Chapter Thirty-One
Annie followed Marie’s advice about stocking hats and accessories to go with the dresses, and they were selling like hot cakes.
She could only wonder why she hadn’t thought of doing it herself.
As a result, over the next couple of weeks Annie was kept so busy that she wouldn’t have had time to go out with Simon even if he had asked her, which, she noted, he hadn’t.
It hadn’t stopped him popping into the shop on a regular basis, though, and while he was there Annie had discreetly watched how he and Ruth interacted.
It was more than obvious that they were drawn to each other.
One day Simon finally drew her to one side and suggested, ‘How about we go out for a meal one evening this week? We haven’t been out together since you got back off your holiday.’
She flashed him a disarming smile. ‘Ah, that’s really kind of you, Simon.
The trouble is, it’s not so easy for me now.
Nancy goes out with Jamie, her young man, most evenings, so I’d have no one to watch Adam.
It’s a shame for you to miss out though.
Why don’t you ask Ruth if she’d like to go with you?
It’s not much fun going out on your own, is it? ’
He looked slightly taken aback. ‘You mean you wouldn’t mind?’
‘Why should I?’ she answered nonchalantly. ‘We’re all friends here, aren’t we?’
‘Well . . . yes but I—’
‘Go on, go and ask her,’ Annie encouraged.
‘She doesn’t get out very often and I’m sure she’d enjoy it.
And while you ask her, I’ll go and put the kettle on and make us all a nice hot drink, shall I?
’ And with that she sailed away to the kitchen.
She’d opened the door for them so it was up to them now.
When she returned with a tray of tea she found Ruth looking flustered and somewhat embarrassed, although she didn’t immediately say anything.
It was only when Simon had left and there was a lull in customers that she mentioned awkwardly, ‘Er . . . Simon has asked me if I’d like to go out for a meal with him this evening. He said you wouldn’t mind?’
Annie raised her eyebrow. ‘Why should I mind? Simon and I aren’t a couple. We’re just good friends and both free to go out with whoever we choose. No, you go and enjoy yourself. And how about a nice new dress for the event?’
Ruth shook her head. ‘I don’t think I could run to one of these. They’re a bit out of my price range.’
‘Hmm, well I happen to know that you have a birthday coming up in the next couple of days so choose one as my gift to you.’
Ruth gasped and blushed. ‘Oh no, I couldn’t do that.’
‘Why not?’ Annie smiled. ‘You might as well have something you like rather than me go out and buy you something you don’t really need.
Go on, I insist. Try a few on while we’re quiet.
What about that pale-lemon one you liked when we were unpacking the stock the other day.
’ She crossed to the rail and took it down before handing it to Ruth. ‘Go on, try it on.’
Ruth went into the changing room, and when she came out, she was beaming like a Cheshire cat.
The dress fitted as if it had been made for her and she looked stunning.
It had a cream underskirt and a floaty overskirt with a handkerchief hem, and angel sleeves, and it showed her figure off to perfection.
‘You look beautiful,’ Annie told her truthfully. ‘And after work we’ll experiment with a few different styles for your hair.’
‘Are you quite sure?’ Ruth was positively glowing.
Annie nodded. ‘Quite sure. You couldn’t have chosen better.’
A customer entered then and Ruth hurried away to take the dress off while Annie served her.
The next day Ruth almost floated into the shop when she arrived for work and Annie could see that her evening with Simon had gone well.
‘Did you have a good night?’ she asked rather unnecessarily.
Ruth sighed. ‘Oh yes, it was wonderful but . . .’ She glanced at Annie guiltily. ‘Are you quite sure that you don’t mind me going out with Simon? I mean, if you were romantically inclined towards him, I wouldn’t dream of—’
‘Stop right there!’ Annie laughed as she held her hand up. ‘Like I told you, Simon and I are friends and nothing more. So, if anything should come of you seeing each other, you’d have my blessing.’
There was no time to say more for the phone rang and she hurried away to answer it. When the operator had put the caller through and Annie heard Levi on the other end of the phone she smiled.
‘Hello, Levi, it’s nice to hear from you. Is everything all right?’ It was usually her that rang him and Peggy, so she was quite surprised to hear from him.
