LITMIR.BIZ

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have to accept us as we are. As long as the wedding goes without a hitch, it doesn’t really matter.’

      ‘There won’t be any hitches,’ he promised cheerfully. ‘Not with you in charge, and half the village wanting to help.’

      Nancy gave no reply to that, although she knew from experience that things could go so easily wrong. In her usual forthright manner, she had learned to take nothing for granted.

      She proudly informed him, ‘Everything has been well organised. Flowers are arranged and paid for. The band is booked, and the suits for you and the boys are hanging in the closet; though Joe’s might need a tweak here and there, depending on whether he’s changed his shape since we last saw him.’

      Tom was duly impressed. ‘Sounds to me like you’ve thought of everything.’

      ‘I hope so. I’ve gone over the menu for the meal, and now there’s just the wedding-cake. Seeing as I’m baking it, the cost is half what it would have been if I’d ordered one.’

      She gave a little scowl. ‘It’s as well I’m doing the cake, because even Alice had to admit that her mother is a terrible cook. Apparently, she can’t even produce a proper Yorkshire pud!’

      Tom chuckled. ‘There y’are y’see. It’s just as well you’re available then, isn’t it?’

      In fact, Nancy felt well pleased with herself. ‘Mind you, Alice’s mother played her part in helping Alice choose the flowers. Though she wasn’t able to make Alice change her mind about having wild flowers in amongst the tulips and such. To be honest I reckon a mixture of colourful wild flowers will look absolutely gorgeous!’

      There was one other thing. ‘In the end though Alice didn’t get much of a say in the wedding dress, she did manage to lose the idea of frills and bows like her mother wanted. Instead the dress will be sewn with daisies and forget-me-nots…all made out of silk and satin.’

      Tom smiled in agreement. ‘Alice is a simple country girl at heart,’ he said softly. ‘She won’t have her head turned by expense and fancy, and I’m proud of that! If you ask me, she’ll walk down the aisle looking like a million dollars!’

      Nancy’s thoughts had already turned again to her youngest son. ‘Everything is ready now.’ She glanced anxiously towards the window. ‘All we need is for Joe to show his face.’

      Having had enough of the cold tea, she was quickly away, watching at the window again. ‘He’ll not show while you’re watching,’ Tom groaned. ‘Anyway, I thought you had umpteen jobs to get done?’

      ‘They can wait.’ She ran her finger over the smeared window. ‘Tom Arnold!’ Swinging round she confronted him. ‘You promised faithfully you would clean the windows, and they’ve not even been touched!’

      ‘Sorry, love. I’ll do it later.’ Shame-faced, he buried his head in his newspaper. ‘Just give me a few minutes, and I’ll get on with it…soon as I’ve chosen the winning horses.’

      Minutes passed, and still there was no sign of Joe. ‘You’re right again,’ she muttered. ‘A watched kettle never boils.’

      Just then she caught sight of Alice. ‘Oh, look!’ Pointing as though Tom could see from across the room, she told him, ‘There’s Alice. For a minute I thought it might be our Joe coming out of the barn.’

      ‘Give over, woman! If he is on his way back, he’d hardly make the barn his first stop, now would he?’

      Returning to his newspaper, he blocked his ears to Nancy’s running commentary. ‘No doubt she’s off to collect the early apples. They’re keepers d’you see? If you leave them too late the insects burrow in, and they’re not worth tuppence. But pick them before they ripen and they’ll come up a treat after a few weeks in the barn.’

      ‘Don’t teach your grandmother to suck eggs.’ Tom had to put her right. ‘I were collecting keeper-apples when you were still in nappies.’

      ‘Oh, dear me I forgot!’ She gave him a derisory glance. ‘There’s nothing you can teach me about farming is there, eh?’

      ‘Nope.’

      ‘So, what about the potatoes last season? I suggested we get the potato crop in before the rains came, and you argued that the weather would be absolutely fine for at least another week. Two days later the skies burst open and it poured for days. So thanks to you we lost half the crop.’

      He suffered her teasing for the next few minutes, while intermittently nodding and grunting, as though he was paying attention. If she paused he’d look up and say, ‘Really…well fancy that!’

      ‘I feel awful now.’ Nancy returned to the wedding. ‘I promised Alice I’d give her a hand with bringing the apples in, but there’s been so much on my mind I completely forgot.’

      ‘She won’t mind.’

      In spite of his concerns with regard to Joe, he truly believed that in Alice, Frank had found himself the makings of a fine wife.

      Alice had just placed the last of the keepers into the basket when she saw Joe going into the barn. She called out after him. Collecting the basket, she ran out of the orchard and along the shingle path to the big barn.

      At the doorway she peered inside, and there was Joe, tenderly stroking the injured bird. ‘We’ll get you right,’ he told it softly. ‘You’ll soon be able to spread your wings and soar through the skies where you belong.’

      Suddenly aware of someone watching him, he turned quickly. ‘Hello, Joe,’ she said softly. Putting the basket to the ground, Alice came forward, her face bright with a smile. ‘I wasn’t sure it was you at first. I only ever saw you the once, and then you were gone. That was a year ago now, wasn’t it?’ She remembered their first meeting, how quiet and shy he seemed, and how each time she glanced up, he was looking at her. There was something about Frank’s younger brother that made her nervous. For a long time after he left, she found herself missing him.

      For a moment, Joe didn’t say anything. Instead he thought of that fateful day when Frank brought her home, and how he couldn’t take his eyes off her. And yes, it may have been a year ago, but to him it was like only yesterday.

      So many times of late he had hoped that when he saw her again things might be different, but they weren’t. The feelings he had then were still there, haunting him. The very sight of her made his heart beat faster, and his throat was so dry he could hardly breathe.

      ‘Alice!’ He felt foolish, not really knowing what to say. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there.’

      Closing the distance between them, she smiled up at him. ‘That’s because you were so intent on comforting the bird.’

      Reaching out, she stroked the bird along its velvet, feathery neck. ‘He’s a falcon, isn’t he?’

      ‘That’s right,’ Joe confirmed. ‘I don’t think he’s long out of the nest. Maybe he hasn’t yet learned the art of diving for his prey.’

      ‘What’s wrong with him?’ Whenever a creature was hurt, Alice felt it deeply. Sometimes, when she was worried or feeling lonely, the creatures gave her a great sense of peace and timelessness.

      Even as a child, she had always felt far safer with animals than with any human – including her parents.

      She thought of her mother, always arguing and fighting, thinking only of herself. She was a cold person, cold and selfish. Yet she could not hate her, nor could she love her. That was her deepest regret.

      ‘Is he badly hurt?’ She turned her attention to the falcon.

      ‘His wing is damaged, but I think he’ll be okay,’ Joe assured her.

      Alice glanced along the run of stables where the two work-horses had their heads over the doors and were looking out. ‘You could put him in the empty stable.’

      Joe

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