Chapter Twenty-Nine
‘When are we going to visit Peggy and Levi again?’ Nancy asked one day in early August. The last few months had passed in a blur and because the shop was now doing so well Annie hadn’t had time to visit.
Thankfully, since the dreadful break-in there had been no more incidents.
Annie still saw someone watching the shopfront after dark from time to time, but as they never tried to approach, she’d decided to ignore it.
After all, as Marie had quite rightly pointed out, there were lots of homeless people in London and they could just be sheltering there.
A few weeks before, she’d been able to afford to employ a full-time member of staff to help in the shop.
Mrs Birkitt was a war widow in her early thirties who had a kindly way with the customers.
Tall and slim with dark hair that she wore in a neat chignon, she was very attractive and was turning out to be worth her weight in gold.
Annie was confident she could be trusted to look after the shop on her own for a short time.
So far Annie’s search for another place to live had proved fruitless. Everywhere she’d looked had been unsuitable for one reason or another. Either they were too run down, or too expensive, but truthfully now that all was quiet, she hadn’t widened the search.
Annie looked over at Nancy and felt a pang of guilt.
It had been too long since she had last taken them all back to Nuneaton.
The only day off she had was a Sunday, which she always tried to spend with Adam while Nancy went off with Jamie Malkin, her young man.
He was a likeable young chap and Nancy seemed to be quite smitten with him.
Annie herself now went out with Simon about one evening a week, and although he would have liked to see more of her, she always made excuses not to. She was fond of him but that was as far as it went and she couldn’t see a time when it might be any different.
‘I’m sorry, I’m afraid I’ve been so busy I haven’t given a thought to you needing a break,’ she told Nancy.
‘And poor Peggy and Levi must be feeling very neglected too. I tell you what, I’ll have a word to Ruth and see how she feels about running the shop on her own for a few days, and if she likes the idea we’ll go back for a whole week.
I’m sure Marie and Simon wouldn’t mind popping round to check on her. We can make a little holiday of it.’
Nancy was delighted with the idea. She was almost as fond of Peggy and Levi as Annie, and although they were able to speak on the phone since Annie had had one installed in their cottage, it wasn’t the same as seeing them.
Levi had told her that Peggy was still not used to the telephone and almost jumped out of her skin every time it rang, which he found highly amusing.
‘I think the circus should be due back in Nuneaton anytime now,’ Nancy said happily. ‘So, we could take Adam again and see Barney and Mercy. And I’m sure Marie would be happy to take Alfred for us.’
Annie put the idea to Ruth that very day and when she happily agreed to the idea, she rang Peggy to tell her what they were planning.
‘About time an’ all,’ Peggy chuckled in her usual forthright way.
‘We were all beginnin’ to think you’d forgotten us lot ’ere.
’ She went on to tell Annie that she’d had a letter from Charlie and that he seemed happy and content with his new partner.
Annie was glad. She was still very fond of Charlie and Barney, and looked upon them both as her brothers.
Now that she had more help, she had every intention of arranging to meet Charlie soon.
There had been no word from Harry for a while, so they had no idea whether he was still in France. Annie hoped he was safe and happy wherever he was.
‘So when are yer plannin’ on comin’?’ Peggy asked finally.
‘I thought perhaps the week after next – if that suits you?’
‘You can always come anytime,’ Peggy assured her. ‘But I must go now. I’ve got a fruit cake in the oven an’ Levi won’t thank me if I burn it. Ta-ra fer now.’
Annie grinned as the line went dead, wondering if Peggy would ever get used to the telephone.
Simon sighed when she told him what she was planning. ‘I shall miss you,’ he told her. ‘But of course you deserve a break. You’ve been working really hard and I’ll be happy to keep my eye on the shop for you and pop in to see how Ruth is managing. She seems very nice.’
‘She is,’ Annie agreed and began to make her plans.
They set off one Monday morning. It was still early but the sun was already shining and Annie knew it was going to be hot later on. It wasn’t easy to keep a toddler entertained on the journey, but Annie and Nancy managed it between them and thankfully about halfway there he fell asleep.
‘Phew, I don’t know where he gets his energy from,’ Annie remarked.
Nancy laughed. ‘Have yer decided what yer going to do about Mrs Taylor-Lloyd yet? I mean, will yer be takin’ Adam to see ’er?’