‘Actually, pet, no it ain’t.’
She could hear the stress in his voice and frowned. ‘Why, what’s happened?’
‘It’s Peggy. She come down wi’ the flu last week an’ she ain’t gettin’ any better, so I thought I’d better let yer know.’
‘Are you managing to look after her?’ Annie asked.
‘Well, I’ve got Eve an’ Susan comin’ in to see to her personal needs, like washin’ ’er an’ what not,’ he said, sounding embarrassed. ‘But I’m tryin’ to get ’er to eat an’ drink an’ I do what I can fer her.’
‘And have you had the doctor in?’
‘Yes, nearly every day. He did say yesterday that he thought she’d do better in the hospital, but she’s too poorly to move. I’m sorry to worry yer, but Susan said you’d never forgive me if I didn’t an’ owt were to ’appen to ’er.’
There was a catch in his voice and Annie chewed worriedly on her lip.
She’d not heard Levi sound so distressed since Maggie had died.
She made a decision in an instant. ‘Right, I’m going to get Marie to come and look after Adam and Nancy and I’ll be there before the end of the day.
Ruth will hold the fort in the shop, I’m sure. ’
‘No, lass, there’s no need fer you to do that,’ he said quickly. ‘You’ve got enough to do there.’
‘I’m coming and that’s that,’ Annie said in a determined voice. ‘Now get back to Peggy, get as much fluid inside her as you can, and I’ll be there later this afternoon.’
As soon as she put the phone down, she rang Marie, who kindly agreed to come straight away. Ruth was just as helpful and promised to keep the shop running smoothly, so before lunchtime Annie was on the train bound for Nuneaton with enough clothes in a carpet bag to last her for a few days.
By mid-afternoon, she was hurrying down the ginnel to the little cottage and when she stepped into the kitchen, she found Levi looking almost as ill as Peggy.
‘She’s real bad, Annie,’ he told her with a shake in his voice. ‘An’ I don’t know what I’ll do if she don’t come through this. It’s made me realise ’ow much I think of ’er. I just wish I’d told ’er now, but I was afraid to in case she didn’t feel the same about me.’
Annie wrapped her arms about him. She’d wondered for a long time when Levi and Peggy would realise they loved each other. She just hoped there was still time.
‘So choose your moment and tell her soon,’ she urged.
‘I think you might be pleasantly surprised at her reaction. And it might be just the medicine she needs to help her get better. Put that kettle on while I go up and see her. And stop looking so worried; I’m here now and everything is going to be all right.
Our Peggy is a tough old bird; it’ll take more than a flu bug to see her off. ’
Despite her brave words, she was shocked when she entered Peggy’s bedroom and saw her.
She seemed to have shrunk and her face was gaunt.
Her eyes had large black bags beneath them and her forehead was slick with sweat.
Annie wasn’t surprised by this as Levi had piled so many blankets on her she could barely breathe.
‘Right, let’s get you a bit more comfortable, eh, madam.’ She began to strip the blankets off and called downstairs for a bowl of cool water and a cloth to bathe her.
‘Did I do wrong tryin’ to keep ’er warm?’ Levi fretted when he brought the water up.
‘Well, let’s just say she had enough bedding on her to cook her alive let alone keep her warm,’ Annie teased.
He looked chastened.
‘It’s all right,’ she soothed him. ‘You were only doing what you thought was right, but I’m here now so you go and have a rest. You look all in.’
‘I am a bit tired,’ he admitted. ‘I’ve sat up wi’ her fer the last two nights. I were too afraid to leave ’er. Are yer sure yer can cope fer an hour or two?’
‘Go on, get off with you,’ she said bossily.
As soon as he’d left, she began to sponge Peggy down.
She didn’t even seem to realise that Annie was there and was clearly in a fever, but Annie was determined to get her well again.
Peggy was the nearest thing to a mother she’d ever had, and she didn’t intend to lose her.
For the rest of that day and most of the night, Annie kept up with the cool bathing until Levi came to relieve her at almost four o’clock the next morning.
‘Right, you go an’ have a lie-down now,’ he ordered. ‘An’ I’m so sorry I’ve been so long. I must ’ave been more tired than I thought.’
