Page 19 of The Winter Bride

She told Monty about the visit that evening over dinner and he frowned. ‘I suppose I should have made a point of going to tell them,’ he said guiltily. He’d been visiting his parents less and less because he didn’t feel particularly welcome when he did go, and he and Annie always seemed to have so much to do. He’d also assumed that they would already know about the baby.

‘But I thought she would have noticed without being told,’ Annie pointed out as she patted her swollen stomach. ‘Anyway, it’s too late to worry about it now. She’ll calm down once she gets used to the idea. You never know, she might even get to like the idea of becoming a grandmother.’

Monty doubted it but he didn’t comment.

Chapter Ten

October 1922

Annie sat with her swollen feet in a bowl of warm water one evening, Monty watching her with a worried frown. She was still sneaking into the shop whenever she could but recently her ankles and feet had begun to swell alarmingly and she was suffering from severe bouts of heartburn.

‘I’m going to have to put my foot down with you,’ he scolded gently as he passed her a cup of tea. ‘I’m aware that you’ve been going to the shop, even though I asked you not to some time ago. But from now on I want you to leave the running of the shop to Susan until after the birth. She’s more than capable, as you know perfectly well.’

‘But—’

Monty glared at her and held his hand up. ‘I don’t want to hear any more about it. You can still go buying once a week if needs be, so long as Peggy goes with you on the train, but you are not to go serving in the shop and that’s the end of it. Do you hear me? The midwife told you over two weeks ago that you should be resting and you wouldn’t listen to her, but they don’t tell you these things for nothing.’

It was so unlike Monty to be firm with her that Annie was quite taken aback. She clamped her lips together; she knew deep down he was right. She had struggled over the last few weeks and by mid-afternoon she was usually exhausted.

‘I was also thinking it might be a good idea to get someone in to help with the housework – for the time being at least,’ he went on. At the look of horror on her face, he smiled.

‘If I can’t go to the shop and I have no housework, what am I supposed to do all day?’ she said petulantly. ‘I’ll die of boredom!’

‘All right, we won’t get a cleaner . . . not yet at least. But you’re to promise me that you’ll sit down regularly and put your feet up.’

Looking glum, she nodded, although she was bored just thinking about it.

Monty went round to speak to Susan later that evening. She was more than ready to take over the reins and in total agreement with him.

‘I can pop the takings round to you to put in the bank each evening,’ she offered. ‘And I’ll keep a close record of everything I sell so Annie knows what to restock.’ And just like that it was agreed.

Over the following week, Annie was sure she would die of boredom, although Peggy took to popping in as regularly as she could. She was still very busy in the two second-hand shops, which were continuing to do well. So much so that Levi had now decided to employ another chap to take over his collection round in Bedworth so that he could concentrate on sorting everything that came into the yard. Tim Fellows was a nice man in his early forties who had been widowed some years before, leaving him with two small daughters to bring up.

Peggy had taken an instant liking to him, and commented to Levi one evening, ‘He’s a nice bloke, Tim is, ain’t he? It’s such a shame he’s all on his own. I’d ’ave thought some woman would ’ave snapped ’im up ages ago.’

‘Aye, he’s straight as a die,’ Levi agreed. Narrowing his eyes at Peggy, he grinned – he could read her like a book. ‘So what are yer thinkin’, woman?’

‘Well . . . it occurred to me that ’im an’ Susan would make a lovely match.’

Levi threw his head back and laughed aloud. ‘Whatever makes yer say that?’

She shrugged. ‘He were in the yard the other day when Susan called in fer a cup o’ tea an’ Tim could ’ardly take his eyes off of ’er. They’re the right age fer one another an’ we know ’ow good Susan were wi’ Constance, God bless ’er little soul, so she’d be good wi’ ’is girls.’

‘I’m not so sure about that,’ Levi answered. ‘What I mean is, Tim is about as far away from Theo as yer could get. He’s a down-to-earth, workin’-class bloke whereas Theo were a toff.’

‘Yes, a toff who knocked ’er about an’ forced ’er to go on the game,’ Peggy said scathingly. ‘I thought it might be a nice idea to invite ’em both round fer a bit o’ supper one evenin’.’

‘Now ’old on wi’ yer matchmakin’.’ Levi shook his head. ‘Yer could be barkin’ up entirely the wrong tree.’

‘So?’ Peggy shrugged as she dried her hands on an old piece of huckaback. ‘It’d be nice to ’ave somethin’ to dress up for an’ ’ave a bit o’ company.’

Levi knew when he was beaten. ‘Go ahead an’ invite ’em, then, but don’t be surprised if either of ’em turn the invite down.’

Much to Peggy’s delight, Susan and Tim agreed to have supper with them one evening the following week.

Annie chuckled when Peggy told her what she’d done. ‘You wouldn’t be trying to play Cupid by any chance, would you, Peggy?’

‘Well . . .’ Peggy sniffed. ‘Poor Susan ain’t been the same since she lost Constance an’ that lousy bastard she ’ad in London. I reckon it would be nice fer ’er to meet a decent bloke, an’ from what I’ve seen of ’im, Tim is a catch.’