by Lyn Andrews
Charlie glowered at her. ‘Then what the hell are we going to do?’
Iris glared back but Tom got to his feet. He’d been thinking while this argument had gone on and he’d come to a decision. ‘Write and tell Rose about your Mam’s accident, Iris, and ask her to request some time off in the very near future – to attend our wedding. If we get married, I can move in and I’ll take over the running of the shop, which will leave you more time to devote to your mam. That will suit everyone. Rose needn’t be forced to come home, your mam won’t be made to feel she’s in any way a burden, Charlie can devote himself to his business and Florence, and you will have peace of mind, Iris.’ He smiled at her. ‘And we were planning to get married anyway so why not sooner rather than later?’
‘But will you be able to manage both jobs?’ Iris asked, although everything he had said made sense.
‘Of course. You’ll be here while I’m at the market and then I’m sure between us we’ll easily manage the shop. And if you need to go out shopping or to visit Florence, I’ll be here to keep my eye on your mam.’
Charlie got to his feet and shook Tom’s hand. ‘I think we all need a drink. Not only have we all had a bit of a shock over Mam’s accident but we should celebrate. Thanks, Tom. It’s the perfect solution.’
Tom grinned. ‘Keep everybody happy, but mainly Iris, that’s my motto, Charlie.’
Iris felt the tension and worry that had gripped her for the past hours drain away. Tom had found a solution to their dilemma. His common sense and selfless consideration never failed. It was one of the reasons why she loved him. She knew without a doubt that her future and her happiness were safe in his hands.
Chapter Twenty-Four
IRIS COLLECTED KATE FROM hospital the next day and after settling her mother comfortably in an armchair in the kitchen, she informed her mother that she and Tom were going to get married within the next couple of weeks.
‘We’ve decided it’s for the best, Mam. We’ll never have enough money for a place of our own so we might as well make it sooner rather than later. You know I love Tom and I’ll be so happy to get married. If you agree, Tom can move in here and he’ll go off to the market and then help me in the shop for the rest of the day. And I’ll be on hand to make sure you don’t go falling down the back step again. Is it still very painful?’
Kate nodded, trying to digest Iris’s news. ‘But better than it was and I’m glad to be home. I didn’t get much sleep in that place, what with the pain and them in and out by the minutes.’
‘They were just making sure you were all right, Mam,’ Iris reminded her.
‘I’ll be delighted to see you married, Iris, and of course it makes sense for Tom to move in here, so there’s no point in putting it off. You’ll be beating our Charlie to the altar then.’
Iris smiled. ‘Well, the Register Office. We don’t want any fuss and there will be no wasting money on fancy outfits. I’m going to buy a new coat and hat and we’ll come back here for a drink and a bit of something to eat. We’re just inviting Tom’s mam and da and his sisters; Charlie will be Tom’s best man and I’m going to write and ask Rose to stand for me. If she can’t get the time off then I know Florence will. It will be just the kind of wedding I want.’
Kate nodded slowly. ‘You’d better write to her, Iris. The more notice she can give them the better chance she has of getting home. I’m pleased, luv. He’s a good lad, steady, hardworking and thoughtful. You’ll make a grand couple and after the shock of this, well, it will be a bit of a relief for me to know that you’re on hand if I need you – not that I’ll be bothering you much. Once I get over this I can get back to running the house.’
‘You’ll just have to be more careful, Mam, especially with steps and stairs and the like.’
‘I know. Now, you get started on that letter, I’ll just close my eyes and see if I can catch a few winks of sleep.’
Gwen handed Rose the letter when she returned from work in the evening. She had a fair idea of what it contained for she’d had a note from Iris herself, explaining everything.
‘It’s getting quite nippy of an evening now,’ Rose commented as she opened the letter while Gwen poured her a hot cup of tea. Then she uttered a cry as she read the first lines.
‘It’s all right, cariad, just keep on reading. Your mam is fine now,’ Gwen reassured the girl.
Rose frowned as she read of Iris’s fears for her mother’s future health and wellbeing. Mam’s condition was getting worse and that upset her. Charlie had wanted her to go home and she wondered for a moment was he right but then she read that that wouldn’t be necessary as Iris and Tom were getting married and would be living with Kate.
