Page 4 of The Winter Bride

‘That’s wonderful news, lad.’ Peggy sniffed as she blinked back a tear. ‘It don’t seem like two minutes since you two were only knee-high to grass’oppers an’ now ’ere yer both are about to get married. I don’t know where the time goes. But ’ow long are yer stayin? Yer welcome to stay ’ere but I’m afraid you’ll ’ave to kip on the sofa or in wi’ yer dad.’

Barney shook his head. ‘Thanks fer the offer, Peggy, but I’ll be catchin’ the train back later. There are still animals to be fed whether the circus is performin’ or not.’

‘Well, I ’ope you’ll at least stay until you’ve seen yer dad an’ ’ave a bit o’ dinner wi’ us,’ she said, bustling away to start preparing it, leaving the two young people to talk.

Levi was delighted to find his son there when he got back from his round and the atmosphere over dinner, a tasty stew and dumplings, was light. But eventually Barney glanced at the clock and rose from his seat.

‘Right, if I’m to catch me train I’d best be off. I’ll see yer all again in a few weeks when we land back in Nuneaton. An’ I hope your weddin’ goes off well, Annie.’

‘Thanks, and I hope yours does too,’ she answered as she gave him a peck on the cheek. ‘I’m just sorry I can’t be there.’

‘I’m sorry I can’t be at yours either, but never mind, I’ll be thinkin’ of yer.’

‘I’ll walk yer round to the train station,’ Levi offered. ‘It’ll do me good to walk a bit o’ dinner off. Peggy is feedin’ me too well.’

‘Oh, get off wi’ yer,’ Peggy chuckled. ‘You could do wi’ a bit o’ extra meat on yer bones.’

As soon as they were gone and the dishes had been washed and dried, she fetched Annie’s wedding dress for her to try on. Peggy beamed as she pinned the delicate lace sleeves into it. ‘It’s comin’ on a treat, even if I do say so meself. You’re goin’ to make a lovely bride,’ she sighed.

Annie frowned. The wedding was getting closer by the day and she was starting to feel a little nervous. She and Monty had never gone further than a chaste kiss and somehow, she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lie with him. She was also battling with her conscience. Should she tell him that it wasn’t her first time? Would he know? She still wanted to marry him, but she couldn’t help but feel guilty about her one night with Alex.

‘What’s wrong? Don’t yer like it?’ Peggy asked as she saw Annie’s expression.

‘Oh yes . . . yes, I do . . . it’s just . . .’ Annie sighed. She had never breathed a word to anyone about what had happened with Alex but now she was longing to confide in someone, and who better than Peggy? She would have trusted her with her life.

‘Well, if it ain’t the dress causin’ the long face, then what is it?’ Peggy asked. ‘It’s obvious somethin’s on yer mind.’

Annie stepped down from the chair and when Peggy had helped her off with the dress she began cautiously, ‘I . . . I’ve done something, Peggy, and I don’t know if I should tell Monty about it before the wedding. The trouble is, if I do, he might decide that he doesn’t want to marry me after all.’

Peggy snorted. ‘Huh! I doubt there’s anythin’ that’d make him do that, but would it ’elp to talk about it?’ She laid the dress aside and when Annie was dressed again, they sat together on the settee.

‘So come on, yer know what they say – a trouble shared is a trouble halved.’

‘But I don’t quite know where to begin.’

‘They allus say the beginnin’ is a good place,’ Peggy answered.

So taking a deep breath, Annie told her of how she had met Alex during the war in France and how there had been an instant attraction between them.

‘Neither of us ever intended to take it any further,’ she ended miserably. ‘And it was just pure chance that I met him in London, and then one thing just led to another. Oh Peggy, Monty would be so disappointed in me if he knew. What am I to do?’

‘Hmm.’ Peggy was quiet for a moment but then gently took Annie’s hand and asked, ‘Are yer sure yer want to marry Monty, pet?’

Annie nodded. ‘Yes, I do. I can’t deny I love Alex, but we can never be together and I want a family of my own and I can have that with Monty.’

‘Then my advice to yer would be to say nothin’. After all, it ain’t as if you were with ’im when this happened wi’ Alex, is it? Yer didn’t agree to marry Monty till yer got back from London, so as far as I’m concerned, the less said about it the better. What he don’t know can’t hurt him.’

‘Do you really think so?’

Peggy nodded. ‘I do, so now let’s say no more about it, eh? It’s sad that you an’ Alex can’t be together, but as yer said, you can hopefully ’ave the family yer always dreamt of with Monty.’

Levi arrived back at that moment so the conversation went no further, and soon after Monty arrived to take Annie home to her rooms.

‘I can’t believe that soon you’re going to be my wife,’ he told her happily as they walked along Abbey Street arm in arm. ‘You do know you’ve made me the proudest man in the world, don’t you?’

Annie nodded, a lump forming in her throat. Monty was such a kind, caring man. Peggy was right, it wouldn’t be fair to hurt him, and she promised herself there and then that she would try to be the best wife she could be for him. But oh, how she wished her birth parents could have been at the wedding!

Chapter Three