Annie shook her head. ‘No, I don’t think so after what she said the last time.
I dare say she’ll hear on the grapevine that we’re visiting so if she decides she wants to see him she can come to us.
I doubt she will, though. There’s never been any love lost between us and she never thought I was good enough for her Monty. ’
They lapsed into silence for the rest of the journey.
Peggy had a lovely meal ready for them when they arrived and later that afternoon Annie took Adam to see Eve and Davey. They seemed blissfully happy with their little family and Annie couldn’t help but feel a little envious. Susan and Tim were content too when she visited them in her old home.
‘Actually, I have some rather special news to share with you,’ Susan told her as she glanced at Tim, who was beaming like a Cheshire cat. ‘We just found out a few days ago that I’m going to have a baby.’
Annie was thrilled for her. ‘Oh, that’s wonderful news, congratulations.’ She gave Susan a smacking kiss on the cheek.
‘It is . . . but I have to confess I’m shocked.
’ Susan sighed. ‘I thought I was too old for that now and, of course . . . I can’t help but feel a little apprehensive when I think of Constance.
’ Her eyes filled with tears as she thought of the daughter she had adored.
‘I just hope this little one will be healthy.’
‘I’m sure it will be,’ Annie assured her. ‘And the girls must be thrilled too.’
‘Oh, they are,’ Tim agreed. ‘They reckon they’d like a little brother but like I told ’em, we’ll have to take what comes.’
A thought occurred to Annie. ‘What will we do about the shop when the baby comes? You won’t be able to manage it then.’
‘It’s all in hand,’ Susan assured her. ‘Mrs Jenkins is more than willing to take over the running of the place while I go off to do all the buying. If that’s all right with you, of course?’
‘No problem at all if you think she’s capable.’ Annie glanced across to what had been Monty’s favourite chair and felt sad.
But she didn’t have long to mope, as at that moment the girls burst into the room.
‘Auntie Annie,’ they chorused as they rushed over to cuddle her. ‘Mum said yer were coming. Will you be staying long and did you bring Alfred with you?’
Annie smiled; it was lovely to hear them refer to Susan as ‘Mum’. ‘In answer to your first question I shall be staying for about a week, and no Alfred isn’t with us. He stayed in London with Marie.’
The girls looked disappointed, but they took Adam’s hand and led him out into the garden, giving the grown-ups the chance to have a good natter. After an hour or so Adam began to get tetchy and Annie strapped him into his pushchair. ‘I think this little one is about ready for bed,’ she told them.
Tim stood up. ‘I’ll walk you back. It’s nearly dusk.’
Annie shook her head as she manoeuvred the pushchair towards the door. ‘There’s no need, really. I shall be perfectly all right.’
‘Well, just make sure you get back to Peggy’s before dark,’ Tim told her. ‘It ain’t safe to be walking about after that. They still ain’t caught the one that’s been attackin’ the women.’
Annie assured him she would be fine, but all the same she found herself glancing from side to side as she hurried back to Abbey Street.
She’d just passed through the deserted marketplace when she saw a figure striding towards her and her heart flipped.
It was Reggie and he’d seen her so there was no avoiding him now.
She wished she’d taken Tim up on his offer of walking her home, but it was too late.
Gripping the handle of the pushchair she quickened her pace with her head held high.
He stopped dead in his tracks and as she neared him, he leered. ‘Brought the little bastard back for a holiday, have you?’
Her lip curled with disdain as she stared back at him. ‘Step out of my way or else I’ll scream so loudly the whole town will hear me,’ she warned. ‘And don’t you ever call my son a bastard again!’
He stepped aside but as she hurried on, she could feel his eyes burning into her back and the hairs on the back of her neck prickled. When she turned into the ginnel that led to Peggy’s cottage, she gulped with relief and almost tumbled through the door pushing the pushchair ahead of her.
‘Good grief, where’s the fire?’ Startled, Peggy looked up from her knitting. ‘Is everythin’ all right, pet?’
‘Where’s Nancy?’
‘She’s upstairs readin’ on her bed. Why?’
Annie sighed with relief. ‘Oh, I just saw Reggie that’s all and he was being horrible as usual.’