‘I’ll ask Mrs Mathews first thing in the morning about me going home for a day or so. I never thought Iris would be married before Charlie but it seems the sensible thing to do, in the circumstances, and I’m very relieved to know that Mam will be looked after. But she writes that I’m not to mention to Mam that our Charlie wanted me to go home to look after her or that Tom is going to spend more time in the shop than she will be doing.’
‘That’s sensible too. She doesn’t want your mam to think she’s becoming a burden in any way.’
Rose bit her lip. ‘The doctors said it would get worse and it seems to be.’
Gwen nodded sadly. ‘I’m afraid so, luv. I don’t think we can risk her making the journey here again so you’d best stress that to Mrs Mathews when you ask her for time to go home. I think it will be us going to visit her in future.’
The housekeeper listened to Rose’s request carefully and initially agreed. ‘I’ll have to consult Miss Olivia but I can’t see that it will be a problem, Rose, not under the circumstances.’ Then she’d reconsidered. ‘However, there is the travelling to think about. The bus only goes to Liverpool twice a week which might mean you will have to be absent for up to a week.’
‘I know and I’ve already mentioned it to Nancy, Mrs Mathews. I hope you don’t mind but as the extra work will fall upon her I thought I should at least give her some warning.’
The older woman frowned. ‘Thinking about it, Rose, it could present problems. Nora is a parlourmaid and would consider the work beneath her and it isn’t fair to ask Nancy to undertake double the work for a week, now is it? In fact I don’t think we could manage with just one housemaid.’
‘No, I suppose not.’
‘I’ll speak to Miss Olivia and let you know Rose,’ Mrs Mathews promised and Rose had no option but to agree.
Later that afternoon she encountered David Rhys-Pritchard in the hallway and acknowledged him politely if a little vaguely, which did not go unnoticed for usually she was very cheerful.
‘You seem preoccupied, Rose. Has something upset you? You haven’t received bad news from home, I trust?’
‘I’m sorry. I have had news from home; my mam has had a fall and has broken her arm,’ Rose informed him.
‘I’m so sorry to hear that. It must be worrying for you.’
Rose nodded. ‘My sister thinks her condition is getting worse and … and there was some mention of me having to go home to help look after her, but they’ve sorted it all out so thankfully I won’t have to leave here.’
David was alarmed by this disclosure. ‘They have definitely sorted things out?’
‘Yes. My sister is going to get married in a fortnight – she and Tom intended to at some point – and so they will live with Mam. Tom will help in the shop so Iris can spend more time looking after Mam. I’ve asked Mrs Mathews if I can go home for a few days for the wedding – and to see Mam of course – but …’ She shrugged.
‘But what? Has she refused?’ David asked sharply.
‘Not … exactly, but you see there is a problem with the travelling. There is only a bus twice a week from Denbigh so instead of me just being away for two days, it will be almost a week and it really isn’t fair to expect poor Nancy to do my work as well as her own. I don’t think she could manage. Mrs Mathews is going to see
what Miss Olivia has to say,’ Rose finished. It she was honest she already wasn’t holding out much hope of being able to go.
David smiled at her. ‘It’s very coincidental, Rose, and as it turns out very fortunate, but Livvie was telling me at breakfast that she and Ellie intend to go to Liverpool in the near future to shop for Ellie’s trousseau and some Christmas gifts – the shops in Liverpool apparently being far superior to those in Llandudno or Chester – and Livvie is quite capable of driving there and back. I’ll explain everything and suggest to her that you travel with them.’
‘Oh, do you think she’ll agree? I wouldn’t want to impose or inconvenience her in any way, but I really would like to see Mam and stand for Iris. It’s just a Register Office wedding but she is my only sister.’
‘I can’t see that she will object. They’re staying for two days with Aunt Grace and Cousin Lionel at their house in Rodney Street. You remember Lionel from the engagement party?’
Rose nodded happily. ‘I do but I didn’t know they lived in Liverpool. I’d be very, very grateful, David.’
