Cherry Tree Lane (16 page)

‘You drive it, if you can do any better.’

He hadn’t the faintest idea how to drive anything, horse or one of those newfangled motor cars. Didn’t want to, either. Give him a nice, safe tram any day.

Once they passed the last tram stop and left the houses and churchgoers behind, the horse settled down a little. But after they’d clopped along the road for a while, Stan reined to a halt with a growl of annoyance.

‘What’s the matter? Why are you stopping?’

‘Because there’s no one around to damned well ask.’

‘They’ll all be at church at this time of day – or cooking their Sunday dinners. But if they saw her that night, they’ll remember her. Mattie was in a terrible state.’ After a moment’s thought, he added with some relish, ‘She might’ve died, then you’ll not be able to marry her.’

‘Not her. She’s too stubborn to die young. But you’ve give me an idea. Let’s ask around for a doctor.’

‘Ask who?’

‘Anyone we meet.’ Stan shook the reins and clicked his tongue. The horse ignored him, not moving till he yelled, ‘Walk on, you stupid creature!’ and shook the reins again.

Eventually they found an elderly woman dozing in the sun outside a small cottage. Beyond it, down a lane, other thatched roofs showed. Stan reined in the horse again and they got down, tying the reins to a horse rail at the edge of the road. The horse snorted and curled its lip at them. Bart moved hastily back.

‘Could you tell us where the nearest doctor is, please, missus?’ Stan asked.

She looked them both up and down. ‘You two don’t look sick to me.’

‘We’re not. We want to ask the doctor if he’s seen a young woman what come out this way three Fridays ago and hasn’t been seen since. She’s run off from home, you see, and she wasn’t at all well. We’re afraid for her.’

She let out a cackle of laughter. ‘I’d run off, too, if I was living with two sour faces like yours.’

Bart let out a growl of anger and took a step forward, fists clenched.

She stared at him unblinkingly. ‘You don’t frighten me.’ She snapped her fingers at him. ‘I could die like that, with my ticky heart, and I’d not care. I’m fed up of living like this, a burden to my family, so go ahead and hit me.’ She jutted her wrinkled chin out at them.

Stan shoved Bart aside. ‘Sorry about my friend, missus. He’s worried about his daughter’s safety. You didn’t tell us where the nearest doctor is.’

‘Swindon.’ She closed her eyes as if that ended the conversation.

‘There must be one closer.’

She didn’t even bother to open her eyes again. ‘Well, there ent.’

‘Has anyone round here taken in a sick woman?’

She opened one eye. ‘Folk in this village mind their own business. I don’t know nuthen about no young woman.’

Stan dragged Bart back to the trap. ‘It’s no use. She’s lost her wits, that one.’

‘They should lock ’em away when they get like her.’

They drove for another mile or two, asking at every cottage, once turning along a short lane to a farm. But no one had heard of a young woman turning up in the district during the night of the thunderstorm.

In the end they drove home.

‘You’ll not find her,’ Bart said. ‘She’s got away.’

‘I’ll find her.’

‘Why the hell are you bothering?’

‘Because I’ve set my mind on wedding her, and that’s it.’

‘You could find a dozen women easier to live with.’

‘I don’t want an easy woman, I want one with spirit and a bit of sense in her skull.’

When they’d returned the horse to its owner, they went round to the back door of the local pub and persuaded the landlord to sell them a jug of beer. He wasn’t a stickler for the rules about opening hours, thank goodness, not with his regulars. They took the beer round to Bart’s house, which was closest.

There he tried again to persuade his friend to see sense about Mattie, but to no avail.

‘You’ve run mad,’ he said when the beer was finished and Stan decided it was time to go home.

After that there was nothing to do for the rest of the day except wash a few dishes, which was women’s work and the need for it added to Bart’s sour mood. Only he didn’t fancy eating his dinners off dirty plates, even if they were only pies or fish and chips, nor did he like mouldy crumbs on the tablecloth. A splash or two of tea was one thing, mouldy crumbs was another. Put you off your food, that did.

