Towards a Dark Horizon

by Maureen Reynolds

  ‘We’ve got ourselves a Provie check each but we’re not sure if this shop accepts them.’

  Lizzie snorted. ‘Even if they do, Kit, it’s too pricey for us. Let’s look for something a bit cheaper.’

  But Kit refused to be sidetracked. ‘No I’m going in here and asking if their shop is on the Provident line list.’

  At that moment if I had my hands on Miss Hood’s money I would gladly have given it to them. They were always having to struggle and I knew Kit would want to be especially nicely dressed for her favourite nephew’s wedding. But, as it was, I didn’t have this money and I didn’t know whether I should offer to help them out. I drew Kit aside as her sisters glanced at the window again.

  As I didn’t even want Lily to overhear, I whispered quietly, ‘Let me help you out with the outfits, Kit.’

  She shook her head. ‘Och, no, Ann. Honestly we’re having good fun deciding on something to wear and we’ve got the rest of the afternoon to find something.’

  Still, as we said goodbye to them, I was pleased I had offered.

  At seven thirty, Lily and I arrived at the close in Roseangle to find Maddie was waiting for us. She looked tired but I thought it was all the arrangements for the wedding that was making her face look white and strained.

  She gave us a cheery wave, however, and we climbed the spotlessly clean stairs to the imposing looking wooden door with its shiny brass handle. She was a bit out of breath as she inserted the key in the lock. We stepped into a fair-sized lobby which had four doors – two on the right wall and two on the left – but the outstanding feature was a gigantic stag’s head which seemed to be part of the wall. Lily jumped in alarm and I also got a fright.

  Maddie burst out laughing and we joined in. ‘Meet Hamish,’ she said.

  The stag had a large pair of antlers and his eyes seemed to be alive. ‘Are you going to keep him, Maddie?’ I wasn’t sure if I would had I been in her shoes.

  ‘We haven’t made up our minds yet but I suppose he could always act as a coat hanger.’

  Lily shivered. ‘Well, I don’t like the beastie, Maddie. He keeps looking at you as if he’d like to jump off the wall.’

  Maddie opened the first door on the left and we stepped into a square shaped room which overlooked the back of the building and had a wonderful view of the river. It was a lovely room, full of light, and I loved it.

  ‘This is great, Maddie, and what a lovely view!’

  Lily ran over to gaze out of the window while Maddie opened a door on the far wall. This was a tiny scullery just big enough for the sink and the gas cooker. We then looked at the small bedroom which faced the road and the bathroom which also faced the river.

  She then opened the fourth door in the lobby to reveal a large cupboard then our tour of the house was over.

  ‘We’re hoping to get the carpets laid and the curtains up next week and the furniture will be delivered in a couple of weeks. The last owners decorated it not so long ago and we quite like the paper so we won’t bother about that just yet.’

  We were back in the living room. I gazed around me and said, ‘It’s a lovely flat, Maddie, and I hope you’ll both be very happy in it.’

  ‘It won’t be long now till the wedding and I’m counting the days.’

  The time had certainly flown in and we were now in September.

  ‘You’ll be hoping for good weather for your wedding day, Maddie?’

  She smiled but the tension was still visible. ‘I hope nothing goes wrong before then.’

  ‘Nothing will go wrong, Maddie,’ I said, trying to reassure her.

  ‘It’s just that everyone is saying there’s going to be another war and the more times I hear it the more worried I become.’

  I was worried myself because Connie was also sure that we would soon be at war with Germany. That would mean that Danny and Greg and boys like Sammy would all be called away to fight but I had to cheer her up.

  ‘Don’t worry about it, Maddie. Just you look forward to your wedding and leave your worries behind you – after all, it’s supposed to be the happiest day of your life, isn’t it?’

  She smiled again. ‘I know and I’m just being daft.’

  As we set off down the stairs she said, ‘Mum wants us to go to the church for a wedding rehearsal. It will be on the Friday night prior to the wedding day and she wondered if Lily and you could stay overnight with us. That way the cars could all leave from the one address.’

  When my face lit up, she said, ‘I’m looking forward to having a good chat and you’ll be a big help when I get nervous about my big commitment.’

