Page 35 of The Winter Bride

Annie snuggled further down into the bed and for the first time in days she was fast asleep within minutes.

A dull grey light shining through a slight gap in the curtains brought her slowly awake the next morning and for a few moments she lay in the curious state between sleep and wakefulness, enjoying the comfort of the feather mattress and the warmth of the bed. Downstairs the faint sounds of Nancy pottering about the kitchen reached her and stretching her hand out she was surprised to find that Monty’s side of the bed was empty. She was wide awake now and turning she was shocked to see that his side hadn’t been slept in. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and dragged on her robe, then after pushing her feet into her house slippers she rushed downstairs.

‘Mornin’,’ Nancy greeted her as she entered the kitchen. ‘I’m just makin’ us all a cup o’ tea. Adam is still fast asleep an’ Monty is in the front room. I don’t think he looks too well. I was just goin’ to come up an’ fetch yer.’

‘Thanks, Nancy.’ Annie turned and made her way to the parlour. Monty was still sitting where she’d left him the night before.

‘Are you all right?’ He looked very pale and again that cold finger was tracing up and down her spine.

He smiled. ‘I’m fine. Just a bit of indigestion, I think, so I stayed down here so as not to disturb you.’

Nancy came in carrying the tea tray and poured him a cup while Annie raked the ashes and threw some coal onto the dying embers in the fireplace. Then she drew the curtains and shivered as she stared out at the white world. It had snowed almost all night and now everywhere was blanketed in a thick coat.

‘I’ll take Adam out into the garden on his sledge fer a while after breakfast,’ Nancy said cheerfully, sensing that something wasn’t right. ‘He loves the snow.’

‘Just for a little while. I don’t want him catching a chill,’ Annie told her before turning her attention back to her husband. ‘Now tell me about this indigestion. Should I get Nancy to go for the doctor?’

‘What, on New Year’s Day?’ Monty shook his head. ‘I don’t think he’d be too pleased if we did that. No, I shall be fine, really, there’s no need to fuss. Now how about a bit of toast, eh?’

‘I’ll make it,’ Nancy told him and shot off back to the kitchen to get the toasting fork.

Hiding her concern, Annie smiled. ‘I’d better go and get Adam up and give him his breakfast before I make a start on the dinner. I’ve got us a goose today, one of your favourites.’

For the rest of the morning Annie popped in and out of the parlour to check on Monty without making it obvious, but inside she was deeply concerned. It wasn’t like him to just sit about so she knew he must be feeling very unwell. She served them a delicious meal at lunchtime but Monty hardly ate enough to keep a bird alive, which again was very unlike him. Normally he would be walking Alfred on his days off from work or playing with Adam, but this day he hardly ventured from the sofa, apart from to come to the dining room when the meal was ready.

‘Sorry, Annie,’ he said guiltily as he pushed the food about his plate. ‘Everything is delicious, but I don’t want to make this indigestion worse. I need to get myself right for work tomorrow.’

‘Of course,’ she told him with a smile. ‘I can always make you something later on if you feel a little better.’ His skin had taken on a grey pallor, and though she was careful not to show it, she was becoming increasingly concerned.

By bedtime Monty was no better and told her, ‘If you wouldn’t mind getting me a blanket I might stay down here again tonight.’

She fetched him pillows and blankets and made him as comfortable as she could before retiring to their room alone. Once again sleep evaded her and she was awake at the crack of dawn to go downstairs and check on him. If anything, he looked even worse than he had the day before. There was a sheen of sweat on his forehead and Annie could ignore it no longer. ‘Right, that’s it!’ she told him sternly. ‘There’ll be no work for you today and I’m going to get dressed and go and ask the doctor to call.’

Monty didn’t even bother to argue. He knew better than to do that when Annie had made her mind up about something, so half an hour later she set off.

The doctor arrived shortly after nine o’clock. He was well aware of the pieces of shrapnel that were still lodged in Monty’s chest and after examining him his face was grave. ‘As you know there is one large piece left in there that we’ve been concerned about,’ he told them. ‘But I think some of the smaller pieces might have moved slightly and if that’s the case you may need surgery to remove them. Thankfully, they’ve obviously moved away from the heart, which is a blessing, so hopefully the larger piece might have moved with them. If that’s the case, and so long as it isn’t too close to your heart, they may be able to remove it now.’ Seeing the fear on Annie’s face, he reassured her, ‘Don’t look so worried, my dear. I could be wrong but better safe than sorry, eh? Now, I’m going to arrange an ambulance to take Monty to hospital if you could get a bag ready for him.’

Annie nodded numbly before bustling away to do as she was told.

The doctor arrived back with the ambulance almost an hour later, just as Peggy appeared to watch them load him into the back of it.

‘I’ll stay ’ere wi’ Nancy an’ Adam if you want to go with ’im,’ she told Annie.

The doctor shook his head. ‘There would be no point. The doctors will be busy examining him when we get him to the hospital, so I’d advise you to leave it until later when they might be able to tell you what’s going on.’

Peggy nodded and placed an arm around Annie, who was shaking like a leaf. They watched the ambulance pull away, then Peggy led Annie back inside.

‘Nancy, me love, make Annie a nice cup o’ strong, sweet tea, would yer?’ she asked. ‘An’ put a drop o’ brandy in it if yer have any.’ She pressed Annie into a chair and wagged a finger at her. ‘You need to pull yerself together, me girl. You’ll be no good to Monty nor nobody else if yer go to pieces, will yer? And I shall stay ’ere wi’ yer till we know what’s goin’ on.’

For the rest of the long morning, Peggy watched Annie like a hawk. Shortly after lunch, which no one apart from Adam ate, Mr and Mrs Taylor-Lloyd appeared. Annie had sent the neighbours’ young son to tell them what was happening, for they were his parents after all, and she had felt they should be informed.

‘What’s happening?’ his mother snapped with no word of greeting.

Peggy instantly bristled. ‘Monty took bad so Annie called the doctor in,’ she snapped back.

‘I see, so what will happen now?’

‘They told Annie she can go in later today an’ then we’ll know more, but till then we’re as much in the dark as you are.’