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  ‘Be careful, Jimmy boy,’ he cautioned. ‘Take your time. Think it through, and be sure to get it right.’

  Oh yes! He would need to think long and hard about this one.

  Maybe, if things went his way, he might never use this exciting information. He didn’t really want to, because in hurting Frank with it, he would also hurt Joe and Alice. Joe had always been good to him, and so had the rest of the family, so in telling what he had seen, he would hurt them too. On the other hand, it would be good to see Frank get his comeuppance.

  He sloped off. ‘We’ll see,’ he muttered. ‘We’ll just have to see, won’t we?’

  PART TWO

  Suspicions

  CHAPTER FOUR

  NANCY WAS ALL of a dither. ‘Just think, in a few more days you’ll be a real part of this family, all legal and everything.’ Smothering Alice in a bear-hug, she brushed away the tears. ‘You’d best go,’ she said, ‘before you have me babbling like a two year old!’

  ‘That’s right!’ Frank had started early that morning, but now he was back at the farmhouse, all washed and changed, and ready to take Alice home. ‘We don’t want your mother sending out a search party for you, do we, eh?’

  Leading Alice by the arm, he walked her to the black Ford saloon; his one and only extravagance and his pride and joy. ‘Mind you wipe your feet,’ he joked as he watched her climb in, ‘after all, I don’t know where you’ve been, do I?’

  Laughing, he did not see Alice’s worried expression as she sank into her seat. If only he knew, she thought nervously.

  After lying awake for most of the night, thinking of Joe and what they had done, Alice was sick with worry. She hated herself for having allowed it to happen, yet even now she wanted Joe so much, it was like a physical ache that would not go away. Those few hours with Joe had never been sordid. Instead, they had been amazing. Joe had awakened a part of her that had lain dormant.

  Alice knew without a shadow of doubt, that for all her life she would remember what happened, and her heart would always belong to Joe.

  But she also knew, with deep sadness, that a future with Joe was impossible.

  She still felt a degree of love for his brother. She had promised to be Frank’s wife, and now she did not have the heart to walk away; especially when he hadn’t really done anything to hurt her. Instead, he had always been faithful to her, consoling her when she was hurt, taking care of her, and loving her.

  At the end of a long, sleepless night, she had come to what she believed to be the right decision. The plain fact remained; she had promised to be Frank’s wife, long before Joe came back on the scene.

  Joe, on the other hand, was a man who represented something she was not used to. He was a man with the freedom to go wherever he wanted; a man with a sense of adventure; a man who would never want to stay in one place for too long.

  There was no denying she harboured deep feelings for him, Wonderful, powerful feelings that swept her to dizzy heights. And yet they frightened her. She was drawn to him like she had never been drawn to any other man, including Frank.

  Joe was the fantasy, a figment of her girlish dreams; the knight in shining armour. Joe was her way of proving that she was a woman through and through, lonely and needy, and there he was; without any condition or demands. And now the fairytale was over. Daylight brought reason, and reality beckoned.

  Soon no doubt, Joe would be on his way again, tasting adventure in far flung places. He would soon forget about her.

  Frank on the other hand, was reality; safe and reliable.

  There was no joy in her decision. Instead, she had begun to wonder if she even knew what love was meant to be.

  With Frank she felt comfortable. She knew him, and she was content that their future was planned, even though there had never been the same feeling she felt for Joe.

  Her emotions were all over the place. One minute she was thrilled because in Joe she believed she had found a soulmate, and the next minute she was riddled with doubt and shame.

  Frank was uncomplicated, and she really did love him; though she asked herself, if she loved Frank, why did she give herself to Joe?

  She blamed it on the madness of the moment. Or maybe she needed that intimate kind of love. When Frank tried to persuade her to make love, she had told him she wanted to wait until they were man and wife.

  The importance of saving her virginity until the wedding night had been drummed into her so often by her Victorian-minded mother. Succumbing to Joe may have been her way of showing her mother that she was not to be ordered about, or treated as though she did not have a mind of her own.

  Alice had felt closer to Joe, in spirit and heart, than she had ever felt with anyone.

