Chapter Five
‘What time were you thinking of going to see Barney and Mercy?’ Monty asked as they had breakfast the next morning.
‘I hadn’t really thought about it, but I suppose it would make sense for us to go this morning. I dare say they’ll be busy with a matinee performance at the circus this afternoon.’
Monty sipped his tea and stared across the table at his new wife. She was still in her nightgown and her jet-black hair was tousled and fell across her shoulders. With her face rosy from sleep, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he felt like the luckiest man on earth!
‘In that case we’ll go as soon as we’re dressed,’ he answered. ‘And then perhaps you will allow your husband to take you out to lunch somewhere to save you having to cook. It’s far too nice a day to be slaving over a hot stove.’
‘Be careful, I might get used to all this spoiling,’ she warned with a smile.
He took her hand and tenderly kissed the back of it. ‘I’ll spoil you for as long as there’s a breath in my body. Now go and get dressed and make yourself beautiful, not that that will be very hard.’
As she trotted away, Annie smiled. Monty really was such a loving, kind man.
Shortly before eleven o’clock they approached the trailers at the back of the circus and a man directed them to the one the newlyweds now lived in.
Annie tapped at the door and when Barney opened it, he beamed at them.
‘Come away in both o’ you. It’s great to see yer.
’ He kissed Annie’s cheek as he ushered her inside and shook Monty’s hand.
At that moment Mercy appeared from a door further along the trailer and the two young women smiled at each other.
‘Annie, Monty, this is me wife, Mercy,’ Barney said, placing his arm about her waist. It was plain to see how much he loved her, and if the way she looked up at him was anything to go by his love was returned.
‘It’s grand to meet you at last.’ Mercy smiled shyly at them. ‘Barney’s told me so much about you over the years. An’ I was sorry you couldn’t make it to our weddin’, although I believe you two are newly-weds an’ all. Congratulations.’
‘And the same to you.’ Annie had taken an instant liking to the girl and had the circus not been moving about so much she felt they could have become good friends.
For the rest of the visit they talked about their respective weddings and Annie told them about their honeymoon.
But guessing that Barney would have jobs to do before the performance that afternoon, they didn’t stay long.
At the door Mercy and Annie gave each other a hug. ‘Do come again soon,’ Mercy urged. ‘Then next time you can perhaps meet me mammy an’ daddy.’
‘I’d like that,’ Annie answered.
As they left the trailer, a woman was walking towards her, and their eyes locked. For no reason she could explain, Annie’s heart started to race; there was something familiar about the woman, but she was sure they’d never met.
‘Good mornin’,’ the woman said genially as she passed.
Annie stared after her, but then Monty asked, ‘So, what did you think of Mercy?’
‘I thought she was lovely and very pretty, and they clearly love each other so I’m sure they’re going to be happy,’ Annie replied, although her thoughts were still on the woman.
Monty nodded in agreement. ‘Yes, you’re right on both counts. She is pretty and she reminds me of you a little, although she’s somewhat shorter and more rounded than you are.’
‘Are you saying I’m skinny then?’ Annie teased.
Monty laughed and pulled her arm through his. ‘You’re perfect. Come on, I’m starving. You must be as well. You hardly ate a thing at breakfast.’
‘I think the nerves are kicking in now we’re so close to opening the shop,’ she confided. ‘I’m so worried that I’ve done the wrong thing I felt quite sick this morning, although, yes, I’m hungry now.’
‘It will be fine,’ he said confidently and they went on their way.
The new shop window was fitted on Tuesday as arranged, and it was decided that they would open on Friday. Monty thought it would be better to wait until the following Monday but Annie was keen to get started, and so Susan made a sign for the window telling everyone of the new opening date.
Bright and early on Friday morning, Annie dressed in a smart skirt and blouse and carefully pinned her hair up, nerves fluttering in her stomach. As soon as Susan arrived, they entered the shop together and turned the closed sign to open.
‘This is it then,’ Annie said nervously as they watched the town slowly coming to life. People began to look into the window as it grew busier and a few stopped to admire the gowns on the mannequins in the window, but by mid-morning not one soul had entered, and Annie’s spirits plunged.
‘Stop fretting,’ Susan scolded. ‘You knew this wasn’t going to be an instant success. A business like this has to be built, especially for the sort of clients we’ll be catering to.’
‘That’s what Monty said,’ Annie answered in a small voice, and went to make them yet another cup of tea.
It was all she could do to pass the time and she felt as if she was drowning in the stuff.
By lunchtime they had still not had a single customer, and Annie was getting more anxious by the minute.
Finally at just after two o’clock, the bell above the shop door tinkled and an immaculately dressed lady who Annie recognised as a friend of her mother-in-law came in.
‘Good afternoon, ladies.’ She nodded towards them. ‘I wonder if you have any day dresses?’
‘Yes, madam. We have a small selection over here. Do take a seat and I’ll bring them over. Would you like a cup of tea or coffee while you wait?’ Annie said politely.
‘A tea would be nice,’ the woman responded as she drew off her gloves and sat down.
She looked around and was quite surprised at what she saw.
It was very tastefully decorated, almost as well as the shops she frequented when she went to Birmingham or London.
From what Eunice Taylor-Lloyd had told her she had expected it to be a somewhat shabby place, but it was far from it.
While Susan made the tea, Annie selected some gowns and took them to show her customer one by one.
