Page 37 of The Winter Bride

He nodded. ‘I hear you. Goodbye, Annie.’

‘No, it’s not goodbye, it’s just goodnight,’ she told him and turning about she left the ward on legs that felt like lead.

As she and Peggy tramped through the snow back to the house, Annie’s mind was in a whirl. What was it that Monty had said to her on New Year’s Eve? If I were to die right now, I would die a happy man having had this time with you. A terrible sense of foreboding took hold of her and try as she might, she couldn’t shake it off. She’d thought it strange at the time but now she wondered if Monty had felt his end was drawing near? But no, he was still a young man. He was far too young to die and after tomorrow he’d get well again, and they would grow old together.

‘Penny for ’em,’ Peggy said as she took her arm. ‘Yer seem miles away, gel.’

‘Sorry, I suppose I’m just worried.’

Peggy nodded. ‘That’s understandable, but let’s not think the worst, eh? Monty needs us to stay strong fer ’im.’

Annie nodded but the sense of foreboding persisted.

Chapter Eighteen

The night passed interminably slowly as Annie walked the floor. Peggy – who had decided to stay – and Nancy had gone to bed hours ago but Annie didn’t even bother. She knew she would never sleep. Sometime during the night, it stopped snowing, and she stood in the window and watched the dawn break, wondering if Monty had managed to get any rest. He was bound to have been nervous knowing what the day would bring.

Nancy and Peggy got up soon after and from the look of them they hadn’t had much rest either.

‘Right, so let’s get these fires made up an’ have us a nice cuppa, eh?’ Peggy was trying to be cheerful for Annie’s sake, but she was failing dismally. They were all on edge. They had only just sat down at the kitchen table to drink their tea when Levi appeared.

‘Thought I might as well come round ’ere to you lot rather than sit round there in the cottage on me own,’ he told them as he stamped the snow from his shoes. The place had seemed empty without Peggy and he was worried about Annie.

Soon after there was a knock at the door and when Annie went to answer it, she found Reggie on the step. ‘Mother told me about Monty and I thought you might need some company,’ he told her as he made to step inside.

‘Thank you, but I already have enough people here to support me,’ she told him in an icy voice.

He looked over her shoulder and scowled as he saw Levi watching him. ‘Oh, I thought you might be glad of family.’

‘They are my family. Thank you for the offer and do tell your parents I’ll send word as soon as I know how the operation went. Good day, Reggie.’ And with that she closed the door quietly but firmly in his face leaving him fuming on the doorstep.

‘Yer should ’ave told ’im to sod off,’ Peggy said indignantly. ‘He’s got some nerve that one. I don’t know ’ow he dares show his face. It’s a good job we was ’ere.’

‘Don’t worry, I can handle him,’ Annie assured her, although she was glad that Levi and Peggy had been there. They went back to their cups of tea and the terrible wait went on.

It was almost ten o’clock when Annie said, ‘I wonder if it’s all over now? The doctor told me they were taking Monty to the theatre at nine.’

Peggy shrugged as she bounced Adam on her knee. ‘It all depends on how long it takes an’ what they found when they opened ’im up,’ she said sensibly.

‘Well, I’m sorry but I can’t sit around here waiting for a minute longer. I shall go mad,’ Annie declared as she leapt out of her seat. ‘I’m going to the hospital right now.’

‘I’ll come with yer, pet.’ Levi knew what Annie was like when she made her mind up about something and it would be pointless to try and talk her out of it. And so they got dressed in their warm clothes and set off, leaving Peggy and Nancy to look after Adam.

It was fractionally warmer now that the snow had stopped falling, but the ground was slippy with slush and ice as they made their way to the hospital in silence. As soon as they entered, they made for the ward that Monty had been in but to Annie’s horror his bed was empty.

‘Now don’t get panickin’,’ Levi told her sternly. ‘He’s probably still in theatre. Wait ’ere while I go an’ find a nurse to see what’s goin’ on.’

Annie leant heavily against the wall as she watched Levi find a nurse further up the ward. They had a hurried discussion before Levi made his way back to her.

‘The nurse is goin’ to find the doctor. Meantime we ’ave to go an’ wait in ’is office. She says it’s just through ’ere in the corridor. Come on, lass.’ He took her arm and physically propelled her back through the double doors, which was just as well because Annie’s legs had turned to jelly and the sense of foreboding that had hung over her like a dark cloud was worse than ever.

It was only a matter of minutes before the door to the office opened and the doctor Annie had spoken to the day before appeared.

He nodded towards two chairs and once they were seated, he sat down at his desk and steepled his fingers, looking ill at ease. ‘Mrs Taylor-Lloyd, I’m afraid there is no easy way to tell you this, but there were complications during your husband’s surgery.’

Annie blinked. ‘I see, but he’s all right now . . . isn’t he?’ Her heart was thumping so loudly she was afraid it was going to jump out of her chest.

The doctor sighed. ‘I’m afraid not. He suffered a massive heart attack and there was nothing the surgeon could do to save him. I’m so very sorry.’