Page 53 of The Winter Bride

‘Ugh!’ Her face had showed what she thought of that idea. ‘Yuck, and then yer’d ’ave to empty it in the mornin’. No, thanks very much, I’d rather go outside.’

‘So use the toilet in the bathroom?’ Annie urged.

Again Nancy had shaken her head. ‘No, cos then I’d ’ave to pull the chain an’ it’d wake Adam up.’

Fully awake now, Annie lay listening for Nancy. She wouldn’t settle until she was sure she was safely back inside. The only sound to be heard was the ticking of the clock on the bedside table, but as the minutes ticked away, Annie got concerned and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Nancy had been gone for an awfully long time. Perhaps she’d decided to make herself a hot drink before coming upstairs? Deciding that she’d go and check on her she slid her feet into her slippers and pulled her dressing robe on before hurrying down the dark staircase. As she entered the kitchen, she saw the back door swinging open and frowned. There was no sign of Nancy and a squirm of unease started in her stomach. Glancing around she looked for something to arm herself with before venturing outside. Her eyes lit on a heavy saucepan, and she snatched it up and made her way over to the open door.

‘Nancy!’ Her voice echoed eerily around the small yard but there was no answer, so she moved forward cautiously. It was then that a dark figure suddenly appeared out of the darkness and hurtled past her. Taken unawares, she toppled backwards and landed in a most unladylike heap on the grass. By the time she’d clambered to her feet, whoever had been there had gone, leaving the gate swinging wide open.

Annie didn’t attempt to follow them. She was more concerned about Nancy and she almost flew down the path to the outside toilet. When she saw a still form lying on the ground, a cry of terror escaped her. It was Nancy and she wasn’t moving. But who could have done this to her and why? Nancy was such a lovely young woman and everyone who met her fell in love with her sunny personality.

‘Oh Nancy . . . Nancy.’ Dropping onto her knees beside her, Annie lifted the girl’s head and laid it in her lap as tears coursed down her face. Nancy slowly opened her eyes and blinked up at her.

Annie gasped with relief. For a terrible moment she’d thought she was dead. ‘Oh sweetheart, you gave me a fright. What happened?’

‘I-I don’t know. I was just goin’ into the loo when someone smashed me on the ’ead from behind,’ she groaned.

‘Let’s get you inside before you catch your death of cold,’ Annie said with a last fearful glance towards the gate. Somehow, she managed to get Nancy back upstairs and sitting on the sofa.

Alfred was still asleep on the hearth rug where she’d left him and she shook her head at him. ‘Some guard dog you’ve turned out to be,’ she scolded. ‘Right, I’m going to make you a hot drink. Don’t move,’ she warned Nancy.

Downstairs, she crept down the garden to lock the gate before hurrying back into the kitchen to lock the door there too. Ten minutes later, she carried a tray of tea back upstairs.

‘At least they haven’t cut you,’ she told Nancy as she parted her hair and stared at the back of her head. ‘But you’ve got a whopping great lump coming up. I think we’ll get the doctor to have a look at you in the morning, just to be on the safe side. I wouldn’t mind betting you’ll have a raging headache come morning. Are you quite sure you didn’t see who did it? Oh, and take this coat off now you’re back inside.’

‘It’s your coat actually,’ Nancy said apologetically. ‘It was hanging on the back of the door, and I slipped it on cos it was a bit nippy. I ’ope it ’asn’t been damaged.’

‘Oh, that’s the least of my worries at present.’ It was only as she helped Nancy off with the coat that a thought occurred to her and she frowned. Could it be that whoever had been in wait out there had thought it was her visiting the toilet?

A shudder ran up her spine as a picture of Reggie’s disfigured face flashed before her eyes. He was the only one she could think of who might want to harm her. She still suspected him of starting the fire that they had in the shop in Nuneaton, but she had no proof. For now, though, she could only hope he hadn’t discovered where she was.

Hiding her concern as best she could, she pressed the hot, sweet tea into Nancy’s trembling hands. Peggy had always insisted that sweet tea was the best thing for shock. The poor girl was shaking like a leaf, and it was no wonder.

Eventually Annie led her back to bed and tucked the blankets around her. ‘Have a lie-in in the morning. I shall get Adam up then go for the doctor.’

‘But that will make yer late opening the shop,’ Nancy objected.

Annie bent to kiss her forehead. ‘So what? It won’t hurt for once. Now, you just try to get some sleep. You’re quite safe.’

Despite her brave words, Annie stayed up for the rest of the night, gripping the poker and keeping a watchful eye on the street below, just in case whoever had attacked Nancy decided to come back.

Annie was relieved the next morning when the doctor informed her that Nancy had suffered no permanent damage. ‘She probably just disturbed some chancer who’d decided to break in to see what they could steal,’ he told Annie as he snapped his bag shut.

‘Yes . . . yes you’re probably right,’ Annie answered, but she wasn’t so sure and promised herself that she would be extra vigilant from then on.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

‘There, I can’t see anyone being able to get over that lot,’ John told her later that day.

Marie had been horrified when Annie told her what had happened to Nancy, and John and Simon had spent the afternoon making the garden into a fortress. A long roll of barbed wire now ran along the perimeter of the fence and they had fitted a sturdier padlock to the gate. They had also fitted bolts to the inside of the kitchen door.

‘I can’t thank you enough,’ Annie told them, but the men brushed her thanks aside.

‘It’s no trouble at all,’ Simon said as he wiped his hands. ‘But I would consider getting a telephone installed. That way if there’s any trouble you can get in touch with one of us and we can get over here in no time to help you.’

Annie had never thought of having a phone. It seemed like an extravagance, but she could see the sense in what he said.

‘I’ll certainly consider it. And thanks again for coming to do all this.’