Cilla smiled back at her and nodded and squeezed both their hands very tightly.
‘It is more or less finalised; there are only one or two details to be sorted out but I didn’t want to say anything till it was all settled,’ he told her.
Excitedly, the moment they arrived home, Cilla told Ella that they were going to move.
‘Oh yes, and when were you thinking of telling me, then?’ Ella asked looking from Trixie to Jake enquiringly.
‘There’s nothing definite yet,’ Trixie said quickly. ‘Jake’s only just told me that he has found somewhere that looks promising but there are still things to be settled. Cilla heard us talking about it and she seems to think it is going to happen right away; you know how easy it is for her to misunderstand things.’
‘She hasn’t, though, has she, Jake?’ Ella said quietly. ‘A chap called here while you were out and left a rent book for a place in Bostock Court. He said it was in your name, Jake, not in Trixie’s, so what exactly is going on?’
Jake looked uncomfortable. ‘I was going to explain it all to you, Mum, as soon as everything was signed and settled and I’d had time to ask Trixie . . .’
‘Explain? What is there to explain,’ Ella interrupted, ‘except why you’ve rented rooms in your name instead of Trixie’s?’
‘He’s probably only done it because I’ve had no luck in getting a place,’ Trixie told her quickly. ‘I’ve been telling him that landladies don’t seem to like the idea of a young woman and a child moving in; they’re probably afraid the rent won’t get paid or something, I suppose,’ she added with a rueful smile.
‘Really!’ Ella sounded unconvinced. ‘I think there is far more to it than that!’
‘If you want a better explanation as to why the rent book is in my name then it’s because I’m moving as well,’ Jake blustered. ‘I thought it was going to be a bit overcrowded here with Ivy and Hadyn as well as both of us all living together. I’ve talked it over with Hadyn and he agrees with me. He and Ivy want to be here with you, Mum. Hadyn says he’ll pay the rent and all the household bills, and if the three of you are living together then in a way you’ll be better off. Ivy is delighted by the idea.’
‘Did none of you think to ask me if that was what I wanted?’ Ella questioned in a piqued voice.
‘We were going to talk it through with you, though we were pretty sure that you’d see it made sense. As Trixie said, Cilla has rather jumped the gun.’
‘I’m still not clear in my mind what you are planning to do, Jake. Do you mean you and Trixie are going to be living together?’ she asked in what seemed to be a rather shocked voice.
‘Hold on, I don’t understand what’s going on either,’ Trixie questioned, looking from Ella to Jake in bewilderment.
‘Not exactly,’ he said hurriedly. ‘I’m renting this place. It has three rooms and a kitchen. There are two bedrooms, one for Trixie and Cilla and one for me, and we can share the living room and the kitchen.’
‘Sounds a pretty odd set up to me,’ Ella told him. ‘You didn’t say what it was you were going to ask Trixie,’ she added.
Jake looked uncomfortable and Trixie continued to stare at them both in confusion.
‘I would have thought the best thing would have been for Ivy and Hadyn to take those rooms and for you two to be the ones to stay here,’ Ella went on. ‘That way you’d have someone to keep an eye on Cilla while you were both at work. I would expect you to get married, of course, but that shouldn’t be any problem.’
‘Mum!’ Jake sounded shocked as he heard Trixie gasp. ‘You’ve got to have someone in love with you before you ask them to marry you,’ he mumbled going red in the face with embarrassment, ‘and I don’t think Trixie feels that way about me.’
‘How do you know? Have you ever asked her? You’ve been dancing attendance on her long enough, so at least she’d know what she was getting,’ Ella stated looking straight at Trixie. Although her voice was slightly accusing there was a twinkle in her eye and Trixie felt the colour rushing to her cheeks.
‘Yes, yes, yes.’ Cilla had been listening in silence to the exchange between them all, but now she was jumping up and down in glee, clapping her hands and hugging first Jake and then Trixie. ‘We can all live together because we all love each other,’ she told them solemnly. Then she ran across to Ella and hugged her. ‘I love you too,’ she said with a beaming smile, ‘do you love me?’
‘Of course I do and that’s why I want Jake and Trixie to stay here. I don’t want to lose my special little helper, now do I?’
She looked up at Jake, ‘You’d better tell Ivy and Hadyn that you agree that they can move into Bostock Court and then arrange for the rent book to be changed to Hadyn’s name.’
‘I can’t do that, it will upset all their plans,’ Jake protested.
‘It will upset them a great deal more if you don’t agree to make the change,’ Ella told them dryly. ‘They were both here when the chap called and they really liked my idea that they should be the ones to move in there rather than in here.’
‘They’ll change their minds when they’ve had time to think about it,’ Jake told her.
‘Not a bit of it! In fact, if you leave Cilla with me and get yourself along to Bostock Court, you’ll find that they’re around there right now looking the place over. You know our Ivy, she’ll already have all the rooms furnished in her mind by now and you can’t go and spoil everything for them when it is so near to them getting married.’
Jake looking questioningly at Trixie. ‘So what are we going to do?’
‘Well, it has all rather taken my breath away,’ she admitted, ‘but we can hardly change all your mum’s carefully made plans, now can we?’
‘You mean . . .’ Jake couldn’t speak he was smiling so broadly.
‘Ella’s opened my eyes to something I should have known a long time ago. I really do love you, Jake,’ she admitted shyly.
‘And I feel the same way about you. I always have, so it looks as though we’d better do things the way Mum suggests,’ he said as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the lips.
‘Get along with you both, and have a good long heart-to-heart talk and sort things out and tell Hadyn and Ivy they can have the flat,’ Ella told them. ‘And fix the date for your own wedding; it’s high time someone around here saw sense,’ she added with a laugh.