‘Then write back to your sister and tell her and I’ll arrange it with Livvie,’ he promised, watching her as she hurried away and thinking that it was such a small thing to do and yet it had brought the smile back to her face. It had crossed his mind that had she been refused the time off, her family might become annoyed and try to persuade her to leave Plas Idris. The thought of not seeing her daily made him despondent. Life would be so bleak without her; he was growing very fond of her.
The next weeks were hectic for Iris and Tom as they made all the arrangements, redecorated Kate’s old room and reorganised bedroom furniture. Tom moved his belongings in bit by bit; Iris went shopping for her wedding outfit as well as working in the shop and running the house, for Kate (to her chagrin) was unable to do very much and Iris insisted that she should not even try yet.
Florence had advised her to buy a good quality coat as not only would it look smart but would remain so for years to come. ‘It will last, Iris, and if you choose something on the plain side it won’t date. You have to splash out a little bit on your wedding outfit,’ she’d urged. So Iris had asked her to accompany her on the shopping expedition.
The prices had horrified her in the first shops Florence insisted they visit, but in the more moderately priced Blackler’s she had settled on a well-cut wool coat in what the sales assistant termed ‘Baltic blue’, which was a few shades lighter and brighter than royal blue. The colour suited her and the style, straight with a hemline ending just below the knee and with a wide shawl collar and cuffs edged in black velvet ribbon, made her look slim and elegant, or so Florence insisted. She’d also purchased a black velvet cloche hat which sported a rosette of royal blue ribbon, which wasn’t exactly the same shade of blue as the coat but was near enough. She had black shoes and a black bag, she reminded Florence as they left the store, Iris feeling very satisfied with her purchases and their price.
‘And you must have flowers, Iris. Leave that to me, I’ll order and pay for them,’ Florence insisted.
‘That’s really generous of you, Florence, but don’t go getting the buttonholes for the men and the sprays for Mam and Mrs Morrissey, we’ll buy those,’ Iris informed her.
‘Indeed you won’t! Let me help out a little bit, Iris, please? You’re my best friend and it’s your special day and soon you’ll be my sister-in-law.’
Iris nodded happily, smiling as she linked arms with her friend and they walked towards the tram stop. It would be a little strange but nice to think that soon she would be Mrs Tom Morrissey. Florence was happy too; even though it was going to be a very quiet affair compared to hers she still wanted Iris to have some of the trimmings and she’d ensure that the flowers were the prettiest available in late October. She’d also decided on what she would wear and it would be something very plain: her grey coat with a burgundy-coloured hat, for she the last thing she wanted to do was outshine her friend on her wedding day.
Olivia Rhys-Pritchard dropped Rose off in Liverpool city centre on Tuesday afternoon, promising to pick her up at the same time and place on Thursday, and then headed in the direction of Rodney Street. Rose caught a tram home. Iris and Tom were to be married at four o’clock on Wednesday afternoon as Saturday was Iris’s busiest day. They’d arranged it for late afternoon so that Charlie and Florence, Mr Morrissey and Tom’s sisters would only have to take a few hours off work. As the tram trundled through the streets Rose thought to herself that strangely now she didn’t think of the city as ‘home’. All these roads and buildings were very familiar, of course, but her feelings had changed. She was now used to fields and hills, Gwen’s cottage and the spacious, elegant rooms of Plas Idris. As Olivia had driven – rather more quickly than Rose would have liked – towards the city, she had remembered the last time she’d come home: when Edward Taylor had come to Tregarron to drive her back after her father had died. She hoped that the sad, bereft atmosphere that had pervaded the house and shop had gone. She was looking forward to seeing everyone and in particular her mam again, and of course finding out what Iris had bought to wear for her wedding.
‘It was very good of them to bring you with them, luv,’ Kate greeted her youngest daughter.
‘Yes. I didn’t think at first I’d be able to come because of the bus times but when I mentioned it to David he arranged it all. How is your arm now, Mam? Still painful? Aunty Gwen sends her love and says she’s coming on a Christmas shopping trip from the village that’s been arranged for next month, so she’ll call to see you,’ Rose informed her mother as she took off her coat and hat.