  Was that real love, she asked herself, or was it pure excitement, the thrill of danger. Something she had never been allowed to experience. And yet, when she and Joe had made love, she felt so alive, so different, as though she could fly without wings.

  She thought about it now, the touch of his mouth on hers; that clear, shining emotion in his deep, dark eyes when he looked at her…in a way that Frank never had.

  For as long as she lived, Alice knew she would never forget that special, wonderful way he made her feel; almost as though they belonged together for all time.

  But it was over now and, rightly or wrongly, she turned her mind to the wedding day.

  Startled by Frank’s voice calling out, she quickly put Joe to the back of her mind.

  ‘Tell Joe I’ll be back quick as I can, I’m just off to visit Alice’s folks,’ Frank informed his mother. ‘Meantime, he’ll know what to do. Oh, and tell him to keep a lookout for that no-good Jimmy Slater!’ He shouted a curse as he climbed into the car. ‘If he steps foot on my land again, I’ll have him. Once and for all!’

  Alice was curious. ‘What’s Jimmy done wrong?’ She had always liked Jimmy. He was simple but kind, a decent sort, though occasionally a bit worse for wear with booze.

  ‘Don’t you worry your pretty head,’ Frank said. ‘Leave Jimmy to me, eh?’ Patting her on the knee, he started the car and shifting into gear, drove off in a skid. ‘Must get this gearbox checked out,’ he grumbled under his breath. ‘Damned thing’s snatching again!’

  Inside the house, Tom had heard what Frank shouted to Nancy, and he was none too pleased. ‘I’d like to know what he means by that.’

  ‘What? About Jimmy you mean?’ Nancy pursed her lips. ‘I’m sure I don’t know what he meant.’ She turned her mind to making them a pot of tea.

  ‘No!’ Tom was persistent. ‘I didn’t mean what he called Jimmy. I meant what he said about Jimmy being kept off his land!’

  Nancy was preoccupied, thinking of the washing and the baking, and the wedding that loomed ever nearer. ‘Well, I expect he had a bit of a run-in with Jimmy,’ she said. ‘You know what he’s like when he’s had a few.’

  Groaning with frustration, Tom stood before her. ‘Will you stop faffing about, and listen to what I’m saying. Frank said to keep Jimmy off his land!’

  Having got Nancy’s full attention, he went on in a quiet voice. ‘The main fields are long gone, but that tiny parcel of land is all you and I have to show for a lifetime of work. We sold everything we could to find the money to buy that bit o’ land. We sat through winter with hardly any coal in the fire, and there were times when we couldn’t even afford to walk up to the pub for a drink and a chat with our neighbours. So, now d’you see what I’m telling yer? Our Frank appears to think the little field belongs to him! He needs to remember how it was back then. After my father, and his grandfather sold the main holding to our landlord, we did well to get back what little we could. In the main, we’re just tenants now, with just a few acres to call our own. It’s mine and yours and Frank needs to remember that!’

  Nancy smiled knowingly. ‘Did you really think I’d forgotten how we struggled to get it back, Tom?’ she said quietly.

  ‘Well then!’ Tom snapped angrily. ‘Frank needs to stop and think, before he lays c
laim to what doesn’t belong to him!’

  ‘Hey now!’ Nancy warned him. ‘Don’t go getting yourself all riled up. It’ll bring on your indigestion.’

  ‘Bugger the indigestion!’ Tom retaliated. ‘I do not take kindly to him thinking he has a right to what’s mine an’ yours.’

  ‘Ssh now, Tom. I can understand why you’re angry, but getting all wound up like this won’t put it right, will it now?’

  Being fully aware how Tom had long resented the fact that he could no longer work the land, Nancy’s heart went out to him. ‘Think on this, Tom love,’ she urged. ‘You and me won’t be here forever, will we? In time, that small, precious piece of land will go to Joe and Frank anyway.’

  ‘I know that.’ Tom had been made to accept that he was past the heavy work, but his spirit was still fighting fit, as he now demonstrated, ‘I also know that you an’ me have grown older, and I may have a gammy leg and a weak back…I do know all that. But we’re nowhere near dead an’ gone yet! I for one intend to dance at our son’s wedding and hold his newborn in my arms, so don’t you count us out yet woman, ‘cause I’m not ready to go!’