  I pretended to look shocked. ‘Och, you’ll not be nervous, Maddie – you’ll carry it off with your usual panache.’

  On that note we parted.

  The following weeks flew by in a whirl of wedding arrangements which left me bemused by all the things that had to be seen to. To be honest, I had always thought the only thing that had to be done was to turn up on the appointed hour and hope the bridegroom did the same. But, no – it was all a flurry of plans and a frenzied atmosphere.

  Our shoes arrived late and Mrs Pringle was becoming quite agitated in case the shop hadn’t dyed them the correct shade to match our dresses. In fact, when they finally arrived, they were superb and Lily was over the moon with hers.

  ‘Do you think I’ll be allowed to keep then afterwards, Ann?’ she asked when the parcel arrived.

  I was doubtful. ‘Well, Mrs Pringle has paid for them but maybe if I offer to buy them after the wedding then she’ll let you have them.’

  Then there was the flat. The carpets had been laid and I went with Hattie to give her a hand to hang the curtains. Hattie was in her element as she handled the thick velvet curtains. The living room ones were in shades of wine, deep gold and pale peach and the effect was stunning. I thought of our little flat on the Hilltown and this glorious place made it look drab. I made a mental note to buy some cheery curtains for the coming winter.

  Maddie’s parents had bought the living room furniture as a wedding present to the couple and Hattie had done the same with the bedroom furniture. Maddie and Danny had chosen the pieces but both sets of parents picked up the bill.

  Maddie rushed in as we were on the last curtain and she began to tell me of their good fortune with the wedding gifts. ‘We’re very lucky with Hattie and my parents’ gifts. Not many young couples get off to such a good start so early in their marriage.’

  I agreed with her. I had discovered that the traditional gift from the bridesmaid was china. Hattie had told me this. Either a tea set or a dinner set or, if you were well off, then perhaps both.

  ‘Lily and I will get you some china, Maddie, so, if you want to pick something for yourself, we’ll buy it,’ I told her.

  She tried to protest. ‘Danny and I don’t need any more presents, Ann.’

  I shook my head.

  ‘Thank you, then. Maybe we can go and look at a tea set. We better make it on a Saturday so that Lily can come with us.’

  ‘Good, that’s settled then.’

  Meanwhile Hattie was still in raptures over the new flat and the tiled close. She told Granny later, ‘I always said that Danny would do well for himself. Maddie and her mother have such good taste and the new flat is just a dream come true for me.’

  Granny was unimpressed. ‘Don’t tell me you’re going to move in with the young couple, Hattie? Will you give up your house in the Westport?’

  Hattie looked at her mother as if she was daft. ‘I’m merely describing the flat. I’m not proposing to move in.’

  One thing that almost got overlooked in this frantic frenzy was the fact that Maddie had passed her exams. She was now a fully trained SRN. She seemed quite unconcerned about her achievement and she confessed this to me one day when we were at the flat. ‘When I started to do my training, I thought it was all I wanted to do but, when Danny stopped seeing me, I realised he was the most important thing in my life. I’m just so glad we’re getting married.
Oh, I know I’ll always have my training behind me if I ever need it but Danny is far more important to me than that.’

  I could well understand her wanting to get married but I felt differently about marriage. I couldn’t envisage a time when I wouldn’t want to work except perhaps if children came on the scene. I kept my views to myself. Maddie knew what she wanted and hopefully it was this.

  That day, she also said, ‘Danny has got a letter from Greg and he’ll be delighted to be our best man.’

  ‘That’s good, Maddie. I expect there will be a letter waiting for me as well. He normally writes three or four times a week.’

  I was feeling quite guilty as I said this. I hadn’t written to him for nearly a week now what with all the running around with Lily between the house, the school and the Overgate – not to mention the wedding. I hoped he would understand.

  There was a letter waiting for me. It began with the words, ‘Are you still in the land of the living, Ann?’

  Full of remorse I sat down and wrote a short note, pleading overwork.

  There had been no sight of Dad since the episode with Lily and I was dreading meeting Margot at the wedding. Still, I reckoned there would be lots of guests and hopefully our twain wouldn’t meet.