The hours passed and the emptiness of his house got on his nerves. Although he wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone, he felt uneasy at the way his steps echoed on the stairs and his cough seemed to rattle the plates on the dresser. He couldn’t remember when he’d last spent so much time on his own. It dragged your spirits down, being alone did, no one to talk to or watch. It wasn’t natural.

‘If I had that bitch here, I’d teach her a lesson, I would,’ he muttered as he went to bed, thumping the pillow good and hard to get rid of some of his frustration.

What if something bad happened to Nell and Renie? If Cliff was anything like his stupid parents, he’d not be much use to them. They needed Bart to look after them properly. And he needed them for when he got old.

On the Tuesday Mattie woke feeling nervous. She got up and drew back the curtains of the front room, then dressed and folded up her bedding. She’d slept down here for the last time. Tonight she’d be upstairs in Jacob’s bed. Her stomach churned at the thought of that, because she’d never lain with a man before and she’d heard it hurt the first time. And yet, the idea of not going through with this marriage made her feel even worse. She wanted to be his wife, couldn’t believe she’d been so lucky as to meet a man like him.

She got dressed, not in her fine new dress, which she’d finished altering by lamplight last night, but in her everyday things. She had trouble pinning up her hair tidily, it was so soft and fluffy. She’d had a bath and washed it again the night before, so that it would look nice.

In the kitchen she found Jacob sitting with a mug of tea in his hands.

‘Brewed it a few minutes ago.’ He pointed to the teapot covered by its bright, knitted cosy.

This was more of Alice’s handwork, with a stitch dropped and running a ladder, Mattie noted. ‘Lovely.’

When she returned from the outhouse, she found he’d poured hers and sweetened it just to her taste. She sipped her tea in silence, not sure what to say.

‘I’ll be glad when today’s over,’ he said suddenly.

‘If you’ve changed your mind …’

He smiled and reached for her hand. ‘I’ve not changed it and I won’t. Stop worrying about that. I just don’t like fuss and bother.’

‘I wish we weren’t getting married in Swindon. I’m afraid someone might see me and tell my stepfather.’

‘Let them.’

She couldn’t seem to make him understand that Bart Fuller was a vicious bully, a man people feared.

‘You’ll look pretty in that green dress,’ he said suddenly. ‘The colour suits you, with your hair.’

‘Thank you.’ She smiled as she poured them both another cup of tea. She was thrilled to pieces with the dress and had trimmed up a straw hat with matching ribbons and a flower she’d fashioned from scraps of material cut off the hem. She’d stiffened the flower with starch, and if she said so herself, it looked really pretty. The dress must have been made for someone very tall, because she’d had to cut a good six inches off the hem. She knew she’d never looked as good in anything, and that helped give her confidence.

‘You’ve got more colour back in your face now.’

‘I’ve still got a bit of a cough.’

‘It’s easing. Don’t overdo things this morning, though, or after the wedding.’ He waved one hand to take in the big farm kitchen. ‘This place has been a mess for over a year. It doesn’t need making perfect overnight.’

‘I can’t overdo things. I still get tired quickly.’

Silence sat comfortably between them for a while, then he said thoughtfully, ‘It’s strange how Miss Newington is taking such an interest in us, even coming to the registry office today.’

‘Most women love weddings. And she’s excited about going back home to the north, even though she tries not to show it.’

He shrugged, drained his tea and stood up. ‘I’d better go and feed the hens.’

‘Sarah said her mother used to look after them. I’ll take over once I’m better, if you’ll show me how. I’ve a lot to learn, I know. I’ve never lived in the country before. We went on a holiday trip once. I think it’s lovely of the Railway Works to give all their employees a free day out on their trains every year. But we never went again because my stepfather didn’t enjoy the outing. He said the concertinas and melodeons gave him a headache, and there were too many people crammed into each carriage. As if anyone cared about that when they were having a day’s holiday. He wouldn’t let us go again, not even when Mum cried and begged him to so that us girls could see a bit of the countryside.’

‘He sounds a mean devil.’

‘He is, in every way you can think of, spiteful, narrow-minded and unkind, not to mention stingy with his money.’

