Page 3 of The Winter Bride

During the next week she found two warehouses – one in Coventry and one in Leicester – that sold the sort of clothes she wanted, and she spent almost all her savings ensuring the shop would be well stocked for the opening.

On the day the clothes arrived, her friend Eve, who worked with Peggy in the second-hand shops they’d set up after the war, and Peggy came to help her unpack the boxes.

‘Oh, they’re so posh,’ Peggy said admiringly as she hung a pretty ankle-length dress on the rail. ‘But lookin’ at the price of ’em, yer goin’ to be servin’ a completely different class o’ customer to what we get in the second-’and shops. They could never afford these prices.’

‘I know.’ Annie was having a bit of a wobble and hoping she hadn’t aimed too high. ‘What if the more well-to-do customers don’t come?’

‘They will,’ Peggy said confidently. ‘Just don’t expect too much too soon. As yer know from the other two shops it takes time to get a business off the ground. It don’t happen overnight. When were yer thinkin’ of openin’?’

‘I’m having some mannequins delivered next week so I can make a nice window display,’ Annie answered. ‘And then I’ve got to get a sign done, although I still have no idea what I’m going to call the shop. Then it’ll be only two weeks until the wedding.’

‘So why don’t yer leave the openin’ till after that?’ Peggy suggested, hearing the note of panic in Annie’s voice. ‘Now Levi’s treatin’ yer both to a week away fer your honeymoon there’s no point till yer get back.’

‘I suppose yer, I mean, you’re right,’ Annie corrected herself. Now that she was going to be serving some of the better-spoken clients, she was desperately trying to improve her own speech.

‘An’ what’s happenin’ wi’ Monty’s family? Are they still sayin’ they ain’t comin’ to the weddin’?’

‘I’m afraid so,’ Annie said resignedly. She had guessed she would face their opposition. They had never liked her or considered her good enough to mix with the likes of them, but she felt sad for Monty.

‘Aww well, there’s still time fer ’em to change their minds,’ Peggy said optimistically, although personally she felt the wedding would be a much happier affair if the Taylor-Lloyds stayed away.

‘I was thinking of getting my hair cut into a bob for the wedding,’ Annie told her.

Peggy looked horrified. Annie’s coal-black hair shone like a raven’s wing and hung almost to her waist.

‘I don’t think Monty would be too pleased if yer were to do that, an’ I certainly wouldn’t,’ Peggy said huffily. ‘It’d be a crime to chop that off. Yer could do wi’ smartenin’ yerself up a bit for servin’ in the shop, though. Yer could perhaps wear it up in one o’ them French rolls an’ I could run yer up a couple o’ smart blouses an’ skirts, if yer like? An’ that reminds me, I want yer back at the cottage when we’ve finished ’ere fer a fittin’ o’ yer weddin’ dress. It’s almost done an’ I’m proud of it, even if I do say so meself. Yer goin’ to look the bee’s knees.’

Annie smiled. Peggy had always been like a mother to her, and she loved her devotedly. It didn’t stop her feeling a little sad, though. It should have been her real mother helping to organise her wedding and her dress, and her real father giving her away – although she would be proud to have Levi walk her down the aisle.

When they had done as much as they could for the time being, Annie and Peggy set off for the cottage. They had just got there when the door suddenly opened and Barney, Levi’s eldest son, appeared.

‘Barney, what a lovely surprise! What are you doin’ ’ere, lad?’ Peggy greeted him.

‘I could ask you the same,’ he said with a grin. ‘I just got to the house in Swan Lane to find somebody else livin’ there. What’s goin’ on?’ Barney travelled with the circus, so he was unaware of everything that had happened in the last few months.

Peggy told him of Levi’s decision to sell the house and move back to the courtyard.

Barney nodded. ‘I suppose it makes sense. It would ’ave been far too big fer him, especially wi’ Ma gone. But as it ’appens I’ve come wi’ some good news. I caught the train from Nottingham where we’re stayin’ fer the winter to share it.’

‘Go on then, spit it out!’ Peggy and Annie were all ears.

‘I’ll be gettin’ wed towards the end o’ March when we come back ’ere!’

‘Just after me,’ Annie said delightedly. ‘Will you be marrying Mercy?’ She knew he had been in love with the girl since he’d joined the circus when he was just fifteen, and she couldn’t be more pleased.

‘That’s right. An’ would I be right in guessin’ you’ll be marryin’ Monty?’

She nodded and they gave each other a hug. ‘I bet his ma ain’t too pleased about that,’ Barney chuckled.

‘You’re right. In fact, she’s saying she won’t even come to the wedding. Where are you getting married?’

‘At the registry office,’ he told her as he sat down by the side of the fire. ‘Mercy didn’t want a big do after what happened wi’ Bertie.’

Some years before Mercy had stabbed her cousin Bertie when he had tried to force himself on her and she had been jailed for some years for manslaughter, even though she had only been defending herself. Barney had been devastated but now finally his life was going the way he wanted and he would at last be marrying the girl he had loved for so long.

They compared dates and Annie frowned. ‘Oh, but on the date you’re getting married I’ll still be on my honeymoon, we don’t get back until the Monday after,’ she groaned.

He shrugged. ‘Don’t worry about it. I’d ’ave liked you to be there, but as I said it’s only goin’ to be a very quiet affair, so you won’t be missin’ much. I just wanted it ’ere so the family could attend.’