Page 55 of The Winter Bride

Levi stroked his chin. ‘It’s the sort o’ thing he’d do if he thought he could get away wi’ it,’ he agreed. ‘But like you said, you’ve no proof, so you’ll just ’ave to keep yer eyes peeled, an’ if you’ve any concerns speak to the police.’

‘I will,’ Annie promised, and they finished their drinks in a companiable silence.

Bright and early the following morning Annie left Adam with Nancy and Peggy, and went to visit Monty’s grave. She’d picked some roses from Peggy’s small garden and as she placed them in the pot in front of Monty’s headstone, she felt unutterably sad. Poor Monty, he’d been such a good man and it seemed so unfair that he’d died at such a young age. She was all too aware that she’d never loved him as he deserved and that, added to the fact that she had never told him Adam wasn’t his son, only added to her feelings of guilt.

It was so tranquil there with nothing but the sounds of the birds in the yew trees to be heard so she sat for a while, letting the peace wash over her. Eventually she rose and turned to leave only to start as she found Reggie standing on the path behind her.

‘Wh-what are you doing here?’ she asked shakily.

‘I could ask you the same question – I thought you were in London. You didn’t inform us that you were coming.’ His voice was cold and despite the warmth of the day she shivered.

‘It was a last-minute decision,’ she told him as she thrust her chin in the air and stared back at him. There was no way she would allow him to know that she was afraid of him. ‘But don’t worry, I have every intention of bringing Adam to see your mother later today.’ With that she walked away.

As promised, after lunch Annie took Adam to visit Mrs Taylor-Lloyd in Swan Lane.

‘Reggie told me he’d seen you in the churchyard this morning,’ the woman said coldly when the young maid showed Annie and Adam into the drawing room. ‘I wonder you bothered to go. There would be no one to tend Monty’s grave were it not for me.’ She sniffed disapprovingly. ‘Not after the way you hot-footed it off to London when he was barely cold in the ground.’

‘I still have to earn a living for myself and Adam,’ Annie pointed out equally coldly.

‘Hmm, I thought the Nuneaton shop was doing that!’ She turned her attention to the toddler clutching Annie’s hand – he was never at ease in Mrs Taylor-Lloyd’s company. She narrowed her eyes and studied him closely before saying pointedly, ‘He still doesn’t resemble Monty at all, does he?’

Annie swallowed. It wasn’t the first time the woman had said this and the trouble was she was right. Sometimes his resemblance to Alex made her heart ache.

‘I think he takes after my side of the family,’ Annie said lamely.

Mrs Taylor-Lloyd snorted with derision. ‘Really? And how would you know that? You were abandoned as a newborn, so how would you know what your family looked like? He certainly looks nothing like you.’

‘I don’t know what you’re insinuating, but if you don’t want to see him then we’ll go.’ Annie turned towards the door but as she reached it the woman’s words stopped her momentarily in her tracks.

‘I’ve always questioned how quickly after the wedding Adam was born.’

Her words cut Annie like a knife, but she kept her back ramrod straight and without turning back she answered, ‘Then perhaps it would be as well if I don’t bring him here again.’ And with that she hauled Adam through the door and left.

It was only when they reached the end of the road that she drew to a halt to take a steadying breath. Adam was distraught, sensing that his mother was upset, but she smiled at him reassuringly.

‘It’s all right, darling,’ she soothed as she swept him up into her arms. ‘Let’s go and see Auntie Peggy and Uncle Levi, eh?’

The moment Annie entered the kitchen, Peggy sensed that all was not well, and sent Nancy off to the corner shop asking her to take Adam with her.

‘All right, let’s be havin’ it!’ She eyed Annie shrewdly. ‘What’s the old witch said to upset yer now?’

Annie took a deep breath. ‘She intimated that she doesn’t believe Adam is Monty’s son,’ she said miserably.

‘I see.’ Peggy sighed. ‘Well, no offence intended, pet, but there’s no resemblance to Monty nor you in Adam.’

‘I know,’ Annie admitted. ‘Every day he grows to look more like his father but there’s nothing I can do about that.’

‘Nothin’,’ Peggy agreed. ‘So don’t let the vicious old sod get to yer. You can manage perfectly well wi’out the likes o’ her in yer life. I often wonder ’ow someone as nasty as ’er could ’ave given birth to someone as nice as your Monty. An’ truthfully, Adam won’t be missin’ nowt by not seein’ her!’

Annie nodded; Peggy was right. But a deep sense of foreboding was building in her and she didn’t think it was just down to what Mrs Taylor-Lloyd had said. The last time she’d felt like this was just before Monty had passed away and she wondered what life was about to throw at her next.

The feeling persisted all that night and by the time she rose to get ready to catch the train, the circles beneath her eyes were so dark they looked almost like bruises.

Peggy and Levi insisted on getting up early to see her off and made her promise she would come again soon.

‘I might even surprise yer one o’ these days an’ hop on the train an’ come an’ see you in London,’ Peggy told her.

‘You know you’ll always be welcome.’ Annie kissed her cheek and shortly after she, Nancy and Adam set off to start the journey back to London.