by Rosie Harris
She wondered how Grace was getting on in her new school, and when she phoned her found that Grace was experiencing many of the same problems. That made her feel better, and from then on it seemed that her renewed confidence was apparent to her class and she had no further trouble from them.
By half-term she really had things under control and was congratulated by the headmaster. She knew her pupils and their various abilities. She knew which ones were bright and eager to learn; which ones wanted to learn but found it hard work; and which ones were either lazy or plain naughty and wanted to disrupt the class.
‘You’ve done wonders and far quicker than I expected,’ Tim Heath told her. ‘I’ve even heard compliments about you from one or two of the parents. They said you seem to bring the best out in their children and manage to make your lessons so interesting that they talk about them at home.’
Rebecca found that Nick had already taken up his position as partner in the butcher’s shop just before she arrived back in Shelston for half-term. She had expected him to drive over to Blissford to collect her, but it was her mother who came instead.
‘They were so busy in the shop that it made sense for me to come and collect you,’ she explained. ‘Having Nick working with us full time has made a terrific difference already. He’s doing all the heavy work and butchering, and your dad is looking so much better already.’
‘Has Nick managed to find somewhere in the village to live?’
‘Not yet, so he is staying with us at Woodside. It means you’ll be able to see a lot more of each other,’ she added archly.
Rebecca didn’t answer. She was too busy wondering if this was such a good idea. She always looked forward so much to seeing Nick and wondered if it would take away some of the excitement if he was there all the time.
They drove direct to Woodside, and while Rebecca unloaded the car Sandra went indoors and made them both a cup of tea.
‘Are you going back to the shop now?’ she asked he mother as they finished their tea and she carried the tray back into the kitchen.
‘No, I’m going to start getting the meal ready for tonight,’ her mother told her as she took down her apron and fastened it round her waist. ‘I usually come back home about this time in order to do that. Got to feed the lodger, you know,’ she added with a smile. ‘Why don’t you go down to the shop and meet your dad and Nick? I’m sure they’d both be pleased to see I managed to get you home safe and sound.’
After dinner that evening, as they sat making plans for the following week Bill insisted that Nick must have some extra time off to go out and about with Rebecca while she was at home.
‘We managed without you before and we can do so again for a few days,’ he insisted when Nick argued that it wouldn’t be fair to take time off when he’d only just started working there.
‘You’re as much the boss as I am now, you know,’ Bill blustered, ‘so why shouldn’t you take time off when you need it?’
In the end Nick gave in, but only on the promise from Bill that he wouldn’t lift any heavy carcasses and that, wherever possible, he would leave large joints that needed cutting for Nick to do the next morning before he and Rebecca went off for the rest of the day.
The arrangement worked well. Rebecca found herself relaxing after the gruelling term she had just experienced and by the end of half-term she felt ready to face her class no matter how rebellious they might be.
Rebecca enjoyed her vacation. She and Nick went for long walks, went to the pictures in one of the nearby towns, and even went dancing on the Saturday night.
She also managed to see Cindy and Poppy and was delighted by how happy and settled they were.
‘Poppy follows Dad everywhere, she’s like his shadow,’ Cindy laughed. ‘They get on like a house on fire. She has no time for me when he’s around.’
‘Or when Danny is here,’ her mother added.
‘Danny? You mean he’s been down to see you, Cindy?’
‘Down to see her, I’ll say he has. I never knew a policeman who had so much time off,’ Mavis Mason chuckled. ‘He might as well move in here.’
As Nick drove her back to Blissford on the Sunday night at the end of her half-term break, Rebecca was happy in the knowledge that the partnership between her father and Nick was working out well. The two men not only seemed to understand each other but also seemed able to work together amicably.
Furthermore, her mother was clearly pleased with the arrangement because it meant she didn’t have to work in the shop so much and this gave her more time for her own interests. She was once again her old glamorous self and not the worried-looking woman she had been when Rebecca was last at home.
‘Are you happy in your new position?’ she asked Nick as he took her in his arms and kissed her before saying goodnight.