The woman had had no intention of buying anything. In truth she had only come to satisfy her curiosity, but one of the dresses caught her eye. She waited while Susan set down the silver tea tray, noting the beautiful china cup and saucer.
‘I do quite like that one.’ The woman pointed a perfectly manicured finger towards a dress that Annie was holding up for her inspection. ‘But I don’t suppose you have anywhere one might try it on,’ she said superciliously.
‘Oh, we do, madam,’ Annie assured her politely. ‘The fitting room is right over there, and should you try it on and find it needs any alterations we can arrange that for you.’
‘Oh . . .’ The customer was clearly taken aback. ‘In that case I shall try it.’
Annie led her to the changing room and once the woman had put the dress on, she found that it fitted like a glove.
‘So, what is the price of this one?’ she asked as she looked this way and that in the full-length mirror.
It wasn’t cheap, none of the clothes Annie was stocking were, but it was very favourably priced compared to the larger department stores and fashion houses the woman usually frequented.
‘I see.’ She made a decision. ‘I shall take it. Can you have it delivered?’
‘Certainly, madam, at a time that’s convenient to you.’
Once the woman was dressed, she paid for the dress and gave Annie her address before leaving the shop with no word of thanks.
‘Stuck up piece!’ Susan growled under her breath as the door closed behind her.
Annie giggled. ‘I agree, but you know what they say, “the customer is always right”, and at least we’ve made our first sale. I was beginning to think no one was going to come in today.’
She took the dress to the counter and carefully wrapped it in tissue paper before placing it in one of the rather expensive bags she had had specially made with the shop’s name on.
‘It looks very posh,’ Susan said approvingly. ‘But why she couldn’t have taken it with her I don’t know. Too idle to carry it I dare say.’
Annie nodded her agreement. ‘Aww well, a sale is a sale at the end of the day, and I don’t mind going out of my way if you can stay and keep the shop open.
If we’re ever fortunate enough to get busy, I could perhaps employ a young lad to do the deliveries for me.
’ She grinned as a thought occurred to her.
‘And I wonder what my mother-in-law will think when she finds out that her friend has bought from us? I’ve no doubt she only came in to be nosy. ’
The next day was Saturday and there was a market on in the town, so there were a lot more people about and Annie had hopes of attracting more customers. Even so by the time they turned the door sign to closed only two people had entered the shop all day and only one of them had bought a blouse.
‘Two sales in two days,’ Annie groaned when she joined Monty in their rooms above the shop.
Ever the optimist Monty smiled. ‘What are you worrying about? You’re in a golden position. Thanks to Levi the shop is paid for, so it’s not as if you’ve got to worry about paying the rent, is it?’
‘No, but I do have to pay Susan’s wages, and make sure I keep my stock up to date,’ she pointed out.
‘Don’t forget we have my wages coming in and I’m more than happy to help out till it gets off the ground,’ Monty told her kindly. ‘Didn’t I tell you not to expect too much too soon?’
‘Yes, you did,’ she sighed. ‘Anyway, I’d better get us something to eat. I’m starving.’
‘I’m not surprised. You didn’t have any breakfast again and I suppose you didn’t bother to have anything to eat at lunchtime.’
By the end of March, things were improving, but only slightly.
‘For goodness’ sake, stop worryin’,’ Peggy scolded. ‘You’ll make yerself ill at this rate.’
‘I have been feeling rather under the weather,’ Annie admitted. ‘At least I do when I first get up. I feel queasy with nerves but then come evening I can’t seem to eat enough.’
‘Hmm.’ Peggy stared at her thoughtfully. ‘An’ are yer monthlies on time?’
Annie frowned. They were sitting in Peggy’s kitchen on Thursday, which Annie had decided would be a closing day for the shop, and Levi was out on his rounds with Davey.
‘I haven’t had much time to think about it,’ she admitted.
‘What with the wedding and opening the shop and one thing and another, but now you come to mention it, I did miss one last month and I’m due any day now.
In fact, thinking about it I should have started at the beginning of the week.
It’s strange because I’m usually as regular as clockwork.
’ And then as she realised what Peggy was hinting at, the colour drained out of her face.
She couldn’t be having a child, could she?
Not so soon. She’d hoped to get the business established before starting a family.
She had only been married for a few weeks but if she had missed two courses .
. . A vision of Alex and the night they had spent together flashed into her mind.
Could she be having his baby? And if she was and it came a month early, how would she explain it to Monty?
As if she could read her mind, Peggy reached out and patted her shoulder. ‘Now don’t go upsettin’ yerself. What will be will be, pet. Give it another month an’ then pay the doctor a visit.’
‘But what if . . .’
Peggy wagged a finger at her. ‘Like I told yer, what Monty don’t know won’t hurt ’im.
Babies have a habit o’ comin’ when they’re good an’ ready.
Especially first babies, they’re usually early or late.
So, let’s cross one bridge at a time, eh?
There’s no good lookin’ fer problems. Meantime, don’t even hint that you might be havin’ a child to Monty just yet.
It could be that wi’ all you’ve ’ad goin’ on your body needed a rest, there’s still time fer your latest course to start. ’
Annie nodded but now the thought that she might soon become a mother had been planted it was going to be very hard to think of anything else. And already she knew deep down that if she was expecting a child, it was likely Alex’s.