‘I won’t be stingy with my money, but we do a lot of bartering round here. We used to get all our cheese from swapping eggs. Good cheese country, this is. But I’ve only got a few layers at the moment. When you’re well enough to take care of the hens, I’ll get a few more in.’

When Jacob had gone outside, Mattie sat on for a few minutes longer, feeling content. They hadn’t said anything important but it’d been nice to chat quietly before the day started. She would let the children sleep in a bit longer. They weren’t going to school today because Jacob wanted them to come to the wedding.

Sarah was very excited about that and had had earnest discussions with Mattie about what to wear, so Mattie had put a bit of ribbon on the little girl’s battered straw hat. Luke was more pleased about missing a day’s school than about the wedding. His father had given him a good scolding for breaking his word and telling people about Mattie, and he’d said he only told his best friend, who had broken his promise not to tell anyone else.

Luke had been sulking ever since, seeming to blame Mattie for his troubles. He hadn’t been rude to her, but he kept his distance and he gave her unfriendly looks when his father wasn’t nearby. Surely when he had good food every day and clothes properly washed and ironed, he’d be won round? Most people liked to be comfortable.

She was sure she could be happy in this house. It was bigger than the one she’d left in Swindon, and she loved this kitchen, which was about twice the size of her old one. It jutted out at the back of the house looking over the field. Such a lovely, big room.

She smiled as she got the breakfast things out. Who’d have thought running away would lead her to this? It was like a dream come true. If fate was even half kind to them, she’d have a good life with Jacob.

Then her smile faded and she wondered how today would go. Her stepfather would be at work and if she kept her head down, perhaps no one would recognise her in the lovely dress and huge hat. She just wished they hadn’t so far to walk from the station to the registry office.

But Jacob agreed with Miss Newington. He didn’t want to be married in the village and have Mrs Henty poking her nose into their affairs, and anyway, that’d take weeks, what with having the banns called. So going into Swindon was a risk they’d just have to take.

Everything seemed different to Mattie today. She wasn’t used to spending much time in the town centre, because she’d shopped and worked locally, and had always been in a rush.

When they left the station, Jacob offered an arm to each woman, but Miss Newington shook her head.

‘Prefer to walk on my own, if you don’t mind.’

So Mattie had Jacob to herself, with the older woman stalking along beside them and the children trailing behind. They needed reminding from time to time to keep up because they kept slowing to stare round, from which she assumed that they didn’t often get into Swindon.

As they walked along Mattie was surprised when older gentlemen tipped their hats to her and other women eyed her clothes with envy on their faces. Even the few younger men they encountered smiled appreciatively at her.

Inside the registry office they sat waiting, not saying anything. The day seemed more than a little dreamlike by now.

Another wedding group was sitting at the other side of the room. They were very noisy, chatting away, laughing, teasing the bride and groom. She watched the young couple, glad to see them looking so happy.

At one point, the other bride nodded across the room to Mattie and she nodded back. They might be strangers but they were linked by the importance of the day and their roles in it.

Then the other party was invited into the room where marriages were performed.

Shortly afterwards the outer door opened and a gentleman entered the waiting area. Mattie was surprised when he came across to shake Miss Newington’s hand.

‘This is my lawyer, Mr Longley. I knew you needed a second witness.’

His presence and elegant clothes seemed to overawe the children.

When the lawyer shook the bride’s hand, he stared at Mattie for so long she wondered if her hat was crooked and put up one hand to touch it surreptitiously. But it hadn’t slipped. She knew that, really. So why was he still staring at her?

The other wedding party spilt out of the inner room suddenly, and the young bride stopped to say to Mattie, ‘I hope you’ll be very happy.’

‘You, too.’

That brief encounter made her feel much better, as if some of the other bride’s carefree joy had rubbed off on her.

When it came to their turn to go into the next room, Jacob took her hand rather than offering her his arm. His was big and warm, and her gloved hand looked very small against it. But it felt so good to be held like that.

She spoke the necessary words, added her signature to Jacob’s, and then it was done. She was married, something she’d never expected to happen, something she could only marvel at. Married!

She smiled at her new husband and he squeezed her hand and gave her an approving nod.

‘Kiss the bride, then,’ Miss Newington said.