‘I’ll just have an hour,’ Annie agreed. ‘But can you keep up the bathing?’
Once she’d shown him what she wanted him to do, she went downstairs and settled herself on the sofa and within minutes she was sound asleep.
The sound of the cockerel in the yard woke her, and after knuckling the sleep from her eyes she hurried upstairs to check on the patient.
Levi was fast asleep with his head on the bed as he held Peggy’s hand, and Annie felt a lump form in her throat.
They looked so right together; it would be too cruel if anything were to happen to Peggy now.
Leaning over she felt Peggy’s forehead and was heartened when it didn’t feel quite so hot.
She certainly seemed to be sleeping more peacefully, so reluctant to disturb either of them, Annie went downstairs to make up the fire and put the kettle on.
Levi joined her half an hour later looking worried, and she smiled at him.
‘I’m not saying she’s out of the woods just yet, but I really think she looks a little better than she did last night,’ Annie assured him. ‘Now, come and have a cup of tea or I’m going to end up with two patients.’
The doctor called mid-morning and, like Annie, thought he saw a slight improvement.
‘Well, her temperature has come down and her breathing doesn’t seem quite so laboured,’ he told them after examining her.
‘So, whatever you’re doing, carry on with it and I’ll call back in the morning.
If you need me before, don’t hesitate to send for me. ’
Levi and Annie each took turns sitting with Peggy and sponging her down through the rest of the day.
Annie also dripped water between her cracked lips at regular intervals.
Both Eve and Susan called in to see how she was and though Annie was pleased to see them, she wished it could have been under happier circumstances.
‘Do either of you know how Mercy’s mother is?’ Annie asked.
Susan nodded. ‘Yes, I saw Barney just before the circus moved on, and he said she was much better.’
Annie was pleased to hear it and prayed that they’d be able to say the same for Peggy soon.
‘How long will you be staying?’ Eve asked.
Annie shrugged as she mopped Peggy’s brow.
‘As long as it takes, I suppose. I certainly won’t go back until I know she’s over the worst. I rang Marie last night and she assured me that Adam and Nancy are fine.
I think they’re quite enjoying staying with her, actually.
She and John took them to the zoo yesterday and apparently Adam loved it.
Ruth is fine in the shop too, so I’ll stay as long as I’m needed. ’
Eve was relieved to hear it. She and Susan had been doing what they could to help Levi, but it was difficult for them when they had shops to run and families to see to.
And then at last that evening, as Levi sat stroking her hand and reading bits of the newspaper to her, Peggy opened her eyes and blearily looked at him.
‘Ah, Peg, thank goodness.’
Annie heard him from downstairs where she was preparing some chicken soup to try and tempt them to eat and she flew up the narrow staircase, wiping her hands on a cloth as she went.
‘So, you’ve decided to join us again, have you?’ she teased Peggy. ‘You certainly had us worried for a while back there.’
Peggy looked confused, ‘Wh-what are you doin’ here, pet,’ she croaked.
‘Levi rang me to tell me you were ill, so of course I came. Now, I’m going to leave you two alone for a few minutes and then you’re both going to try some of my chicken soup.
We need to build you both up and I won’t be going back to London till you’re well on the mend.
’ And with that she left the room, closing the door softly behind her.
Left alone, Peggy glanced down at Levi’s hand holding hers and looked confused again. ‘I-I’m sorry if you were worried,’ she muttered.
‘Worried!’ Levi shook his head as tears started to his eyes.
‘Why, lass, I thought I were goin’ to lose yer an’ I don’t know how I’d ’ave gone on if I ’ad.
I know this probably ain’t the best time to tell yer, an’ I’ll quite understand if yer don’t feel the same, but it took this to make me realise that you’re me reason fer livin’.
I love yer, Peggy, there’s no point in me hidin’ it any longer. ’
Now it was Peggy’s turn to have tears in her eyes. ‘Well, I’m very ’appy to hear it, cos I’ve loved you fer years.’
‘You ’ave?’ He sounded astounded and delighted all at the same time. ‘In that case soon as yer well enough we’d best start plannin’ a weddin’. If you’ll ’ave me?’
‘Oh, I’ll ’ave yer all right.’ She chuckled. ‘I thought yer’d never ask!’