Chapter Two
Over the next few days Peggy began to make Annie’s bridal gown.
Made with white satin it had a lace overlay and a straight, calf-length skirt with a handkerchief hem.
Annie kept telling her that she didn’t need to go to such trouble, but Peggy was enjoying herself and spent every spare minute at the sewing machine.
‘Just leave it with me, it’s going to be beautiful,’ she told her, so Annie stopped objecting.
As promised Levi had booked a room upstairs in the Bull Hotel for a small reception after the church service, so Annie left them to their plans and got on with opening her shop.
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.’
‘That’s wonderful news, lad.’ Peggy sniffed as she blinked back a tear.
‘It don’t seem like two minutes since you two were only knee-high to grass’oppers an’ now ’ere yer both are about to get married.
I don’t know where the time goes. But ’ow long are yer stayin?
Yer welcome to stay ’ere but I’m afraid you’ll ’ave to kip on the sofa or in wi’ yer dad. ’
Barney shook his head. ‘Thanks fer the offer, Peggy, but I’ll be catchin’ the train back later. There are still animals to be fed whether the circus is performin’ or not.’
‘Well, I ’ope you’ll at least stay until you’ve seen yer dad an’ ’ave a bit o’ dinner wi’ us,’ she said, bustling away to start preparing it, leaving the two young people to talk.
Levi was delighted to find his son there when he got back from his round and the atmosphere over dinner, a tasty stew and dumplings, was light. But eventually Barney glanced at the clock and rose from his seat.
‘Right, if I’m to catch me train I’d best be off. I’ll see yer all again in a few weeks when we land back in Nuneaton. An’ I hope your weddin’ goes off well, Annie.’
‘Thanks, and I hope yours does too,’ she answered as she gave him a peck on the cheek. ‘I’m just sorry I can’t be there.’
‘I’m sorry I can’t be at yours either, but never mind, I’ll be thinkin’ of yer.’
‘I’ll walk yer round to the train station,’ Levi offered. ‘It’ll do me good to walk a bit o’ dinner off. Peggy is feedin’ me too well.’
‘Oh, get off wi’ yer,’ Peggy chuckled. ‘You could do wi’ a bit o’ extra meat on yer bones.’
As soon as they were gone and the dishes had been washed and dried, she fetched Annie’s wedding dress for her to try on. Peggy beamed as she pinned the delicate lace sleeves into it. ‘It’s comin’ on a treat, even if I do say so meself. You’re goin’ to make a lovely bride,’ she sighed.
Annie frowned. The wedding was getting closer by the day and she was starting to feel a little nervous.
She and Monty had never gone further than a chaste kiss and somehow, she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lie with him.
She was also battling with her conscience.
Should she tell him that it wasn’t her first time?
Would he know? She still wanted to marry him, but she couldn’t help but feel guilty about her one night with Alex.
‘What’s wrong? Don’t yer like it?’ Peggy asked as she saw Annie’s expression.
‘Oh yes . . . yes, I do . . . it’s just . . .’ Annie sighed. She had never breathed a word to anyone about what had happened with Alex but now she was longing to confide in someone, and who better than Peggy? She would have trusted her with her life.
‘Well, if it ain’t the dress causin’ the long face, then what is it?’ Peggy asked. ‘It’s obvious somethin’s on yer mind.’
Annie stepped down from the chair and when Peggy had helped her off with the dress she began cautiously, ‘I . . . I’ve done something, Peggy, and I don’t know if I should tell Monty about it before the wedding. The trouble is, if I do, he might decide that he doesn’t want to marry me after all.’
Peggy snorted. ‘Huh! I doubt there’s anythin’ that’d make him do that, but would it ’elp to talk about it?’ She laid the dress aside and when Annie was dressed again, they sat together on the settee.
‘So come on, yer know what they say – a trouble shared is a trouble halved.’
‘But I don’t quite know where to begin.’
‘They allus say the beginnin’ is a good place,’ Peggy answered.
So taking a deep breath, Annie told her of how she had met Alex during the war in France and how there had been an instant attraction between them.
‘Neither of us ever intended to take it any further,’ she ended miserably. ‘And it was just pure chance that I met him in London, and then one thing just led to another. Oh Peggy, Monty would be so disappointed in me if he knew. What am I to do?’
‘Hmm.’ Peggy was quiet for a moment but then gently took Annie’s hand and asked, ‘Are yer sure yer want to marry Monty, pet?’
Annie nodded. ‘Yes, I do. I can’t deny I love Alex, but we can never be together and I want a family of my own and I can have that with Monty.’
‘Then my advice to yer would be to say nothin’. After all, it ain’t as if you were with ’im when this happened wi’ Alex, is it? Yer didn’t agree to marry Monty till yer got back from London, so as far as I’m concerned, the less said about it the better. What he don’t know can’t hurt him.’
‘Do you really think so?’
Peggy nodded. ‘I do, so now let’s say no more about it, eh? It’s sad that you an’ Alex can’t be together, but as yer said, you can hopefully ’ave the family yer always dreamt of with Monty.’
Levi arrived back at that moment so the conversation went no further, and soon after Monty arrived to take Annie home to her rooms.
‘I can’t believe that soon you’re going to be my wife,’ he told her happily as they walked along Abbey Street arm in arm. ‘You do know you’ve made me the proudest man in the world, don’t you?’
Annie nodded, a lump forming in her throat.
Monty was such a kind, caring man. Peggy was right, it wouldn’t be fair to hurt him, and she promised herself there and then that she would try to be the best wife she could be for him.
But oh, how she wished her birth parents could have been at the wedding!