  And to Nancy’s delight, he even gave a one-legged jig to prove it.

  ‘You daft old bugger.’ Plonking a firm kiss on his cheek, Nancy had a twinkle in her eye. ‘All right, I get the message; there’s life in the old dog yet, eh?’

  The twinkle developed into a smile. ‘So? How about you and me go upstairs and try to rekindle our youth, eh?’ She gave him a wink for the fun of it.

  ‘Ooh, hey, woman!’ Wide-eyed and stumbling, Tom took a few steps back. ‘Steady on! I don’t know as I’m ready for all that!’

  ‘All right Tom love, don’t start panicking. Just let me know when you’re good and ready. It’s been a while since you and me had a bit of a tumble. I’ll be looking forward to that, an’ no mistake.’

  Turning away, she could hardly keep a straight face. ‘So now that’s settled, are you ready for your tea?’

  Grateful for small mercies, and thankful to be changing the subject, Tom had the last word. ‘That son of ours is getting far too big for his boots!’ he declared. ‘What with expecting Alice’s family to fork out a fortune so’s he can build an empire, and now claiming what’s yours and mine. I reckon it’s time I put him right on a thing or two.’

  His younger son, Joe, was very much in his mind. ‘Besides, apart from that, we have another son, who’s finally decided to come home where he belongs.’

  Nancy agreed with a nod of the head. ‘Our Frank doesn’t mean anything by it,’ she promised. ‘It’s just that sometimes he gets carried away with himself. He always has. Even as a boy he had a temper and a strong will.’

  As a mother, Nancy had been quick to recognise the anger that filled her first child, though over the years she had seen him mellow. Until now she truly believed he was over his earlier difficulties. ‘You’re right though, Tom,’ she conceded now. ‘For my part I’m just thankful that Joe’s got the wanderlust bug out of his system, and he’s back in the family fold. So, like you say Tom, we have both our sons to consider, and like it or not, Frank needs to remember that.’

  At that very moment, Joe was examining the fence, where the playful lambs had trampled it down to ground level. ‘Little devils. If we’re not careful we’ll have them munching at the crops and that would never do.’

  He was in buoyant mood, thinking of Alice, and daring to believe they might actually have a life together. He wasn’t taking it for granted though, especially when Alice had said hardly a word as they walked back to the house last night.

  All he could do was wait for her decision, which would need to be soon, with the wedding so near. What if Alice saw last night as being a huge mistake? What if she still wanted to be Frank’s wife?

  If that’s the way it was to be, then he must accept it and make plans to leave as soon as possible.

  In the meantime, he had to be patient and focus his energy on the work in hand, which was to find the lamb that had pushed its way through the fence and strayed from the fold.

  Not too far away, meandering along the lane towards the main road, Frank was puzzled as to why Alice had lapsed into silence. ‘You’re unusually quiet,’ he remarked now, ‘are you all right?’

  Alice was quick to reassure him. ‘Of course I am. Why shouldn’t I be?’ She was still thinking about Joe.

  Frank had another question. ‘Alice?’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘You’re not having regrets, are you?’

  ‘About what?’ Her guilt was tenfold.

  ‘About the wedding, what else?’

  ‘No, of course I’m not having regrets about the wedding.’ In truth she was having regrets about everything: the wedding, Joe; her own shameful behaviour last night in the barn. This morning all she could think about was Joe, when her mind should be on her wedding day.

  Suddenly, Frank was cursing. ‘What the devil’s going on now!’ He slammed the brakes on. ‘I should have taken it to the garage when it first started playing up.’

  Scrambling out of the car, he stripped his shirt off, raised the bonnet and peered inside. ‘Looks like the battery’s come adrift!’ he shouted. ‘Look in the boot, there’s an oil rag in there. Fetch it, will you?’

  Alice did as she was asked, and Frank got to work. ‘It’ll only take a minute,’ he promised, and it did.

  ‘Look at the state of you!’ Alice drew Frank’s attention to the oil and muck all over his arms. ‘You can’t get back in the car like that.’