‘Completely,’ he assured her. ‘I’ve only one more ambition to achieve and I hope I will manage that pretty soon.’
‘One more ambition?’
He laughed and kissed her again, then placed a finger on her lips to silence any further questions.
Forty-Five
After half-term, Rebecca didn’t go home again until the school broke up for the Christmas holidays. Nick came to see her several weekends and talked enthusiastically about how well the shop was doing and the various improvements he had either made or intended to make.
‘I think you need to take things slowly,’ she warned him. ‘Dad is not good about anyone changing things in the shop. He even used to get cross if Mum rearranged a window display he’d done.’
‘Don’t worry, he’s fine about things. I usually manage to put the ideas to him in such a way that by the time they are carried out he’s convinced they were his idea not mine,’ Nick said with a laugh.
When Rebecca phoned to let them know which day she’d be coming home, she found that they were so busy in the shop neither Nick nor her mother could spare the time to come and collect her.
‘In that case I’ll leave it for a couple of days. I’d like to go and see Grace and her family. I haven’t seen them for ages.’
Grace and her parents were pleased to see her and made her very welcome. Grace was very interested in comparing what she was doing at her school and the routine at Rebecca’s.
‘So are you going home for Christmas?’ Mrs Flowers asked as she brought them some fresh coffee and joined them for a chat.
‘Of course! Nick and Mum are so busy in the shop they couldn’t come to collect me, so I decided to pay you a visit first. I’ll get the train home from here.’
‘Well, in that case why don’t you let Danny take you down to Shelston? He’s going there to collect Cindy and Poppy and bring them back here for Christmas.’
‘Really!’ Rebecca looked surprised.
‘Our Danny is on duty over Christmas and can’t get down to Shelston to stay, so they’re coming here. I’m looking forward to having a young child in the house, I can tell you.’
‘I’m sure you are. How do the Masons feel about it?’
‘Oh, they’re being very understanding. Danny and Cindy are getting engaged at Christmas, so it is only right they should be together. We did invite Tom and Mavis up here, but as Tom explained you can’t just take off and leave all those animals unattended. By the way, don’t say anything about them getting engaged, not yet.’
‘No, of course I won’t,’ Rebecca promised. ‘I’m very pleased, though. I know Danny is very fond of Poppy.’
‘Yes, but wait until one of them tells you. I suppose I shouldn’t have said anything but I’m almost as excited as he is.’
The rest of the day passed all too quickly. Mrs Flowers had the meal ready and waiting when Danny came off duty. As they ate, she mentioned that Rebecca was on her way home and wanted a lift.
‘Great! It’s a long drive, but with someone to talk to it will pass twice as quickly.’
When they reached Shelston, Rebecca asked Danny to drop her off in the High Street. As she got out of the car and he handed
her her suitcase, she heard a sharp cackling laugh and swung round to find Lizzie Smith standing there watching them.
‘So you’re pinching Cindy’s boyfriend now are you?’ she commented. ‘Nice sort of friend you are and no mistake.’
Rebecca ignored her. Danny had heard what Lizzie had said and he raised his eyebrows and grinned then drove off in the direction of the Masons’ farm.
When Rebecca walked into the shop, she was surprised to find everything looked different. For a start, she had never seen so many people waiting to be served. Both her parents were so busy dealing with them that they didn’t even notice her come in.
As she looked around her, there were so many changes she hardly recognized the place. As well as a new glass-and-chrome floor-to-ceiling display cabinet for chutneys, relishes, sauces and spices, there was a separate display of produce from the Masons’ farm, including cream, eggs, cheese and butter. There were also new chill-cabinets, a bigger counter and an incredible display of meat, poultry and bacon, all neatly wrapped in cling film and labelled with weight and price.
Many of the people waiting to be served were looking these over and selecting what they wanted to buy, so the turnover of customers was surprisingly speedy.
Rebecca edged her way through the waiting customers to the office. This too had changed considerably. A new computer took pride of place on the desk, which was completely clear of its usual mound of files and ledgers and scraps of papers. There was a new filing cabinet in one corner and the rather uncomfortable high stool that her mother always used had been replaced by a smart leather swivel chair.
