Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
“Well, Min,” Tommy said as he led them into the heart of Gretna Green, “I hadn’t thought about this part – staying overnight.”
“That’s fine,” she said, even though her heart was racing at the idea. “I assumed we would have to stay, for the train likely leaves tomorrow.”
“That it does. I have another day before I have to return to football and my work, so I suppose this is our honeymoon of sorts.”
“Could we see the town before we find our lodgings?” she asked, trying to stall before they would be alone together in a bedroom. While it was inevitable, she still hadn’t determined how to navigate the situation.
“Why not?” he said with a shrug, as easygoing as ever.
He held his arm out for her as they entered the main area of the town, which was small but vibrant.
Minnie was acutely aware of Tommy beside her.
When they had said their vows, he had looked so deeply into her eyes that it had felt as though he could see into her very soul.
He had said he was doing this for the opportunity to get to know her better, and suddenly it seemed as though he already knew her very well.
Her stomach was already fluttering with nerves at the thought of the night to come with him. While he might not expect anything, she had never been so close to a man before, and clearly, she would be sharing a bed with him.
“How would you feel about a celebratory drink?” Tommy asked, and she nodded, too caught up in her thoughts, as she followed him inside.
The tavern was bustling with people, but unlike many of the taverns she had seen in Manchester, this one seemed warmer, more inviting, as though the intentions of those who entered were much purer.
Perhaps it was due to the early hour, as many people were sitting at tables across from one another, enjoying a meal together instead of losing themselves in the endless flow of drinks as usually occurred in a tavern.
Minnie followed Tommy to a table for two in the corner, close to what appeared to be a small stage.
“Do you think there will be entertainment?”
Tommy wiggled his eyebrows. “I see some instruments,” he said, pointing to a variety of guitars piled together in the corner.
They didn’t say much as a barmaid served them a hearty course of stew and bread, although Tommy seemed interested when three men began to round the stage.
“Do you enjoy what you do?” Minnie said, unable to take the silence between them any longer.
It was as though, now that they were married, they weren’t sure how to act around each other.
How many flirtations did one still attempt when they were now as close as they could ever bind themselves to one another?
“As a blacksmith?” Tommy said in surprise, and she nodded.
He leaned back, his elbow over the chair behind him as he studied her, contemplating his answer.
“I enjoy my work. I find it to be a soothing endeavor, with an artistry to it. If there is anything I am dissatisfied with, it is waiting for my own shop, to work for myself and actually make a decent living.”
“Are you finished with your apprenticeship?”
“I should be. Jack, the man I work for, has been like a father to me, especially in times when my own father could barely care for himself. Yet, as understanding as he is about my time, he keeps deciding he wants to stay on, despite having told me over and over again that he is ready to leave the business. He always said I would take over, but…” He shrugged as though it was not much of an issue, although Minnie could tell that it bothered him.
“You could look elsewhere,” she suggested.
“I could. But loyalty is important to me. Jack has supported me for seven years now.”
“Do you do all of the work for him?”
“Most of it.”
“Then I’d say it is an equal arrangement,” she said. “You have to be happy, Tommy.”
“I am,” he said, although his eyes had turned far away. “And I have football.”
The warmth that covered his face as he said it told Minnie more than she could have hoped for.
“I’ll tell you a little secret, now that you’re my wife and all,” he said, leaning forward. “I get paid a bit to play.”
Minnie’s eyes widened. “I didn’t think that was allowed.”
“It’s not. But I wasn’t going to be able to play otherwise, and they wanted me on the team, so,” he shrugged, “they figured out a way to do it without anyone knowing. Colin is paid too.”
“But not everyone?”
“No,” he said. “For some of us, like Rhys, the amount they would pay him isn’t worth it as he does well enough for himself already. But for Colin and me, when we joined, it made a difference.”
She nodded, picking at her bread. “Did you decide what you’ll do about the bribe?”
She hoped that he understood she wouldn’t judge him, no matter what he decided. His reasoning for taking it would be righteous if the medication he could buy would make such a difference to his sister.
“I did decide,” he said with a nod, but before he could answer, a guitar strummed and anything he was about to say was drowned out by the music.
