Down an English Lane (11 page)

‘Yes…for the moment. There’s nothing definite, not just yet.’ He was looking at her intently. Then he moved across the room and perched on the arm of her chair. ‘Lily, I’m not much good at this sort of thing. I’m just an ordinary chap…you know that, don’t you? But you and me, we get on well together, don’t we? And I want us to have a future together. But I sometimes wonder how you really feel about me. Y’see, I know how I feel about you…’

She turned and looked at him, into his warm brown eyes, alight with affection, but holding a question, too. ‘I’m very fond of you, Arthur,’ she said. ‘And – yes – we do get on very well.’ She had an idea what he was going to say and was trying to make it a little easier for him. She knew it was often hard for him to show his true feelings, except in a jokey kind of way.

‘Lily…’ Suddenly he moved from the chair arm and knelt on the carpet in front of her. He took hold of her hand. ‘Lily… I think I love you… Well, no,
that’s not right, is it? That’s not want I meant to say. I know I love you and…and I want you to marry me.’ He looked at her almost pleadingly. ‘Will you…will you marry me, Lily?’

She was taken aback for a moment, although she had realised what he was leading up to, and she had known, too what her answer would be. When she saw the look in his eyes changing to one of puzzlement and uncertainty she answered at once. ‘Yes, Arthur,’ she replied simply. ‘I will marry you.’

He did not kiss her at once, as she might have expected. Instead he breathed a small sigh of relief. ‘Whew! I thought for a moment that you were going to say no. It would’ve served me right, I dare say, for taking it for granted. Not that I shall ever take you for granted, Lily love. That’s not what I meant… Oh heck! I’m getting meself all tongue-twisted now.’ He reached into his jacket pocket and drew out a small black box. ‘Here you are,’ he said. ‘I’ve got you this. I hope it’s the right size and that you’ll like it. Happen I should’ve waited and let you choose your own, like, but I wanted so much for you to say yes that I just couldn’t wait.’

‘Oh, Arthur…’ She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. ‘You are such a kind, lovely man…’ She opened the box to reveal the ring, his choice of ring, nestling on its cushion of white satin. It was small, but exquisite; a diamond encircled by tiny sapphires, like the petals of a flower. ‘It’s beautiful…’ she gasped, not having to feign her
delight at all. It was just what she might have chosen for herself. She held out her left hand. ‘Put it on for me, please, Arthur.’

He fitted the ring onto her third finger, which had been ringless since she had discarded Sidney’s worthless band of gold. It fitted perfectly and Arthur sighed again. ‘Well, that’s a relief, I must say, although they did say at the shop as I could have it altered… Eeh, Lily love; you don’t know how happy you’ve made me.’ He did kiss her then, long and hard, and she found herself responding to him more fervently than she had done before.

It had been difficult for her at first, when their friendship had developed to the holding hands and then to the kissing stage. Memories of Sidney – dreadful memories – would loom into her mind unbidden. She had been almost afraid to return Arthur’s affection. She had believed there would never be anyone else for her; her experiences with Sidney Bragg had put her off men for ever, or so she had thought. Then, too, there had been the sweet and loving memories of Davey Jackson, Maisie’s father; her childhood sweetheart and young husband. Nobody could ever replace Davey in her heart and mind. She was not sure, even now she had agreed to marry him, that she loved Arthur. But she felt she had done the right thing in accepting him. Her fondness for him would grow. He was a good man and worthy of her care and affection. The two of them had to look to the
future now and leave the past with its memories, both the happy and the sad and torturous ones, behind them.

She had not told him she loved him, though, and he had not asked her. He had not said the words, ‘Do you love me, Lily?’ She guessed he had the wisdom not to push her too far at the moment; perhaps it was sufficient for him to know that she cared enough to want to marry him. She had every confidence that it would be a successful marriage. She surmised, too, that he would not want to wait too long before they tied the knot.

‘Let’s go and sit on the settee, shall we?’ he said, getting up and pulling Lily to her feet. ‘I reckon I’ve been on me knees long enough. We’ll make ourselves comfy, eh?’ They sat down and he put his arm around her. ‘About me moving in next door,’ he said. ‘Yes, I shall be doing that before long. But it’ll seem odd, won’t it, you here and me there, with only a wall between us, and us planning to get wed?’

