Page 87 of The Winter Bride

Peggy blinked back tears. ‘I can’t ’elp thinkin’, though . . . Maggie were my best friend fer many years. What would she say about all this?’

‘I think she’d want both you and Levi to be happy,’ Annie said firmly. ‘So we’ll hear no more of this nonsense. It’s only two days to the wedding and I want you to enjoy it. Oh, and while I think about it, I’ve got a little surprise for you here. I was going to save it till the morning of the wedding, but I realised you’d want to pack.’

Peggy looked bemused. ‘Pack what?’

‘A suitcase for you both. Because straight after the reception you’ll be catching the train to Broadstairs where I’ve booked you into a hotel for a week. I know the weather is cold but I’m sure you’ll find things to entertain yourselves. You can go to a show or for some nice walks and just relax away from work for a time.’ She placed the train tickets in Peggy’s hands.

Peggy’s eyes filled with tears. ‘Ah, pet, yer shouldn’t have done that,’ she said with a catch in her voice.

‘It’s my wedding present to you both so just go and enjoy it.’

Peggy had only ever had one other holiday in Southend some years before with Levi and the family, and now she could hardly wait. It had been agreed that Annie and Adam would stay in the cottage until the day of the wedding, so Annie bustled away to take their bags upstairs.

That evening, as they sat with a cup of cocoa before bed, Annie asked tentatively, ‘So what’s happening with Reggie now?’

‘He appeared in court on a charge o’ murder,’ Peggy told her as she sipped at her drink. ‘An’ now he’s been remanded in custody in Winson Green Prison in Birmingham until ’is case comes up in Crown Court. I reckon he’ll be fer the noose when it’s ’eard.’

Annie shuddered as she thought of all the women he had attacked. ‘And Mrs Taylor-Lloyd? Is she still in Swan Lane?’

‘Aye, but word ’as it she’s as nutty as a fruit cake. I reckon this ’as just tipped ’er over the edge. She’s sacked all her staff an’ none of ’er posh friends are havin’ anything to do wi’ her. Were she a nicer person I’d feel sorry fer ’er, but knowin’ her as I do, I can only say she’s asked fer all she’s got. The woman ain’t got a kindly, charitable bone in ’er body.’

Annie sighed and quickly changed the subject. She didn’t want to dwell on bad things so close to the wedding. She wanted Peggy to enjoy her special day, but she had to admit that it was nice to not have to keep looking over her shoulder for Reggie.

The next day she wrapped Adam up warmly and took him to collect a bunch of holly with bright red berries to place on Monty’s grave. The churchyard was deserted when they got there and as she placed the holly in a vase in front of his headstone a solitary tear slid down her cold cheek. Poor Monty, he hadn’t deserved to die as he had but as she knew too well, life could be cruel and those left behind had to get on with it as best they could. She just hoped he was in a better place now.

Next, they visited the florist to make sure that everything was in hand for the wedding, and then she led Adam to the circus trailers to see his grandparents.

Both Charity and Luca were thrilled to see them and reluctant to let them leave at the end of the afternoon. Mercy and Barney called in to see them too, along with Noah, and it felt like a real family get-together.

Annie was in a happy mood when they left to go back to Peggy’s for dinner, until she saw a familiar figure walking towards her as she neared the town centre. Her heart sank. It looked very much like her ex-mother-in-law, though not as she remembered her. This woman looked dishevelled and was muttering to herself, and for a moment Annie thought she must be mistaken, until the figure drew closer and she saw that it was indeed Mrs Taylor-Lloyd. She had just turned into Stratford Street so there was no way to avoid her and when the woman was almost upon her, she stopped dead to glare at her and Adam.

‘What are you and that brat doing back here?’ she demanded in her usual imperious tone. ‘Come to gloat about my Reginald, have you? That’s both of my sons you’ve destroyed now.’

Before Annie could comment she rushed on, ‘Don’t think I don’t know that he was drawn to you! You’ve been like a magnet for my boys, but Reginald wasn’t handsome enough for you after his face was burnt, was he? You broke his heart. And now they’re saying that my Reginald is a murderer, but it’s all lies, I tell you.’

Annie knew he’d been caught red-handed but she didn’t comment. ‘I suppose you should be thanking me then,’ she said. ‘I can only imagine how angry you’d have been if I had taken up with Reggie. It was bad enough when I married Monty!’ There was something about the woman that made her feel nervous, but she was determined not to show it. She looked as if she hadn’t washed or changed in days and there was a light of madness in her eyes.

Annie breezed past her with her nose in the air and Mrs Taylor-Lloyd didn’t try to stop her, although her voice followed her until she turned the corner into Abbey Street.

‘That’s it, walk away,’ the woman screeched. ‘Everything went wrong from the day those Lilburn riff-raffs moved in next door.’

Annie quickened her pace and slowly the voice faded into the distance, by which time she was at the entrance to the ginnel that led to the cottage. Had it been anyone else, Annie could have felt sorry for her but she remembered all too well how unwelcoming she had been to them in Swan Lane and couldn’t find any sympathy for her now.

She decided not to say anything to Peggy. She was nervous enough with the wedding being so close.

On the eve of the wedding Annie informed Levi that he would be spending the night with Eve and Davey and getting ready for church at their house.

‘But why?’ he grumbled.

Annie grinned. ‘Because it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride on the night before the wedding,’ she informed him, ignoring Peggy’s perplexed look.

‘But that’s daft! We’ve been livin’ in the same house together fer ages,’ he pointed out.

Annie nodded. ‘I’m quite aware of that but you haven’t been married, have you? Anyway, think how much nicer it will be when you see Peggy walking down the aisle to you. She’s going to look a picture.’

‘She always does to me.’ His voice softened as he looked towards the bride-to-be and she blushed prettily.

‘So come on, do this one thing for me. Your suit is already round there,’ Annie coaxed. She handed Levi a small overnight bag and he sighed, knowing when he was beaten.