So the honeymooners walked out of the church and the Ghost went to follow.
They wove a different way back to the hotel, through the labyrinthine streets, crossing little bridges and turning down ever-narrower paths.
Maggie read out the name of a street sign. ‘Calle … dei … Stagneri … o de la Fava.’
‘That was a mouthful.’
‘A very wide name for a very narrow street.’
They held hands.
The Ghost watched as he walked behind. How he missed that. Being able to just hold her hand. Back then he hardly even thought about it.
They came to a small bookshop with a table full of Italian paperbacks nearly blocking the path. A youngish man – about his own age – was inside the shop, casually reading a magazine as he sat behind the till.
Wilbur tutted when they’d passed. ‘Well, he’s not going to get much business lazing around like that, is he?’
‘Maybe he doesn’t want to get much business.’
They walked further along the street in silence until Wilbur stopped, quite dramatically, to announce something.
‘I’m going to do it.’
Maggie gave him a curious look. ‘Do what?’
‘I’m going to ask Geoffrey Baxter for the loan.’
‘Who’s Geoffrey Baxter?’
‘Manager at the Yorkshire Bank. The one I’ve got an appointment with a week Tuesday. Good bloke. No nonsense. I’m going to go for the loan. For the second shop. He’s already offered a lot of money. I’m going to do it, Maggie. I’m going to phone him the day we get back and tell him I want to accept.’
He smiled broadly. It was a genuine smile with just a dash of uncertainty.
Maggie’s face was expressionless for a little moment. ‘It’s a big undertaking.’
‘It’s a bigopportunity. The opportunity of a lifetime, in fact.’
‘Aye, it is. It is.’ She seemed to be repeating herself in order to believe it. ‘If it’s what you really want to do …’
He detected her concern. ‘What’s the matter?’
‘I mean, you were just talking about moving to Venice.’
‘That was just a joke, Maggie. A flight of fancy.’
‘I know. I know it was, love. I just, well, I just don’t want it to take us away from each other.’
‘It won’t.’
The Ghost sighed. ‘You are a fool and a liar, Wilbur.’
‘If anything,’ Wilbur went on, ‘it’ll be the opposite. At the moment, I’m working long hours at Bagdale’s. If I accept this offer, we’ll have financial resources.’
‘Financial resources,’ echoed the Ghost. ‘Such aromanticphrase for your honeymoon.’
Wilbur looked around as if he had heard this mockery. But then he turned back to Maggie.
‘We’ll be able to grow, and hire more staff … and become a proper operation across two shops … Set up a template and let the shops run themselves … The same principle … Books for everyone … Children’s section … More fiction than non- … White walls and big lights … Seats for people to sit and read … I can give a blueprint to other managers … I will end up doingless…’