‘No change there then,’ Peggy said wryly. ‘When is ’e ever anythin’ else? Now come an’ sit down. Adam ’as nodded off, look, so yer can ’ave a cup o’ cocoa afore yer put him to bed.’
‘Do yer want me to go an’ have a word wi’ ’im?’ Levi asked.
Annie shook her head. ‘No, he didn’t actually touch me, he just said something horrible about Adam. But it’s nothing I can’t handle, really.’
Levi gritted his teeth. ‘One o’ these days that chap will get what’s comin’ to ’im,’ he growled.
‘An’ I for one won’t ’ave an ounce o’ sympathy.
He badly beat up one o’ the girls from the whorehouse last week an’ she pressed charges against ’im, but o’ course his mother stepped in an’ made her an offer to drop ’em, so he’s got away wi’ it again! ’
Annie carried Adam up to bed soon after and as she got him ready, she sighed. It seemed she couldn’t even come home to visit the people she loved without having a confrontation with Reggie and she wondered where it was all going to end.
The mood lightened the next morning when Nancy came back from the corner shop to tell them, ‘I just heard that the circus should be arrivin’ at the Pingles tomorrow.’
Peggy smiled. ‘Then I reckon we should all go for a family day out on Sunday.’
Everyone agreed it was a good idea and began to look forward to it. It would be nice to see Barney and Mercy again.
Sunday dawned bright and sunny and as they set off for the afternoon matinee performance they were all excited.
Barney was in the ticket office and immediately ushered them to ringside seats, promising to catch up with them when the performance was over.
During the interval Levi fetched them all ice creams and candyfloss and Annie felt relaxed and happy.
Adam was enchanted with every act and seeing his shining face, she couldn’t help but feel a little sad.
He was such a lovely little boy, but he would never know his real father.
She wondered what Alex might have thought of him.
But it was no good wishing for what could never be.
Alex already had another family and he was far too honourable to ever leave them, although she had no doubt he would have insisted on being financially responsible for Adam had he known about him.
But she was determined that would never happen.
She was more than capable of coping on her own.
When the show finished, Mercy came to find them and insisted they come to her trailer for a cup of tea, much to Adam’s disgust – he was intent on getting on the rides.
‘I was hoping to introduce you to my mother,’ Mercy told them as she led them along – she was quite heavily pregnant now.
‘But unfortunately, she’s down with a bad case of this horrible summer flu that’s goin’ around so she’s gone to ground.
Poor thing, it’s really knocked her about.
She’s there, look. In the trailer window wavin’ to you. ’
As they looked towards the trailer, they saw an attractive woman with long black hair in the window and Annie thought she looked vaguely familiar. She smiled and waved to them for a moment before disappearing from view.
It was nearly dusk by the time they made their way back to Peggy’s cottage and Adam fell asleep in his pushchair, tired and content.
‘Eeh, I wish yer didn’t ’ave to go back to London,’ Peggy said regretfully as they turned into the ginnel.
‘All good things must come to an end, and I have to earn a living,’ Annie pointed out, although it would be a wrench to leave again.
It always was, and as successful as the shop in London was proving to be, she did miss her hometown and the quieter way of life.
She suspected that Nancy did too, although she’d seemed much happier since she started walking out with Jamie.
And so, when the week was up, Annie once again kissed them all goodbye and ushered Nancy and Adam to the station.
The shop was busy when they got back on Monday, and she sent Nancy and Adam upstairs while she took off her coat and set to helping Ruth serve the customers.
‘Have you managed all right?’ Annie asked eventually when there was a bit of a lull.
Ruth nodded. ‘No problem at all; we’ve actually had a very good week and Marie has been so helpful. Simon has as well.’
The words had barely left her lips when the bell above the shop door tinkled, and Simon appeared.
He nodded towards Ruth before smiling at Annie. ‘So you’re back. Did you have a good break?’
‘It was lovely, thank you.’ Annie returned his smile. ‘And Ruth was just telling me how helpful you and Marie have been.’
He shrugged. ‘Oh, I haven’t done anything really, just nipped in to check that all was well.’
‘Thank you, I appreciate it. And now while it’s quiet, I think I’ll pop out to the kitchen to make us a cup of tea. I’m ready for one. Have you got time to join us?’
‘Don’t mind if I do,’ Simon answered, settling down into a chair.
Annie left him to chat to Ruth while she hurried away.