes, my darling, she responded to you because you made such a fuss of her and it's clear she loves her father but I didn't see any sign of affection for Molly or Dan."

"Well, that's understandable. She's got to get to know them better."

"Maybe but it seems that Dan has accepted James unconditionally and actually tries with Gina."

"Give them time, darling. She doesn't know about brothers and it seems as though her nanny has taken over as her mother."

Jean smiled at him. "Yes, darling." She still had premonitions though that Gina was going to be a fly in the ointment.

Neither Molly nor James wanted a big wedding. Molly did not want to go back up to Warwickshire for it. In the end they decided to hold it on a Saturday at the church at Upper Compton. They invited all four sets of in-laws arranging bed and breakfast for Molly and Ned's parents. Their brothers and sisters came too with their respective spouses. They held the reception at the Crown at Atheldiston.

The Saturday they chose was the one at the end of Dan's half term exeat. After everything was over all four went back to Upper Compton for the rest of the weekend. On the Monday Molly and James took Dan back to school and drove on down to Cornwall for a short honeymoon leaving Gina in Denise's capable hands.

That short week, together the entire time, sealed and enhanced the love they had for each other. It was as if two minds and two souls melded. They felt that together they could surmount any human obstacle.

They were back in time to collect Dan from school on Saturday and spent Sunday organising Molly's cottage. They had decided to let it furnished rather than sell it. Molly had felt that she should keep it so that it was available to Dan when he grew up. In the meanwhile the rent would be useful and she also reckoned that it would have appreciated in value by the time Dan was a young man. If he then wished to sell it he would at least have the capital to buy himself a decent house elsewhere.

There were, obviously enough, some treasures that Molly wanted to take with her: an exquisite and antique escritoire left to them by Ned's grandmother, some valuable pieces of porcelain and of course a number of photographs. All Dan's belongings were moved to James's house and he spent the following weekend setting up his new bedroom.

Gina affected not to be the least interested in Dan's room but could not help but take a peep when she thought she was unobserved. Molly saw her, smiled, said nothing and tiptoed away again.

Gina also made it quite clear that James's undertaking about Our Time was scrupulously observed. He had warned Molly and she had accepted it explaining to Dan that she thought it a good idea which they might copy.

"When Gina's got more used to us we'll probably all join together," she added.

In his usual placid way Dan accepted that and enjoyed the times he spent alone with his mother. After all, the bond that had developed following Ned's death was a strong one. Nevertheless, he also enjoyed his times with James. In particular he remembered one occasion for the rest of his life. James took him to The Rose Bowl at Southampton to see Hampshire play cricket against the Australian touring team. Thirty years on James would still be able to recite the names of all the players, the top scores and the best bowling figures.

Gina was singularly unimpressed. She had sulked on other occasions that James had gone off alone with Dan but this was more than she could take. She slammed round the house all day while they were away was rude to Molly and offhand with Denise. When James and Dan returned bubbling with happiness and excitement she was openly hostile to Dan.

"Well it sounds very boring to me," she said waspishly to him.

"Yeah, you probably would have found it boring," replied Dan, "but cricket isn't really your scene."

"But it was jolly selfish to take Daddy away for the whole day."

"How come? Cricket goes on all day not like football."

"Maybe but you took him away half the weekend."

"So?"

"That's not fair."

"Have you heard anyone else complain?"

"Your Mum."

"I don't believe it."

"She did."

"Come on we're going to ask her."

"No."

"Yes we jolly well are. I'm not going to listen to you telling lies about her."

He grabbed her hand and tugged her out into the garden where both parents were sitting.