‘Come to think of it,’ she went on when neither of them answered her, ‘you could even make it a double wedding at Easter along with Hadyn and Ivy. Cilla could be bridesmaid, couldn’t you, pet?’ she added, giving Cilla a big hug.
‘I think you want to stop trying to be a matchmaker and rushing things, Mother,’ Jake told her sternly.
‘Rushing things? I don’t know what you’re talking about; I’m sorting things out for you since you don’t seem to be able to do it for yourselves. You two have been as close as peas in a pod for years so, as I’ve already said, it’s high time the pair of you saw some sense.’
As they headed for the door Ella called after them, ‘Why don’t you bring some fish and chips back with you and a bottle of wine or some beers so that we can celebrate all the changes there are going to be?’
Chapter Thirty-Five
Trixie and Jake were married on the same day and at the same time as Ivy and Hadyn in the imposing St Anthony’s Church on the corner of Dryden Street and Scotland Road. Ivy had magnanimously agreed to share her big day now that she and Haydn had the perfect flat to live in.
Her wedding was everything Trixie had dreamed it would be although she had to admit that she felt somewhat overawed by the splendour of St Anthony’s with its intricately painted altar statues and marble lecterns.
She felt an overwhelming feeling of gratitude to Ella for pointing out that Jake was the man who really loved her with all his heart and making her aware that although she didn’t realise it because she took his help for granted, she’d grown to love him deeply over the years.
Cilla was bridesmaid, walking
sedately behind Trixie and Ivy as they made their way down the aisle to the strains of the powerful organ. When they passed their bouquets to her Trixie was afraid for one moment that Cilla was going to drop them but somehow she managed to clutch on to both of them, smiling hugely all the time.
Ella had worked extremely hard, Trixie reflected, not only making wedding dresses for her and Ivy but also a beautiful dress in pale blue satin for Cilla and a smart dress and matching coat for herself.
As they emerged from the church into the spring sunshine the street was packed with well-wishers. In addition to regular members of the congregation who’d known the family for years there was a crowd of Ella’s neighbours who had seen both Ivy and Jake grow up. There was also a bevy of girls and women that she and Ivy had both known at the biscuit factory waiting to shower them with confetti.
At Ella’s suggestion, and because it was the right thing to do, Trixie had invited both Daisy and Sam.
‘You know what I think of Cat’lics and their popish carrying on,’ her father said angrily. ‘I told you not to have anything to do with that lot and if you defy me and go ahead and marry him then you’re no longer a daughter of mine.’
Far from feeling upset because they had no intention of attending Trixie breathed a sigh of relief. That part of her life was over for good; she’d never go back to Virgil Street ever again and she wanted nothing else to do with either of them.
Her one regret was that her mother wasn’t there to see her being married. Maggie had always liked Jake and they had got on so well together when he’d helped to look after Cilla and little Jimmy.
Trixie deplored the fact that she had let herself be so infatuated by Andrew that she had caused Jake so much heartache. She should have known, when he had done so much to help her, that it was more than mere friendship and that it was because he had deep feelings for her.
It had taken her a long time to grow up and realise how much she cared for him. There had been times in the past when she’d wondered how she could ever manage without him, but she had only thought of it in terms of him being such a wonderful friend, not that it was an expression of love for her. The feeling of happiness it had brought she’d attributed to the fact that he not only accepted Cilla but was also genuinely fond of her and always anxious to help her in any way he could.
Now she knew better; it had not just been the feeling of safety and security that had made her feel so relaxed and contented in his company but also the love between them that was growing more forceful every day.
She rarely thought about Andrew nowadays but whenever she did she mentally cringed at how stupid she had been to become so infatuated by him that their relationship had eclipsed her true feelings for Jake.
Andrew had never truly loved her and she’d been lucky that things had fizzled out when they had. Her mother had been so right, when she’d said that Jake was worth twenty of him. She’d been able to see right from the start that Jake’s feelings were deep and genuine and always would be.
It had taken her a long time to find this out and to realise what a sweet and generous man he was. Now she looked forward to their future together, knowing that he would always be devoted and loving; always ready to shoulder her problems and do anything he could to make life easier for her. Most important of all, he accepted Cilla; she was almost as much family to him as Ivy or his mum.
Living with Ella would be an added bonus. They had always got on well and Ella had always had a special spot in her heart for Cilla. She’d done so much to help bring her on, to teach her things and make sure that she was able to understand and cope with the world around her.
Life with Jake would be very special. From the very first time he kissed her she wished she’d listened to her heart so much earlier. He had a wonderfully warm way of cradling her with his arm that made her feel safe and secure.
When they had a family of their own Ella would be there to help and advise her; just like her own mother would have done.
They’d grown so much closer in the last few weeks, ever since she’d been aware of the feelings she had for him and he had for her. It was as if all the shadows and sadness had gone from her life. The awakening of her sense that at last she’d found true love gave her a grand and glorious feeling, and she constantly found herself staring at him in silent joy.
It was as if she and Jake were in some wonderful magical world; every kiss and every embrace entwined them closer together. There were no secrets between them and she never had to struggle to get his attention because she never felt neglected; their laughter or even casual remarks took on a new meaning. He’d become the most important person in her life apart from Cilla.
As, one by one, the guests and well-wishers started to depart Trixie could feel the excitement mounting inside her. Quite soon now, when all the celebrating was over, when Hadyn and Ivy had said goodbye and gone home to their flat and Cilla and Ella were both tucked up in bed, she and Jake would finally be alone.
That was the moment when they could both express their deepest feelings for each other and when, at long last, they would finally know the bliss of complete fulfilment.
Love Changes Everything Page 30