Page 72 of The Winter Bride

She tossed and turned that night. She was still trying to get accustomed to the fact that she knew who her parents were, and the thought of seeing Alex again only added to her confusion.

As it happened, she needn’t have worried about seeing Alex because the next day she was woken from a restless sleep by the sound of Adam coughing. She hurried into the room he shared with Nancy to find her standing over his little bed looking worried.

‘I think he’s got a temperature,’ she told Annie. ‘An’ he’s been ever so restless all night.’

As soon as Annie felt his forehead she grew concerned. ‘Yes, he has got a temperature,’ she agreed. ‘I wonder if you could run downstairs and phone the doctor and ask him to call in. I’ll stay up here with Adam today and Ruth can mind the shop.’

The doctor confirmed that Adam had come down with a severe case of whooping cough and Annie spent the day sponging him down with cool water and trying to tempt him to drink. For two days his temperature remained stubbornly high, despite all Annie’s attempts to get it down, but at last on the third day he seemed to improve a little and she breathed a sigh of relief.

‘Ain’t it tonight yer goin’ to Marie’s fer dinner?’ Nancy enquired.

‘I was,’ Annie told her as she spooned some porridge into Adam’s mouth. ‘But I’m not happy to leave Adam just yet, so I’ll phone and cancel. I’m sure she’ll understand.’

Marie did understand, although she was disappointed. In a funny sort of way Annie was relieved that she had a good enough excuse not to go. There was no point in raking up old feelings. Alex had probably all but forgotten about her by now and she didn’t want him to feel embarrassed when they met. And so, she concentrated all her efforts on getting Adam well and tried her best to push Alex from her mind.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Over the next two weeks Ruth practically ran the shop single-handed while Annie nursed her son, but finally she felt he was well enough to leave with Nancy again.

She thanked Ruth profusely and set off to do some restocking around the fashion warehouses. Now that the shop was doing so well, she seemed to spend as much time buying stock as she did serving the customers.

Marie, who was more than a little fond of Adam, was a regular visitor while he was recovering and arrived almost daily bearing treats for him. And then one evening she arrived smiling from ear to ear and Annie sensed that she had some good news.

‘Come on then spit it out.’ Annie smiled. ‘You’re clearly happy about something.’

Marie nodded. ‘Today John and I discovered that we are to become parents.’

‘Oh, but that’s wonderful news.’ Annie kissed her cheek. She knew how much Marie had been longing for a child. ‘When is the baby due?’

‘Oh, not until next May. It is still early days yet,’ Marie beamed. ‘But we can ’ardly wait.’

Annie couldn’t have been more pleased for her and just knew they would make wonderful parents.

Marie’s face suddenly clouded. ‘I just wish Maman and Papa could ’ave been ’ere to see the baby,’ she said sadly.

Annie nodded, understanding how she must feel. They had been such lovely people. ‘I’m sure they will see him or her,’ she said gently as she squeezed Marie’s hand.

Marie blinked away a tear before smiling again. ‘Anyway, I shall ’ave much to do. John and I ’ave chosen the bedroom next to ours for a nursery and I am going to arrange for the decorators to come in. Then I shall ’ave to start shopping. There is so much to buy: a cot, a pram, nappies and baby clothes. Perhaps you could advise me on what I shall need?’

‘I’d be delighted to,’ Annie told her sincerely. ‘And I’ll come shopping with you whenever you like.’ Marie had been so kind to her. It was nice to think that she might be able to help her in return.

That evening Nancy also had some news for her as she shyly showed off a chip of diamond in a gold band sparkling on her left hand.

‘Jamie asked me to marry ’im an’ I said yes,’ she told Annie shyly. ‘O’ course, we won’t be gettin’ wed fer at least a couple o’ years. We need to save up an’ find somewhere to live first. I hope yer don’t mind.’

Annie pulled her into an embrace. ‘Of course I don’t mind,’ she told her with a catch in her voice. ‘I’ve been half expecting it. It’s clear you two are made for each other and I hope you’ll both be very happy together. But . . . I shall miss you.’

Nancy blinked. ‘Oh, yer don’t need to think about that fer some time,’ she reassured her. ‘An’ even when we do get wed, I shan’t be goin’ too far away.’ Annie had been her saviour and Nancy couldn’t imagine her life without her in it. ‘Chances are by the time the weddin’ comes around there’ll be somebody new in your life an’ all. Yer far too young an’ pretty to stay on yer own. Monty wouldn’t have wanted that. He’d want yer to be happy.’

‘I am happy, and I’ll still have Adam when you move out,’ Annie responded.

Nancy shook her head. ‘I know that but yer won’t ’ave him forever. He’ll grow up an’ ’ave his own life one day.’

‘Then I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,’ Annie said shortly and the conversation ended abruptly.

That weekend she set off for Nuneaton. She was looking forward to seeing Peggy and Levi, and also intended to pay a visit to her newfound family at the circus.

‘How is Mr Taylor-Lloyd?’ Annie asked Peggy shortly after they’d arrived. Levi had taken a very well-wrapped-up Adam to feed the ducks in Riversley Park.