Tommy just winked at her, leaned back, and listened with such satisfaction on his face that Minnie vowed to be more like him. Enjoy the moment. Find peace where she could. And greet each day with excitement for what was to come.
Minnie was enjoying the music, but her eyes were beginning to feel heavy. She was just about to ask Tommy if they could find their place to rest for the night, when the musicians came to a stop and one of them stepped forward.
“Thank you, thank you,” the red-haired, bearded man said to the crowd as they applauded him. “We will be taking a break, but if anyone would like to take the stage – and is worthy of it – it is open!”
Minnie had a feeling she knew exactly what was coming next, and she was proven correct when Tommy shot her a grin before hopping up from his seat and bounding up to be first to the platform.
The red-haired man handed him his guitar.
They murmured a few words to one another before Tommy took a seat on the stool, and the tavern went silent as they waited for Tommy to begin, the crowd ready to judge whether he was worth listening to.
“Thanks for having me,” he said, addressing the crowd with a warm smile and a glint in his eye as he pushed his sandy hair back away from his face.
His eyes moved over the crowd, and Minnie sensed that even a few of the women were ready to leave their husbands for some time with Tommy, especially when he smiled and the dimple appeared in his cheek.
Then his gaze landed on her, and the way his eyes held hers, showing everyone else that she was special to him, caused her entire body to warm, a space deep within her answering his silent call.
“From what I can tell, many of us are here with someone special,” he said, winking at Minnie. “This one is for my special someone and is fitting for where we find ourselves this evening.”
He didn’t break his gaze upon her when he opened his mouth and began to sing.
O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June:
O my Luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly played in tune.
Minnie, like most of the other patrons in the tavern, was spellbound, held in place by the sweet notes that wrapped around her, drawing her into him as though they were tendrils of silk whispering against her skin and pulling her close.
And I will come again, my Luve,
Though it were ten thousand mile.
The song came to a close, his fingers strumming on the last few chords, and while Minnie knew it was just a song — a love poem — it felt as though he meant every word.
The tavern went silent, everyone’s attention still hanging on that last note.
The slow clap began somewhere in the back, then began to grow with speed and intensity, until everyone was on their feet, clapping for Tommy and the emotion that had spread through the tavern.
Minnie found herself still in her seat, unable to move, until she realized that he was looking at her, an unspoken understanding passing between them. She slowly drew to her feet and began to clap along with the rest of the patrons.
Tommy made a sweeping bow, waved to the crowd, then surged down the stairs of the stage toward their table. He leaned over, reaching his hand out toward Minnie.
“Ready to leave, wife?” he asked, and she nodded mutely. At this point, she would follow him anywhere he asked.
She took his hand and nodded as they left the table. He reached the barmaid, about to pay, but she exchanged a glance with the man behind the bar and shook her head. “After that performance, it’s on us,” she said. “Enjoy your wedding night.”
Minnie wondered how she knew, but she supposed in a village this size, word spread quickly.
She gave Minnie a knowing smile, which Minnie tried her best to return, but it was hard when her heart was stampeding through her chest like a pack of horses.
“I think this is the way,” Tommy murmured as they walked through the dark street. “I’m a bit turned around,” he said, but soon enough the yellow house came into view, Murdoch’s sister awaiting them in the same parlor.
“I should have previously shown you the guest house, but now will do,” she said. “I’ll not bother you until morning, when we’ll have breakfast awaiting you. I assume you are here just for the night?”
“That’s right,” Tommy said as they walked into the yard behind and through the door of the small guest house beyond.
It was tiny, but the interior was everything they could have asked for. Warm. Clean. Inviting. Plush and comfortable, with a mountain of bedding and pillows, a vase of fresh flowers on the small dresser, and their bags sitting on the floor beside it.
“It’s beautiful,” Minnie said to Anne. “Thank you so much. For this. And for everything you have done for us.”
“Murdoch shared your story with me. The two of you deserve happiness,” Anne said with a smile before leaving them be, and suddenly the room seemed even smaller with just the two of them and the tension radiating between them.