Chapter Four
‘I can’t believe this is our last day,’ Monty said sadly as they lay on the sand enjoying the sunshine the following Friday. ‘Back to reality tomorrow, eh?’
The week had passed peacefully. They had taken long walks, found tiny restaurants to dine in and enjoyed each other’s company.
Annie hitched herself up onto her elbow and grinned down at him. ‘Actually, I’m quite looking forward to going home. Don’t forget I’m opening my new shop on Monday. Not that it hasn’t been wonderful,’ she added hastily. ‘Come on, I fancy an ice cream.’
‘You always seem to be hungry. It must be the sea air,’ he chuckled as he rose and brushed the sand from his trousers before offering her his hand to help her to her feet.
The week had gone far better than Annie had dared hope, and she had enjoyed Monty’s lovemaking. Admittedly he didn’t set her pulse racing as Alex had, but he was a kind and considerate lover and if he had noticed on their wedding night that it wasn’t her first time, he hadn’t commented on it.
They strolled along the pier, and he bought her an ice cream, then they sat on a bench watching the ships on the estuary. ‘I know you said once that you’d like a family but how long do you want to wait?’
‘I suppose when they come along,’ Annie answered.
‘And how many children do you want?’
She smiled. ‘Oh, I think at least four, don’t you?’
She failed to see the look of concern that briefly flitted across his face. ‘Sounds wonderful,’ he said quietly, and they went on to speak of other things.
The following day, as they set off for home, Annie was excited at the prospect of opening her new shop.
‘Just don’t get upset if you don’t do a roaring trade straight away,’ Monty reminded her. ‘You’ll be catering for a particular clientele, and word will have to spread around.’
‘I know,’ she answered, although she hoped he was wrong.
They lapsed into silence, and Annie’s thoughts turned to what had been happening at home.
She had left Susan, who was to be her assistant in the shop, to arrange the window displays on the new mannequins as she seemed to have a flair for that sort of thing.
Having Susan there also meant that Annie had someone reliable to keep the shop open when she was off buying stock.
Poor Susan had had a terrible time recently and she fervently hoped this job would help keep her mind off losing her daughter Constance, and the end of her relationship with Theo.
At least Annie would be able to keep an eye on her during the day, and now she had moved into Annie’s old rooms next to Eve and Davey, they could watch out for her when she wasn’t at the shop.
She also wondered how Barney’s wedding to Mercy had gone.
She wished she could have been there. Still, Levi and Peggy could give her all the details when she got back.
She doubted either of his brothers would have made it – Charlie was living in London but had let them know he couldn’t attend because he was away on business, while Harry had stayed in France after the war.
They arrived back in Nuneaton mid-afternoon and hurried towards their new home above the shop in Bridge Street.
But when they turned the corner and she caught sight of it, Annie gasped with dismay.
Instead of the lovely window display she had hoped to see, the large window was completely boarded up.
‘On no, what do you think could have happened?’ she gasped.
Monty pursed his lips. ‘Looks to me like somebody’s put the window through. Come on, Susan will probably be there.’
‘But how much will that cost to replace?’ she said worriedly. She had spent most of her savings on stock and had very little left.
‘Don’t get worrying about that, I’ll sort it,’ Monty reassured her as they reached the shop door and banged on it.
Susan unlocked the door and let them in.
‘Oh, I’m so sorry you’ve had to come home to this.
’ There was a catch in her voice. ‘I had the window dressed beautifully with two of the more expensive gowns, and I could hardly wait for you to see it. And then late last night I had a knock on the door from a policeman who knows you owned the shop to tell me this had happened. Levi came round to board it up, but I haven’t contacted anyone about replacing the glass yet.
I wasn’t sure what you’d want me to do.’
‘Do they have any idea who might have done it? And have they taken any stock?’ Annie asked.
Susan shook her head. ‘No, whoever it was threw a brick through the window then dragged the two mannequins out into the road and ripped the gowns off them. I’m afraid the gowns are ruined but I did manage to save the mannequins.
I hope you don’t mind but I was so worried about them coming back that I stayed here on your settee with the poker in my hand for the rest of the night. I’m so very sorry!’
‘Don’t be, it’s not your fault,’ Annie told her. Luckily it appeared that the rest of the shop was untouched, and Susan had made a fine job of cleaning up the broken glass.
‘You go on upstairs and have a cup of tea,’ Monty told them.
This was definitely not the homecoming he’d hoped for.
‘I’m going to go round to the glaziers and get them to come and measure the window up.
I doubt they’ll have a piece of glass that big in stock, though, so it’s doubtful they’ll be able to repair it today.
You might have to delay the shop opening. ’
‘I know,’ Annie muttered miserably. She’d been so looking forward to it. Deep down she was wondering if this might have been some sort of revenge tactic from Reggie.
‘And you say you have no idea who it might have been?’ Annie asked as she and Susan went into the kitchen to put the kettle on.
Susan shrugged. ‘No. It could just have been a bunch of young vandals or a drunk after the pubs shut. Whoever it was there’s very little chance of the police catching them now.’
Annie nodded in agreement as she prepared the teapot and the cups and saucers, wishing they were still in Margate.
But despite this setback, as the day wore on her mood improved and she started feeling defiant.
If it was Reggie let him do his worst; there was no way she would let him beat her.
Admittedly having to delay the shop opening was a disappointment but things could have been far worse.
She might have had all her stock destroyed rather than just the shop window and two gowns.
‘I wonder if we shouldn’t get a dog. You know, a guard dog that could sleep in the kitchen at night. That way he’d let us know if anyone tried to get in,’ Monty said thoughtfully later that night when they were sitting in their small lounge enjoying a last drink before bed.
