Calico Road (48 page)

‘It was only because I care so much about you, because you
deserve
so much.’

When she’d gone, he held out his hand.

Jethro took it and they shook solemnly.

Then Toby chuckled and clasped his brother to him, feeling how the stiffness of the other man’s back relaxed gradually, then holding Jethro at arm’s length. ‘Get off back to your lady wife now. Make her happy. But don’t drive past again. Stop and say hello. I haven’t got any other brothers.’

Jethro was speechless for a minute, then said huskily, ‘Nor have I.’

‘Can you find your own way out? I’d like to have a bit of time here, in the peace.’

When his brother had gone Toby wandered round the room. Eh, Meg was a cheeky devil, but maybe she was right. He wanted lots of children and it would be good to know they were safe in case anything happened to him.

There were no bells and chanting today, only winter sunlight slanting through the windows and the moors he loved so much were spread out around him outside like a living cloak.

After a while Meg peeped through the doorway again. ‘You’re not angry with me, are you, Toby?’

For answer he opened his arms wide and, when she ran into them, pulled her close and kissed her until she was dizzy. ‘I doubt I’ll ever be able to stay angry with you, love.’

She rested her head against his chest and they stayed like that for a few minutes, then went back to the front part of the inn to get on with their work.

Both of them smiled a lot that day.

Three weeks later there was a wedding in the tiny church in Calico.

Toby refused point-blank to let the Parson wed them, though now it was known that he was a Greenhalgh the man was treating him differently and had even called in at the inn to introduce himself. But Toby insisted on being wed by the Curate and invited all the Pickerlings to be there too, and come to the feast he was providing at the inn afterwards.

Sophia sent a dress for the bride to wear, a simple silk in a pretty pink that lent colour to Meg’s cheeks. When she unpacked the box and read the accompanying message it took her breath away, and she could only hold out the piece of paper to Toby and give him a tearful smile.

On the wedding day Phoebe helped her put it on and cried over how pretty she looked, but although that helped make Meg a bit more confident, she was still feeling very nervous as they waited for their most important guests to arrive. When two carriages came into sight from the Lancashire side, pulling up the last of the hill towards the Packhorse, she looked uncertainly at Toby.

‘Why two carriages?’ She didn’t wait for an answer. ‘Whatever will I say to Jack? I haven’t seen him for over a year.’

‘He’s still your big brother, love. He won’t have changed that much.’

‘Come and greet him with me.
Please
, Toby.’

So he stayed beside her, resplendent in his own new clothes, one arm around her shoulders.

And when the first carriage door opened and Jack got out, giving a hand to his wife Emmy, the girl he had always loved, Meg lost the last of her nervousness, squealed in joy and rushed across to hug them. ‘I was so
glad
when I heard you two were wed.’

Shad, Ginny and Joe got out after them and were also hugged and kissed, but to Meg’s enormous relief her mother wasn’t there.

‘I wouldn’t have brought
her
,’ Jack whispered. ‘It’s a day for celebrations, not sour-faced old harridans. She’s living in lodgings now, on her own.’ He smiled ruefully. ‘And still complaining all the time.’

When the second carriage door opened, Jethro and Sophia got out of it, followed by Harriet and her two step-daughters, all very finely dressed, and Meg stared at them in shock.

Toby walked across to greet them. ‘I didn’t tell her you were coming,’ he said with one of his wide smiles. ‘She was nervous enough as it was.’

And Jethro found himself laughing again, as he always seemed to now when he was with his brother.

Her arm linked in Jack’s, Meg introduced her family to Toby, hardly pausing for breath as she tried to tell Jack all her news at the same time. She included the Greenhalghs and Harriet in her torrent of words because she was too excited to be nervous now.

Jack looked at Toby, liked what he saw and said quietly, ‘You’ve made her happy. I’m so glad.’

‘I am too. She’s made me happy as well.’

Meg, who had led the ladies inside, stuck her head out of the inn door. ‘What are you men doing, standing there chatting when there’s so much to do? Come inside at once or we’ll never be ready in time!’

Grinning, Toby clapped Jack on the back, winked at Jethro and led them off to do her bidding.

But after the wedding and the feasting were over, Toby took his bride up to their bedroom and locked the door on the rest of the world. When he turned round, she was staring at him solemnly, looking nervous, hands clasped at her breast.

‘You’re not afraid of me, are you, my little love?’

She took a hesitant step towards him, then let him take her in his arms.

‘You’ve been wed before, you know what to expect,’ he continued, puzzled. But she didn’t brighten as he’d expected. ‘What’s wrong, lass? I’m not moving another finger till you’ve told me.’

‘I – don’t like it very much, the bed play, I mean,’ she said gruffly. ‘With Ben I pretended, but with you, Toby, I can’t pretend.’

‘Eh, I don’t want you to, love. Let’s just get into that bed and see what happens, shall we?’ When he blew out the candle and took her in his arms again, he could feel her heart pounding against his chest.

Tenderly, trying to show the great love he felt for her, he began to kiss her and caress her. As he felt her relax he held himself back and put all his efforts into making his bride happy . . .

When they’d finished, he chuckled.

Her voice was husky. ‘What are you laughing at now, Toby Fletcher?’

‘You. For someone who doesn’t like making love, you certainly enjoyed that.’ Then he felt the dampness trickling on to his bare chest. ‘Meg darling, I didn’t mean to make you cry. Did I hurt you? What’s wrong?’

She gave a watery chuckle. ‘I’m crying because I’m happy, you great fool.’

He rolled over on to his back, laughing. ‘Oh, no! Between you and Phoebe, I’m going to drown. Why do women cry when they’re
happy
, for goodness’ sake?’

She fell asleep shortly afterwards, exhausted by the long day. But her hand remained fast in his – which was just the way he liked it.

Anna Jacobs is always delighted to hear from readers and can be contacted:

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Anna Jacobs grew up in Lancashire and emigrated to Australia, but still visits the UK regularly to see her family and do research, something she loves. She is addicted to writing and figures she’ll have to live to be 120 at least to tell all the stories that keep popping up in her imagination and nagging her to write them down.

She’s also addicted to her own hero, to whom she’s been happily married for many years.

Anna Jacobs’ novel
Pride of Lancashire
won the Australian Romantic Book of the Year Award in 2006.

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