Page 38 of The Winter Bride

Annie heard Levi’s sharp intake of breath, but she felt nothing. It was as if she was numb.

‘They are just bringing him back to the ward now,’ the doctor went on gently. ‘So that you can have a few minutes alone with him to say your goodbyes. Once again, my deepest condolences, Mrs Taylor-Lloyd. Your husband was a very brave young man. Now if you will excuse me, I’m going to ask the nurse to make you a good strong cup of tea, then you may go to see him if you wish.’

Once he’d gone, Annie looked at Levi and seeing the tears on his cheeks, she instinctively reached out to pat his hand.

‘It should be me comfortin’ you, lass,’ he said huskily.

Soon the nurse appeared with two cups of strong, sweet tea, but Annie’s sat untouched on the table in front of her, until the doctor came back to tell her, ‘You may go and see him now if you wish, my dear.’

She nodded and strode past him, Levi lagging behind.

In the ward, the curtains had been drawn around Monty’s bed and she slipped through them while Levi waited outside. He looked so peaceful lying there that she half expected him to wake and tell her there had been a terrible mistake. She slid onto the chair at the side of the bed, and after a moment or two she tentatively reached out and took his hand, shocked to feel that it was already cold. It was then that it finally hit her. Monty was gone and grief and guilt struck her like a blow.

‘Oh Monty,’ she whispered as she kissed his cold fingers. ‘I’m so very sorry. I never did tell you I loved you, but I hope you knew I did.’ In that moment she realised that it was true. She had loved him in her own way. It had never been the all-consuming passionate love that she had felt for Alex, but it had been a gentle, cosy love that she would have been happy to share with him into their old age. She started to cry then and Levi joined her and wrapped his arms protectively about her.

‘Oh Levi, what’ll I do without him?’ she sobbed.

‘You’ll be fine, pet. Me an’ Peggy’ll see to that. You’ll never be on yer own. But come away now, there’s nuthin’ to be gained by hangin’ about. You’ve said yer goodbyes, an’ we ’ave arrangements to make.’

She nodded as she slowly rose and laid Monty’s hand down, remembering how many times a day that very hand had tenderly stroked her cheek or her hair. It would never stroke her cheek again. She bent over him and placed a gentle kiss on his lips before allowing Levi to lead her away.

When they got home, they found that Peggy was already aware of what had happened. The local doctor had called by to give them the news soon after Levi and Annie had left for the hospital, which had given Peggy and Nancy time to have a good cry before Annie got home. They both knew they would have to be strong for her now.

Leaving Annie to their tender ministrations, Levi set off to visit the undertaker to ask him to go and see Annie to make the arrangements for the funeral. He also paid Annie’s neighbours’ young son sixpence to deliver a message to Monty’s family in Swan Lane. He had precious little time for them, but he supposed they deserved to be informed. When he got back to Annie’s, he found that all the curtains had been drawn as a mark of respect. The house felt strangely empty without Monty’s cheerful presence and even Adam and Alfred were subdued. Annie sat staring into space in a world of her own and young Nancy couldn’t stop crying.

‘She ain’t said a word or shed so much as one tear,’ Peggy informed Levi worriedly.

‘Poor lass is probably in shock,’ he answered. ‘No doubt it’ll take her a while to come to terms wi’ what’s happened. All we can do now is be here fer her.’

An hour later there was a sharp rap on the door and Mrs Taylor-Lloyd and Reggie barged in.

‘I knew he should never have married you,’ she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. ‘This could have been avoided had he had better care!’

‘Now just ’old on a minute, missus,’ Levi intervened angrily. ‘Annie sent fer the doctor the minute she grew concerned about Monty an’ he couldn’t ’ave ’ad better care anywhere.’

Annie stared back at her mother-in-law numbly, wracked with guilt. Perhaps she was right? She had never told him that Adam wasn’t his child or that Nancy was his half-sister. Nor had she ever told him that she loved him because her heart belonged to another, and now she never could.

Hearing the shouting Adam began to whimper, and his grandmother crossed to where he was sitting on a rug playing with his bricks and snatched him up into her arms, making him cry even harder.

‘He’s coming with me now,’ Mrs Taylor-Lloyd shouted. ‘He’s all I have left of my son because of you, and you’re not fit to look after him.’

Suddenly Annie snapped out of her trance, and springing from the chair, she snatched him back and pressed him to her. ‘Adam is my son and he stays with me,’ she ground out, her eyes flashing.

‘Oh, come along, Mother.’ Reggie took his mother’s arm. ‘She’s probably doing you a favour. I mean look at the child – he looks nothing like Monty. Never has.’

Mrs Taylor-Lloyd stood so still she might have been turned to stone as she stared at Adam, then shrugging her son’s hand from her arm she turned and stormed away, Reggie following behind her with a sneer on his face.

Levi was furious. ‘Why the low-life sod,’ he exclaimed. ‘I should ’ave knocked ’is bloody block off. Who the ’ell do they think they are comin’ in ’ere shoutin’ their mouths off at a time like this!’

Peggy hurried over to him. ‘Calm down,’ she pleaded. ‘Else you’ll be ’aving another stroke, an’ what good would that do? In all fairness, the woman ’as just lost ’er son, so she’s bound to be upset. She probably ain’t thinkin’ straight. An’ as fer Reggie . . . Well, we all know what a good fer nothin’ he is, so don’t let ’im rile yer.’

Levi took a deep breath. Peggy was right but it didn’t make him like Reggie any better.

‘Don’t worry, he’ll get his comeuppance one o’ these days,’ Peggy soothed as she pressed him down onto a chair. Then she turned back to Annie. ‘Here. Let me ’ave the nipper,’ she urged, gently taking Adam from her. ‘An’ you, Nancy, go an’ make another cup o’ tea, there’s a good girl.’

‘I feel like I’m bloody drownin’ in tea,’ Levi grumbled, but he remained seated as Peggy ushered Annie into the dining room.

‘Don’t let that old bat get to yer, pet,’ she said. Annie was shaking like a leaf, and again the guilt sliced through her like a knife.