‘What d’you mean, Arthur?’ Lily asked with a puzzled frown. ‘We can’t very well… I mean, we can’t knock the wall down.’

‘Oh, I’m not suggesting anything improper, love. But I don’t want us to wait too long, if you see what I mean. There’s no point, is there? It’s a bit of a problem, though. Er…shall I come and live here? After we’re wed, I mean?’

She smiled. ‘That would be the usual thing to do,
surely. You don’t want to go on living next door on your own, do you?’

‘No, of course not. But this is your home, see, and I wouldn’t want to presume. What I mean is this…it’s up to me to provide a home for my wife, isn’t it?’

She patted his hand. ‘I know full well what you’re getting at, Arthur. But this is my children’s home as well as mine, you know. And we haven’t mentioned them yet. How do you feel about Joanie and Jimmy? They can be a couple of scallywags, you know. Maisie’s never been much trouble. Actually, she was asking about you earlier today.’

‘Aye, your Maisie’s a grand lass. And I don’t forsee any problems with the other two. They never seem to mind me being around, do they? Bertha and I wanted kids, you know, but it wasn’t to be…’

‘The little ’uns have got their attic bedroom,’ said Lily, ‘and so has Maisie. And…my bedroom is quite big enough for two,’ she added, feeling just a little embarrassed. ‘And the living room and kitchen are adequate. Your place is pretty much the same as mine, isn’t it? There wouldn’t be any more room than there is here.’

‘It’s a pity we can’t combine the upstairs accommodation,’ said Arthur thoughtfully. ‘You know, make it all one. Like I said, there’s only a wall between us. But I know this property belongs to the Jenners, doesn’t it?’

‘Yes, it does,’ agreed Lily. ‘I’m just the tenant,
really… But I’ve had some other good news this week, Arthur. It’s been an amazing week, one way and another. I was going to tell you… And then, well, you took the wind out of my sails good and proper, didn’t you?’

‘I certainly did,’ said Arthur, kissing her cheek. ‘Go on, tell me then. What’s your good news?’

Lily took a deep breath. ‘I can hardly believe it really,’ she said. ‘It’s so amazing…Mr and Mrs Jenner are going to leave this property to me – the shop and the living accommodation – after they have…gone, of course. I know that might be a long time ahead, and it’s something I don’t really want to think about. I’ve become very fond of Eliza, and both she and Cyril, they’ve been so good to me.’

‘That’s great news,’ said Arthur. ‘And it’s no more than you deserve, like you said about Flo and Harry and the bakery. The Jenners couldn’t have kept the draper’s shop going without you. I take it they’ve no family then, no close relatives to inherit their worldly goods?’

‘No…they have no children. Cyril had a sister and Eliza had a brother, apparently, but they’re both dead now, and from what I gather the nephews and nieces don’t bother to keep in touch.’

‘Hmm…’ Arthur nodded thoughtfully. ‘They’ve made a will, have they, stating what they want to do?’

‘Yes, so Eliza has told me. I argued with her, of
course. I said I certainly hadn’t expected anything of the sort; that I’m not a relation and they must think carefully about it. But she assured me that they had done so and that it was what they both wanted. And that I was to regard this as my permanent home.’

‘You know what they say though, love, about a will. Where there’s a will there’s relations. Those nephews and nieces may very well come crawling out of the woodwork if there’s any sign of money or property, especially if it’s not going their way.’

‘Don’t be such a Job’s comforter, Arthur,’ laughed Lily. Like many Yorkshiremen she knew he had a sceptical streak, unwilling to take everything at face value. ‘There was no mention of money, just this property. And they have their little house that they live in as well. I’ve no idea what they intend to do with that; so maybe the relations are included, who knows? Anyway, as I’ve said, it could be years and years before I inherit.’ She laughed out loud. ‘Goodness, that’s an amazing word. I never expected to inherit so much as a brass farthing, not from anybody.’

‘Well, it just shows that you never know what’s round the next corner. How old are Mr and Mrs Jenner? Seventy-odd, I suppose?’