  Connie was full of the wedding as well. Her entire conversations these days hinged on how lovely it was to have been invited and what she would wear when the big day arrived. As it was, I was grateful for all this frivolous talk because most of the customers were full of gloomy predictions of war.

  Joe came in a few days before the wedding and as usual he was despondent.

  Connie stopped him in mid flow. ‘Och, well, Joe, maybe Mr Chamberlain will get the peace he’s looking for. He’s going to Munich to see that terrible Hitler.’

  Joe snorted with derision. ‘Aye, he’ll maybe get a peace deal but what about the rest of Europe? Do we want to abandon them to that dictator?’

  ‘Well, if it stops our laddies getting killed in another war, then let’s hope Mr Chamberlain will get what he wants. I’m all for looking after number one in this life.’

  Joe muttered something under his breath which sounded like ‘Just like a woman’. Then he left with his five cigarettes.

  I found this kind of talk depressing and I hoped that Mr Chamberlain would get a peace deal with Hitler – even if the German Chancellor was the toerag that Connie always said he was.

  One good thing was the weather. It was not very warm but lovely and sunny – autumnal, in fact. The trees along the Perth Road were a delightful mixture of russet red, gold and brown.

  On the evening before the wedding, Mr Pringle ran us to the church for the rehearsal. Mrs Pringle sat in front with her husband while Maddie, Hattie and I sat in the back. Maddie’s uncle was bringing Joy, Lily and Danny and Greg was coming straight from the station.

  The church was cool and dim, the wooden pews lying like shadowy masses at each side. There was a smell of old wood and candles and, for some reason, we all began to speak in whispers in this hushed atmosphere.

  The minister was standing at the altar and he came forward to shake our hands.

  I heard Lily’s high voice saying, ‘Pleased to meet you.’

  The Pringles closed their mouths tightly and looked as if they would burst out laughing. I made another mental note to speak to my sister before the wedding with a list of dos and don’ts. Then I realised I was forever making these little mental notes to myself. I would try and relax I told myself – another mental note.

  Then Greg arrived. He had been running and was out of breath.

  ‘Sorry I’m late,’ he said, smiling at the group but he didn’t pick me out for a special glance.

  Oh dear, I thought, he must be upset at my not writing.

  The minister put us through our paces and it seemed to take forever. If Lily was walking the right way then Joy wasn’t or vice versa but by nine o’clock we all knew our proper moves – at least I hoped so.

  We stood in a tight bunch outside the church. It was a lovely night – clear and starry with a sharp coldness in the air – and the weather was to be good for the following day we had heard.

  Mr Pringle and his brother were rounding up their passengers. Greg and Danny decided to set off on foot while I went in the car with Maddie and Hattie. I tried to speak to Greg before he went but I didn’t get the chance. As we passed them in the Murraygate, I gave him a wave and although he waved back I felt there was a lack of passion in his hand movement. Danny’s wave had been positively vigorous in comparison. Still, there was nothing I could do until the next day when I would apologise for not writing.

  The house at Perth Road was full of people when we arrived, most of them relatives of the Pringle family. After a quick supper, Joy and Lily were despatched to their beds while the rest of us sat around with a glass of sherry.

  Maddie’s uncle had come into the house with us where he joined his wife. I gave him a covert glance and wondered if he was still secretly meeting Margot.

  ‘Thank you both for the beautiful Chinese rug, Uncle John and Aunt Dorothy,’ said Maddie.

  Uncle John looked as if he had been drinking something a lot stronger than sherry while Dorothy looked as if she might be missing a bridge night. Life might have been kind to her but her looks hadn’t. Her long gaunt face was devoid of any make-up and the grey suit she was wearing didn’t help her appearance one bit. I wondered if her snooty look was perhaps just a bad habit. Did she wear spectacles? I wondered. If she kept them off in public then that would account for the permanent haughty expression.

  After a decent time in her family’s company, Maddie excused herself and we escaped to her bedroom. She was highly flushed from the heat in the lounge and the sherry and she was looking morose.

  ‘I know I should be overjoyed tonight, Ann, but I can’t stop worrying about the talk of war. If it happens, then all the young men will be called up and that means Danny and Greg.’