  ‘I don’t intend to,’ he said, ‘I’ll have a quick swill in the brook, then we’ll be on our way.’

  Rather than be left on her own, Alice went with him; running away shrieking with laughter when he came towards her, his arms open wide as though to grab her.

  Lighter of foot, she kept him at a distance. ‘Get off!’ For one fleeting moment her worries about Joe disappeared beneath her girlish laughter. ‘Can you imagine Mother’s face if I walked in with my dress all smothered in oil?’

  With that in mind, Frank backed off. ‘We don’t want to upset the family now, do we?’ It wouldn’t do to blot his copy book when he had their money on his mind.

  So, while Alice sat on the boulder with her bare feet dipped into the cool water, he washed his arms.

  That done, he took her by the hand and together they walked across the field and up the hill back to the car. ‘You looked like a little nymph down there,’ Frank teased. ‘You’re a wild thing at heart, but you’re my wild thing, and woe betide any man who tries to take you from me.’

  Without warning, he grabbed her by the waist and swung her round to him. ‘Let’s make love right here, right now,’ he demanded, his gaze coveting her face, and his arms wound so tight about her waist, she could hardly catch her breath.

  ‘Let me go, Frank.’ Her quiet, firm voice belied the fear inside her.

  ‘Why should I let you go, tell me that?’ He was so close, she could feel his warm breath bathing her face. ‘Anyone would think I was a stranger and here we are, just a few days from being man and wife.’ He shook her playfully, ‘Go on then, tell me, why should I let you go?’

  ‘You know why,’ she answered meaningfully.

  ‘Oh, yes, of course!’ He laughed, a harsh, raking laugh that made her cringe. ‘So now we’re back on that are we?’ he snarled. ‘Oh yes, I forgot, silly me! We can’t make love, because your mother wants you to save your virginity until you’re respectfully married, is that it?’

  Alice gave no answer. She thought of Joe, and the way they had made love last night. It was so right. So beautiful. In all her dreams, she could never have imagined it to be like that.

  ‘Alice?’ Something about her quietness had stirred a fear in him.

  Alice looked up, but said nothing.

  Strangely subdued, Frank suddenly asked, ‘Do you love me, Alice?’

  ‘Yes,’ she replied.

  Frank met her gaze. ‘You don’t sound so sure.’


  ‘I am sure.’ But was she? After Joe, how could she be so sure?

  ‘I do love you, Frank.’ She needed to convince him, and herself as well, ‘I don’t want us making love…not yet. Not until we’re married.’ She paused, looking at him in such a way that made him feel unsettled, unsure and afraid. ‘Please, Frank, it’s only a few more days.’ With Joe still heavy on her mind, she needed time.

  Her sincere words softened his mood. ‘All right then, my beauty. I’m sure it will be all the better for the waiting.’ He gave a confident little wink. ‘I’m just grateful that I’m marrying a virgin, and not some tart who’s been spreading herself about.’

  When she made no comment, he laughed out loud. ‘Oh, I see! You’ve got no answer to that, so does it mean you’re turning me away, while all the time you’ve got a man hidden away somewhere…’ he smacked her rear end, ‘…giving him what should be mine, is that it?’

  ‘That’s a terrible thing to say, Frank Arnold!’ Going with his mood, Alice forced a laugh. ‘The truth is…I’ve got a man for every day of the week.’

  Enjoying the banter, he wagged a finger in her face. ‘You little tease,’ he said, giving her a shake. ‘And here am I, thinking you were the quiet, shy little thing, and all the time you’re a secret Jezebel!’

  Suddenly he had tight hold of her hand and was running her up the hill. ‘All right then, I suppose I’ll have to be patient,’ he conceded. ‘But I’m warning you…it had better be worth the wait.’

  From the far side of the field, Joe heard their laughter and came to see. He instantly recognised them, chasing up the hill, with Frank now calling back to Alice, ‘Come on, slow-coach! We’ll never get you home at this rate.’

  He saw Frank help Alice inside the car, then he saw it begin to move slowly away, and now Alice turned her face towards him. Convinced that she had seen him, he remained there, returning her gaze, and watching until they were gone from sight.