‘Yes; they’re both seventy-five or thereabouts, but very hale and hearty. They could well live till they’re ninety; I hope they do. At least I know that
my future’s secure, mine and the children’s. Even more so, of course, now.’ She stopped suddenly; she must not give Arthur the impression that she was marrying him just for the security he could give her. She stretched out her hand, admiring the floweret of tiny gemstones twinkling on her finger. ‘It’s lovely, Arthur, really lovely…and I’m so very happy.’

It would be her third marriage, she was thinking, with a feeling of incredulity, but the first time she had had a real engagement ring. Davey had given her a token ring of semi-precious stones, all that he could afford, but she had cherished it as if it were worth a thousand pounds. It was too small now, but she sometimes wore it, when she was feeling sentimental, on her smallest finger. Sidney Bragg had not bothered with an engagement ring at all, and the wedding ring, she had guessed, had been the cheapest he could buy. Always supposing it had been bought at all…although she didn’t think he had been into thieving at that stage. That had come later.

‘Are you going to tell your three our good news when they come in?’ asked Arthur. ‘We’re not going to keep it a secret, are we?’

‘Of course we’re not…going to keep it a secret, I mean. I shall wear this with pride.’ She waggled her fingers, seeing the light catch the stones. ‘But let me choose my own time to tell the children, Arthur, if you don’t mind. It won’t make any difference to
Joanie and Jimmy. I doubt if they know what an engagement is, but I shall tell them that we’re going to get married quite soon and that you will be coming to live here. As for Maisie…well, she’s going through something of a crisis at the moment, at least it seems like it to her.’

‘Oh, what’s up with Maisie then?’

‘Calf love, I reckon, although she thinks it’s more than that. She’ll get over it, no doubt, but she thought she was in love…with Bruce Tremaine; you know, the squire’s son?’

‘Oh aye? Well, there’s nothing like aiming high, I suppose.’

‘She’s been friendly with Bruce ever since she was a little girl,’ replied Lily, a shade indignantly, ‘and there’s nothing snobbish about the lad, nothing at all. Bruce Tremaine is a grand young man. But she’s just a kid really, Arthur; she’s only fifteen and he’s nearly twenty-one. Anyway…he brought his lady friend to the concert last night. And from all appearances it looks as though the two of them are quite serious about one another. And Maisie…well, she was upset to say the least. So I don’t want to make matters worse by flaunting my happiness in her face.’

‘Oh dear, poor Maisie! Yes, I see what you mean. She’s quite grown-up for her age, isn’t she? I can imagine how it hurts. Poor kid; I’ll try to be extra nice to her.’

‘Don’t say anything about it, though, will you?
About Bruce? I think she’s realising that she’s made rather a fool of herself.’

‘Don’t worry; my lips are sealed. Now, let’s start thinking about you and me, shall we? We’ve got a wedding to plan.’

Maisie dashed in soon after five-thirty, seemingly in a much more cheerful frame of mind.

‘Good to see you again, Arthur,’ she said. He had told her when they first met to call him by his first name, although her younger sister and brother referred to him as Uncle Arthur. ‘You’ve finished with the army then now? Back to Civvy Street, eh?’

‘Aye, that’s right,’ he said, smiling at her and shaking her hand. He did not attempt to hug or kiss her; Lily had told him a little of her experiences with her stepfather and his son and he knew he must tread carefully. ‘Back to the old routine. I’ll be starting at the bakery again tomorrow.’

‘My goodness! No rest for the wicked, eh? So… I suppose we will be seeing quite a lot of you, will we?’ Maisie raised her eyebrows, smiling impishly at him.

‘You can be sure of that, Maisie,’ he chuckled, casting a glance at Lily by his side. ‘That’s right, isn’t it, Lily love?’ She just nodded serenely.

‘That’s good then,’ said Maisie, grinning at them. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go and get ready for church.’

She was on her way again within half an hour, like a gust of fresh air breezing in and out. ‘Bye, Mum, bye Arthur… See you soon I expect…’

Arthur laughed. ‘I thought you said she was upset,’ he remarked as the sound of her footsteps on the stairs died away. ‘She seems OK to me.’