Chapter Three
The Gypsies pulled onto the field at the side of the circus later that day. The evening performance was in full swing and the big top was full of applause and laughter.
Luca had made a point during the show of popping out to see if there was a sight of them.
When he did see the vardos arriving his heart did a little flip.
He hurried back inside. There would be no time to welcome them until the performance was over.
And even then, it would have to wait. This evening it was his turn to work the swing boats, which were so popular with the visiting children.
The evening seemed to pass so slowly. Luca’s eyes kept straying to the Gypsy camp, but as yet there was no sign of Charity.
At last, the crowd began to disperse and the fair became quiet.
Luca quickly tied the swing boats down and took the evening’s earnings to his father.
Only then did he have time to visit the camp.
He found Matthew sitting beside a campfire eating his supper; sausages with potatoes.
Matthew stood up and slapped him on the back and shook his hand as he greeted him. ‘Hello, Luca, it’s good to see you.’
Luca smiled as he returned the greeting but his eyes were searching for Charity. There was no sign of her although he spotted her friend Scarlet, who flashed him a smile.
‘So how are you all?’
Matthew nodded. ‘We’re well, and yourself?’
‘I’m very well.’
‘I think we have a couple of horses your father will be interested in.’ Matthew gestured towards a corner of the field where the horses were tethered. They were grazing contentedly.
‘We have one pure white foal and a palomino. She is superb! My father has kept them to give your father first chance.’ He kissed his fingers. ‘Her coat is like spun gold and her mane and tail are pure white.’
‘I’m sure my father will be interested to see them,’ Luca assured him. ‘But where are the rest of the family?’
Matthew pointed over his shoulder. ‘My mother has been unwell. Charity is seeing to her needs and my father is directing the last vardos into the camp.’
Luca felt strangely disappointed. If this was the case it was unlikely he would catch up with Charity that evening.
Still, there was always tomorrow. He would look forward to it.
He took a seat on the ground cross-legged beside his friend.
They talked about the places they had visited and the things they had done since the last time they met.
The next morning, Matthew and his father left the camp early.
It was cattle market day in the town. They took four of the horses they were hoping to sell.
The market was always busy. Farmers from the farms surrounding the town would congregate with animals they wished to sell.
There would be cages and pens full of pigs, cows, sheep, geese, chickens and ducks as well as horses.
When bartering for the animals was finished, the farmers would go for a well-earned tankard of ale in the market tavern.
Luca had no doubt the Gypsies would join them, which meant they could be gone for most of the day.
It also meant that he might see Charity at the camp.
Quickly, he went to see to the needs of the circus animals before wandering towards the vardos.
And then he saw her. His heart skipped a beat.
She was in the corner of the field brushing the horses with some of the other girls.
Charity spotted him as he came towards her and a flush rose to her cheeks.
Over the last couple of years, he had changed a lot as well.
He had been a lanky, skinny boy, but with hard work and a life in the fresh air he had grown into a very handsome young man.
He was wearing an open-necked shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
His skin was golden brown and she could see the muscles rippling in his arms.
‘Hello, Charity.’
As he stopped before her, she realised he had also grown taller. He now towered over her.
‘Hello, Luca. How are you?’
Once she would have thrown her arms about him and given him a hug. But that would be frowned upon now she was sixteen.
‘Do you fancy a stroll by the river?’ Luca asked.
Charity bit her lip. Did she dare? But then she reasoned that her father and Matthew would be gone for some time and her mother was still in the vardo feeling unwell. What harm could it do?
She nodded and they set off side by side. Once they were out of sight of the camp, they relaxed a little. They began to feel more at ease with each other.
They were strolling along the banks of the River Anker. Charity stopped to sit on the grass beneath the branches of a weeping willow and dangled her feet in the cool water.
‘So how have you been?’
As Luca turned to watch her, she thought of the kiss they had shared and she flushed again. There was a strange fluttering feeling in her stomach that she had never had before.
‘I’ve been well,’ she answered quietly. She was very conscious of his closeness. Their arms were almost touching and she wished they would. ‘I had my birthday. My sixteenth birthday, so Papa will be looking for a husband for me now.’
Luca scowled as he plucked a blade of glass and began to chew on it. It was the worst news he could have received. He realised that the thought of Charity with another man made him jealous in a way he never had been before.
‘And how do you feel about that?’
Charity shrugged as she tossed her long dark hair across her shoulder. ‘I’m not happy about it,’ she admitted. ‘But this is our custom. All Gypsy girls are expected to wed once they reach sixteen.’
‘But you can’t!’ The words burst from him before he could stop them.
Shocked, she faced him. ‘What did you just say?’
Luca gulped and mopped his forehead feeling foolish. ‘I’m sorry . . . I shouldn’t have said that.’
She was staring deep into his eyes and it was his turn to flush now.
‘But why?’ she whispered.
‘Because I can’t bear to think of you with anyone else. I’ve thought of you every single day since we last met.’
‘And I have thought of you,’ she admitted breathlessly.
As one, they moved towards each other and Luca’s lips came down on hers.
She didn’t try to stop him or push him away.
Suddenly it was as if they were the only two people left in the whole world.
Their arms tightened about each other and it was a long time before they pulled apart.
When they finally did, they stared at each other, breathless.
Something had been awakened in them as they realised that they loved each other.
Luca was beaming. He knew what the strange feelings he had been suffering were now. No other girl had ever made him feel as Charity did. And he suspected no other ever would. She was the girl for him.
‘So, problem solved.’ He was beaming now. ‘If your father wants you to marry you can marry me!’
His smile died as he saw the stricken look on her face.
‘But you know the Gypsy traditions.’ Her eyes filled with tears as she shook her head sadly. ‘My papa likes you, Luca, but he would never allow such a union. I must wed one of our own kind. He must have Gypsy blood flowing through his veins. You live with the circus. You have your own traditions.’
‘Does he have someone in mind for you?’ Luca was seething with jealousy now. Why hadn’t he realised before that Charity was the one for him?
‘I think so,’ she admitted miserably. ‘I have a distant cousin. We will be seeing him and his family at Appleby Fair in June. I think the marriage will be arranged between our families then.’
‘And do you like him?’
Charity shook her head. ‘No, I don’t.’
‘But you can’t be expected to marry someone you don’t even like!’ Luca was appalled.
She rose and dusted down her colourful skirts. Time was moving on and she was afraid of being missed.
‘We must go back. We will talk of this again.’
‘When?’ He rose to stand beside her and took her hand.
She gently pulled away. ‘I don’t know. But please, we must go back. I will go ahead of you in case my parents see us coming back.’
He stood and watched her helplessly as she left.