Kate nodded, noticing that Rose had used his Christian name again, but delighted to hear of Gwen’s impending visit. ‘It’s a lot better than it was but things have been a bit hectic since my fall. Both Iris and Tom have managed to organise everything though and Charlie spends quite a few evenings at Florence’s house so he’s not under my feet too much. Iris has a really smart coat and hat, Rose. I’m sure she’ll show it to you later on.’ Kate pulled a face. ‘I’m going to look a bit of a fright, I can’t get a coat or jacket on properly with this damned arm.’
‘No you won’t, Mam, wear your best dress and we’ll drape your good coat over your shoulders. It will look very stylish,’ Rose assured her, smiling.
‘I’ve never achieved being “stylish” in my life yet but at least the plaster will be off and the arm healed for our Charlie’s wedding,’ Kate replied. She’d have to look smart for that occasion for Ethel Taylor most certainly would!
Charlie splashed out on a taxi to take the small wedding party to Brougham Terrace to the Register Office and proudly escorted Iris. She looked very smart in her outfit. The colour and style of the coat suited her and the bouquet Florence had ordered was perfect. The flowers must have been expensive, Rose thought as she fastened the spray of small chrysanthemums to the lapel of Kate’s coat. It lent her mother an air of elegance and made Kate feel more confident in her appearance.
Tom and his family were waiting in the ante-room all dressed in their best clothes, and Tom immediately crossed and kissed Iris on the cheek. ‘You look absolutely gorgeous, Iris!’
‘Florence has excelled with the flowers, hasn’t she, particularly as they’re hard to get? I … I feel a bit nervous though,’ she confided as her mother and future mother-in-law chatted amiably while Rose and Florence talked to Tom’s sisters. Both Tom’s father and Charlie were glancing around and thinking the place wasn’t a very cheerful venue for a wedding. Charlie was remembering that the last time he had been here was to register his da’s death but he shrugged the thought aside.
A few minutes later they were ushered into a larger wood-panelled room with a desk on which a small vase of flowers had been set to one side of the leather-bound register. Half a dozen chairs stood in a semi-circle. Florence thought it looked dreadfully bleak and far more suited to the mundane business of registering births and deaths than a wedding. She wished Iris had waited a few mor
e weeks and had a church wedding; there was something far more spiritual and romantic about a church, even in winter and without music or masses of flowers, but glancing at her friend as she stood beside Tom with Rose and Charlie at their sides, Iris seemed to be marvellously and happily oblivious of the officious austerity.
The butterflies in Iris’s stomach had stopped their nervous fluttering as she handed her bouquet to Rose and smiled happily up at Tom. She promised to love, honour and obey, to have and to hold, for better or worse, in sickness and in health until death ‘do us part’ and when he placed the plain gold band on her finger and bent to kiss his new wife, she saw the same light of love and joy reflected in his eyes.
‘I love you, Tom Morrissey,’ she whispered with a catch in her voice.
‘I love you too, Mrs Morrissey,’ he whispered back, gently taking her arm and preparing to lead the family group back outside.
Both Kate and Florence dabbed at their eyes and Rose thought of David Rhys-Pritchard and of how handsome he had looked at Elinore’s engagement party and of how he had so kindly arranged for her to be present on this, the happiest day of Iris’s life. She’d begun to think of him more often lately and of how kind he was to her. She realised that she missed him. She missed him a great deal.
Chapter Twenty-Five
THE CHRISTMAS TREE LOOKED magnificent. It filled one entire corner of the hall and reached almost to the ceiling and Rose, Nancy and Nora stepped back to admire their handiwork. With the help of Henry they’d spent over an hour decorating it. Ever since she’d returned after Iris’s wedding Rose had been looking forward to spending Christmas at Plas Idris.
‘You’ve done a great job, girls. Lovely it looks, very festive,’ Mrs Mathews praised them.
‘It certainly makes the hall look more welcoming,’ Nancy enthused as she helped Henry to fold away the ladder and Rose collected the boxes that had contained the delicate coloured-glass decorations and tinsel and the little candles and their holders.