by Anne Bennett
‘But of course …’
‘Simon, there’s no “of course” about this,’ Janet said. ‘I’ve had time to get used to this news, you haven’t. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that I wanted your love more than marriage and I haven’t changed my mind.’
‘I do love you,’ Simon said. ‘I’ve told you enough times, but if you doubt it – I love you! I love you! I love you!’ He took Janet’s face between his hands and looking deep into her eyes said, ‘And I want to marry you and look after you and Simon Webster Junior for always.’
And Janet knew that Simon meant every word he said. She was so happy she could hardly speak, and when she did it was to say something light, because she felt dangerously close to tears again. ‘The arrogance of the man, thinking this child is a son,’ she said. ‘Let me tell you, sir, it will be a daughter to lighten my days and look after me in my old age.’
Simon took hold of Janet and rolled her gently on to her back, but the words he was about to speak died in his throat and he looked down on the girl he’d loved for so long. He bent his head and kissed her lingeringly.
‘Oh, Janet Travers, I love you.’
‘And I love you Simon Webster.’
Their lovemaking revitalised them, and they sat and watched the sun rise while they talked over their plans for the future.
‘You’re not crying?’ Bert said.
‘Yes, I am,’ Betty said defensively, dabbing at her eyes with a lace hankie. ‘Nearly all women cry at weddings, and when it’s your daughter, it’s almost expected.’
Bert supposed his wife was right, and truth to tell, he’d felt a prickling behind his eyes when he’d taken the arm of his lovely daughter to lead her down the aisle of St Peter and St Paul’s church. He wasn’t sure about Simon – after all, he’d let her down once – but then Janet had been all for it, and in the circumstances, perhaps it was just as well.
Breda was the only one who hadn’t been totally amazed at the news of Janet’s pregnancy. She’d seen a certain something about her niece’s demeanour and a definite swelling in Janet’s skirts and trousers that hadn’t been there before. She was also the only person apart from Simon who asked for Janet’s assurance that the child was his, and was satisfied with Janet’s answer.
People reacted to the news in different ways. Ruth was particularly pleased, not least because Phillip had suggested that there might still be something between Janet and Ben. Ruth knew it was ridiculous and said so, but doubt had lingered. She was pleased to learn about the pregnancy, knowing that it was worry about it that had caused Janet to be a bit stiff and difficult of late, and it had nothing to do with either her or Ben. Lou and Shirley were delighted and declared their interest in being godparents, while Claire at last understood Janet’s preoccupied manner: deciding what to do about the baby while trying to keep it a secret as long as possible had obviously put a severe strain on her.
It was nice to talk to her friends about the birth because it wasn’t mentioned much at home. To tell the truth, Betty had been a little disappointed in her daughter, and rather surprised. After all, Janet was no fool and knew what was what, and yet she would have been an unmarried mother if she and Simon hadn’t patched things up. Still, today wasn’t the day for recriminations. She was just thankful Janet’s dress still fitted or the wedding couldn’t have gone ahead at all today and Janet had wanted it over before the school reopened in September. Of course, there was no fancy sit-down meal at a posh hotel, but Shirley’s father had got them a room at the Lyndhurst pub on the outskirts of Erdington at very short notice. It seemed that with his contacts he could get anything. He’d arranged a firm to do a buffet too, and a band for the evening, and wouldn’t take a penny piece for it, saying that it was a wedding present for the young couple. Put like that, Bert had to accept it. Before that, he was inclined to be huffy about it all, saying did the man think he couldn’t provide for his own daughter’s wedding? Of course, Shirley’s father could afford it, Betty knew. Janet always said the family were well heeled, and yet not everyone with money liked to spend it. When everything was equal, you had to own the man was decent.
Nice child Shirley had too, Betty thought, Georgie, called for his grandad. She wondered what Janet would have and what she’d call it. It was a pity that it would arrive so soon after the wedding, though. It always amazed Betty that the stupidest person in the world had the ability to count to nine, and there would be quite a few who’d be willing to do that, she knew. But when all was said and done, a baby was still a baby and she couldn’t help but be excited by the thought of a new one in the family. It might put new heart into her mother too, who was looking mighty frail just lately and had become very forgetful, but then she was getting on now, as they all were.
