"Oh goodness!" Maggie quickly took the infant's hand and pushed it open with her thumb to release Elisabeth from Hannah's grip. "Sorry about that." She put the baby on her other hip, to keep her from reaching for Elisabeth, and rocked her a little as she started crying. "Aye, we're lucky this year." Well, it was always a dilemma. The rain was good for catching fish. But it was cold and brought sickness. Somehow they were condemned to either freeze or starve - or both, if you were very unfortunate. "How is the bakery these days?"

More importantly, was there a man her friend fancied? When did she think she would get married at last? Maggie was eager for juicy details, since she had not seen her friend for some time, and the thought of falling behind on gossip was almost too much to bear. But it would be impolite to start prying immediately.