The glaziers had ordered the glass and would be coming to fit it the following Tuesday, so all being well Annie would be able to open the shop later in the week.
‘I suppose it’s a thought,’ she said. ‘But aren’t guard dogs rather vicious?’
He chuckled. ‘I don’t mean get a great beast of a dog. It could be small, so long as it barks if there’s a disturbance.’
‘Hmm, I’ll give it some thought,’ she said, but Monty could see she wasn’t too keen on the idea so he didn’t press it.
‘I suppose I ought to go and see Mother tomorrow now that I’m home. I shall be back at work on Monday,’ he said unenthusiastically. He had returned to the accountancy firm where he had worked before the war. ‘Would you like to come with me?’
Annie shook her head. ‘I won’t this time if you don’t mind. I ought to go an’, sorry – and – see Levi and Peggy. I can take them the little presents we got for them.’
‘As you wish.’ He grinned with a wicked little twinkle in his eye. ‘But now, Mrs Taylor-Lloyd, I rather think it’s our bedtime.’
Annie laughed. She still couldn’t get used to being called by her married name. ‘Very well. And I thought we might go round to the circus to see Barney and Mercy on Sunday to see how their wedding went.’
‘Good idea.’ He placed his mug down and held his hand out to her and side by side they went to their bedroom.
The following day, while Monty went to visit his mother, Annie went to see Peggy and Levi in the cottage.
‘Why, if it ain’t the old married woman,’ Peggy teased warmly. ‘How’s married life suitin’ yer, pet?’
‘It’s suiting me very well. And the hotel was amazing, thank you, Levi. And thanks for going and boarding up the shop window as well.’
He frowned. ‘It were no trouble at all, although I were heart sore that you’d ’ave to come ’ome to that. I wish I could get me ’ands on whoever did it. Me an’ Peggy ’ave got our thoughts on who it might ’ave been but it’s provin’ it that’s the problem.’
‘I wouldn’t mind betting you’re thinking of the same person I am,’ she said gravely.
‘But anyway, enough about that. It could have been worse. Here, we got you a little gift each. It’s nothing much.
’ She handed Levi a new pipe and a pouch of tobacco, then handed Peggy her gift.
It was a beautiful cream wool shawl, so fine and delicate that it looked almost like lace.
Peggy was thrilled with it and put it about her shoulders straight away.
‘Oh, it’s beautiful but much too pretty to wear ’ceptin’ fer special occasions,’ she declared as she admired it in the mirror over the mantelpiece.
‘Now tell me how Barney’s wedding went?’ Annie said.
Peggy smiled. ‘Eeh, Mercy is a pretty little thing, an’ they both looked as pleased as Punch. I reckon them pair will be fine together.’
‘Did they have a reception?’ Annie asked
Peggy shook her head. ‘Not as such, although we were invited back to her dad’s trailer for drinks an’ a piece o’ cake. It were a very quiet affair.’
‘And where are they living now?’
‘They’ve got their own trailer, an’ very nice it is too,’ Peggy said. ‘Barney is chuffed to bits wi’ it, an’ his new wife, if it comes to that. He were like a cat that had got the cream on their weddin’ day an’ she looked just beautiful.’
‘I hope they’ll be very happy,’ Annie said. ‘Anything else been happening while we’ve been away?’
Levi and Peggy exchanged a glance and Levi gave her an almost imperceptible nod.
‘Aye,’ Peggy said quietly. ‘There were a young girl attacked in the town. She were raped an’ beaten an’ left fer dead in one o’ the alleys late on Wednesday night.
Luckily someone found ’er before she bled to death.
She’s in the cottage hospital now an’ word is she’ll recover, but they ain’t caught who did it. ’
Annie gave an involuntary shudder as she thought back to the time Reggie had raped her. She would never forget it; it was engraved on her mind. ‘Does no one have any idea who it might have been?’ Annie asked in a trembling voice.
‘Well . . . when she recovered enough to be questioned by the police the poor girl told ’em that she put her hand up onto his face to try and push him away and it felt all rough, but it were too dark fer ’er to see ’im.
Next day they went round to question all the young men who came back from war with burns, includin’ Reggie Taylor-Lloyd, but his mother vouched that he’d been in all night wi’ her, so he had an alibi.
I’d rather yer didn’t get goin’ off out on yer own after dark though, pet, till they’ve caught ’im. If they catch ’im, that is.’
‘Don’t worry, I won’t.’
They chatted of other things for a time and eventually Annie left to pay a visit to Davey and Eve, who were as pleased to see her as Levi and Peggy had been.
She had bought young Jack some sweeties from the seaside and once she’d given them to him, she told them all about the lovely hotel she and Monty had just stayed in.
Both Eve and Davey were working in the two second-hand shops, so the conversations were held between them serving customers.
‘So how long have you got to go now?’ Annie asked Eve in a quiet moment.
Eve smiled and laid a protective hand on her stomach. ‘June. We’d like a little girl this time, though we ain’t really bothered so long as it’s ’ealthy.’
‘Well, boy or girl, I can’t wait to meet them.’ Annie couldn’t have been more pleased for them. Eve was positively glowing.
‘I’ve had this mad fancy fer pickled onions,’ Eve giggled. ‘I even take a jar to bed wi’ me an’ keep poor Davey awake munchin’ on ’em. He reckons this baby will come out pickled.’
They both laughed but the shop was growing busy again, so Annie took her leave and went to see if Monty was back from visiting his parents.
She felt guilty for not going with him, although she knew she wouldn’t have been welcome.
Even at their wedding, his mother hadn’t tried to hide the fact that she disapproved of her, and all Annie could do was hope that she would become more accepting in time – for Monty’s sake.