Breda watched Betty and guessed at the thoughts running round her head. She was well aware of what Betty thought and knew that pride and slight disappointment at Janet’s behaviour would be vying with each other in her mind. Must be the only time in young Janet’s life that she hadn’t done what was expected of her. But she knew pride would win out, because Janet looked beautiful, Breda thought, watching her standing beside her handsome husband, and she prayed for them both to the God she scarcely still believed in.
Janet, in fact, thought that everything was splendid and far better than she deserved when she’d nearly lost Simon through her own stupidity. She loved her parents dearly and acknowledged that they were the best. She was grateful they’d never found out about her and Ben. Never would either, not from her at any rate, and she’d trust her Aunt Breda with her life. Aunt Breda was wise in ways that mattered, and what she’d said about Ben was probably true. But Janet didn’t care either way really, and she certainly didn’t want to think about Ben Hayman today of all days.
She was standing beside the man she loved above all others, in front of the priest who would soon declare them man and wife. And when Simon reached over and took her hand in his, and they looked at each other and smiled, Janet thought she was the happiest and luckiest woman in the world.
Acknowledgements
I think the first people I must thank are those in the Romantic Novelists’ Association or RNA who run the New Writer’s Scheme (NWS). What a writer just starting out needs most is objective and constructive criticism and that’s what I got in the first submission I sent them. Thanks to that reader whoever she was and thanks to the one who read my second submission and who advised tightening the book before sending it to Headline.
Thanks also to the staff at both the Central Reference and Erdington libraries for their help and advice and Carl Chinn who had me on his radio show to talk about my book. It was hard to describe the house in Pype Hayes Estate to people in London who had no experience of them and the estate was being speedily demolished by then as the houses were said to be sinking. So, I was grateful to a neighbour, Renee Richards, who years before had taken a photograph of a council workman chopping down a tree outside her house, which was remembered by her daughter, my friend Sue Bond. Immense thanks to you both. Erdington Library were very grateful too, as the estate would soon be no longer. At the time they had been running reminiscence sessions at the library chaired by Carl Chinn where people talked about the memories of the estate; a great resource for me of course and they compiled these memories into a booklet and presented it to me in gratitude for no-one in the library had thought to take any photographs of the area. Hard to imagine in these day of such easy access to phones so that if you sneeze the chances are someone will take a picture of you, but twenty-odd years ago the world was a very different place. Anyway they were delighted with the photo I got from Renee which I copied for them.
My family all deserve a mention. Denis and our four children and I am grateful for their continued love and encouragement and my five grandchildren, who I love dearly, are very proud of me but they are also a great levelling influence in case I should begin to think myself someone special. Thanks for that guys.
Recently I was at the H
arperCollins offices where I thanked them for all the hard work they do on my books to get them to a publishing standard. It is no mean achievement and I know the work involved and especial thanks go to my editor Kate Bradley, my agent Judith Murdoch and my copy editor Yvonne Holland who I met at a recent launch in London. Thank you so much.
And last, but by no means least, my lovely loyal fans. Every single one of you are special to me and so appreciated and I owe you all a debt of deep gratitude
If you enjoyed A Little Learning, then you’ll
love these other brilliant wartime tales from
Anne Bennett, all available to buy now.
‘The beauty of Anne’s books is that they are about normal people and are sewn through with human emotions which affect us all’
Birmingham Post
Click here to buy now
Click here to buy now
Click here to buy now
Click here to buy now
Click here to buy now
Click here to buy now
Click here to buy now
About the Author
Anne Bennett was born in a back-to-back house in the Horsefair district of Birmingham. The daughter of Roman Catholic, Irish immigrants, she grew up in a tight-knit community where she was taught to be proud of her heritage. She considers herself to be an Irish Brummie and feels therefore that she has a foot in both cultures. She has four children and five grandchildren. For many years she taught in schools to the north of Birmingham. An accident put paid to her teaching career and, after moving to North Wales, Anne turned to the other great love of her life and began to write seriously. In 2006, after sixteen years in a wheelchair, she miraculously regained her ability to walk.
Visit www.annebennett.co.uk to find out more about Anne and her books.
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollins.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London, SE1 9GF
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
http://www.harpercollins.com