  This infernal rumour of war, I thought, it intruded into all our conversations and our lives and, if we were all honest enough to admit it, it caused real fear in our hearts. I thought about it all the time but had tried to push it to the back of my mind.

  ‘Och, maybe it’ll fizzle out, Maddie. Connie says that Mr Chamberlain will bring back a peace treaty and we’ll not be at war with Germany.’

  ‘The government are issuing gas masks, Ann. Did you know that?’

  I nodded. There was no getting away from all the news in the shop. The daily headlines were in my full view every day and I was becoming more knowledgeable about the world situation with each lurid story but, as I had said, I had tried to avoid it – like an ostrich with its head in the sand. Still, one thing was clear – I had to cheer Maddie up. After all, it was her wedding day in a few hours and she shouldn’t be worried like this about a war – whether or not it ever materialised.

  I asked her, ‘Are you going away on a honeymoon, Maddie?’

  Her face lit up. ‘We’re not going away because Danny has only the three days off work. Now that he’s one of the chief assistants, he has to be in the shop. He has tomorrow, Sunday and Monday off so we thought we would just stay in the flat. Then, later on, if he gets some time off, we will go away for a holiday.’

  I tried to visualise what life would be like living with a man all the time and I couldn’t. Was I too independent?

  ‘Will you be getting married soon, Ann?’

  I shook my head. ‘We’ve not made any plans yet.’ I showed her the ring Greg had given me.

  She was excited. ‘So it won’t be long till you do get married.’ She turned the ruby and pearl twist in her hand. ‘It’s a beautiful engagement ring, Ann. I wish you would wear it tomorrow.’

  I said I would wear it although not on my engagement ring finger. No, I wouldn’t wear it there – at least not until I saw Greg. A shiver ran up my spine as I recalled how distant Greg had been and the cool glance he had given me.

  I awoke the next morning to a cacophony
of sound and golden autumn sunrays streamed through the window. I lay for a moment, unable to remember where I was then it all came back as my senses slowly wakened. It was Maddie and Danny’s wedding day and it was here at last.

  There was a delicious smell of frying bacon coming from the kitchen and I realised how hungry I was. I dressed quickly and hurried downstairs. Joy and Lily were sitting side by side at the large wooden kitchen table. Joy was picking at a bowl of porridge while Lily was tucking into a plate of bacon, sausages and egg.

  A plump woman stood at the cooker and I remembered that Hattie had said Mrs Pringle had hired her for the weekend to do the cooking and housework to allow Hattie to have the weekend off for her son’s wedding. The woman looked up. ‘Breakfast, Miss?’

  I nodded. ‘Please let me help you with it.’

  I made the toast and tea while she put the food under the grill. As she turned to speak to me a large splodge of porridge hit her on her chest and dribbled down her spotless overall. Although she said nothing, she glared at the culprit – Joy.

  I was at a loss myself. I couldn’t possibly chastise my hosts’ child. Then she did it again. I heard my voice before I gathered my wits about me. ‘Joy, stop that. Now say you’re sorry to the lady.’

  Joy was taken aback with my sharp voice. She gave me a black look but she did say, ‘Sorry, Mrs Patterson.’

  I sat down with my plate and it was a very chastised little girl who faced me but I could see she hadn’t liked my getting on to her.

  After breakfast as they ran out into the garden to play I heard Joy say to Lily, ‘You’ve got a right old dragon of a sister, Lily.’

  Lily stopped dead in her tracks. ‘No, I don’t, Joy Pringle – I’ve got the best sister in the whole world, so there.’

  Mrs Patterson grinned. ‘You’ve got your fan club in that wee lassie.’

  Before I could reply, Maddie and her mother appeared. They didn’t want any breakfast and I felt like a gigantic glutton with my piled-up plate.

  Mrs Pringle was fretting about the flowers. ‘They should be here by eleven o’clock Maddie and I hope they’re not late. The hotel phoned last night and thank goodness they have everything under control. The flowers for the table arrangements were delivered there last night so that gives them loads of time to do that and it’s the same with the flower arrangers at the church.’