As Rebecca sat down in it and twirled around, she wondered why they hadn’t done all this years before. Perhaps she should have taken more interest and made suggestions, she thought a trifle guiltily. Yet if she had done, she doubted whether her father would have taken any notice. He had always been king in his little kingdom and no one – not even her mother, although she worked alongside him – had ever managed to persuade him to make any changes either to his display or to his method of working. Now it seemed everything had changed and, judging from the number of customers and the purchases they were making, had changed for the better.
Rebecca’s parents and Nick were busy in the shop right up until late evening on Christmas Eve.
They declined her help in the shop, but her mother asked her if she could prepare something hot for their supper. She suggested soup.
‘That will be easy to keep hot, as I’ve no idea exactly when we’ll be home. There are still dozens of orders to deliver and a good many turkeys and gammon and beef joints still to be collected.’
As it turned out, it was almost eleven o’clock when they returned to Woodside. All three of them were exhausted. Rebecca was glad she had done as her mother asked and made soup, because they were far too tired to eat anything more substantial.
They followed it up with some mince pies, and coffee laced with whisky as a nightcap. Leaving Rebecca to clear up, Sandra and Bill went straight off to bed.
Nick and Rebecca sat in front of the roaring fire entwined in each other’s arms as he told her about the success the shop had become.
‘I think you can say we’ve taken on the supermarket and won hands down. Your dad says that most of the old customers are back with us, and we have some new ones as well. He is more than pleased.’
‘I bet he is, but why have they come back?’
‘I started putting ready-for-the-oven joints on view, wrapped in cling film so people could pick them up and look at them. That way they can see if they are lean enough or big enough for their needs. I also marked the price on them, so they would know what they cost.’
‘You think that’s made such a big difference?’
‘Oh, it has. People say they like to have an idea of what they’re going to spend. Previously when they asked for a particular cut they often found it was too small or too big for them or not a price they could afford, and they didn’t always like to say so when there were other people waiting to be served.’
‘Mm. I can understand that.’
‘I also sent out leaflets to several hotels in the nearby towns, and that’s brought us in a lot of extra trade. We have to deliver, of course, so that means your mum has had to start helping out again. If it’s a heavy load then I normally take it, but if she wants to do some shopping in the town where the hotel is then she usually says she’ll make the delivery. We all work well together and we make sure your dad doesn’t do anything too strenuous.’
‘He certainly looks better than he has done for a long time,’ Rebecca agreed.
‘Right. Now you know all that is going on in the shop, how about telling me what you’re planning for us to do over Christmas?’
Rebecca looked up at him smiling. ‘Not a lot, the most important thing is just being together.’
He smiled down at her, then their lips met and there was no need for any further discussion.
As the grandfather clock in the hall struck twelve, Rebecca pulled away from Nick. ‘Did you hear that?’ she asked. ‘It’s midnight, it’s Christmas Day.’
‘So it is!’ He fumbled in the pockets of his jacket, which he had placed over a nearby chair, and brought out a small brown-paper package.
‘My first Christmas present,’ Rebecca exclaimed and stretched out her hand to take it.
‘Hold on, not so fast!’ he teased, raising his arm so that she couldn’t reach it. ‘You have to answer a question first.’
There was a moment’s silence as he regarded her solemnly. ‘Rebecca, will you marry me?’
‘Marry you! Oh, Nick, of course I will. That’s if you’re sure.’
‘Oh yes, I’m very sure,’ he told her. He waved the small package. ‘I bought this in the hope you would say yes.’
He tore away the wrapping paper to reveal a small jewellery box, and as he opened it she gave a cry of excitement. ‘Oh, Nick, it’s beautiful!’
He took out the ring that was inside and placed it on her finger. The ruby flanked by a small diamond on either side sparkled in the firelight. He kissed her hand, then gathered her in his arms and murmured her name before kissing her again, very slowly and passionately.
Forty-Six
At Woodside they all slept late on Christmas morning. Sandra, Bill and Nick because they were so exhausted by all the work they’d done during the weeks leading up to Christmas and on Christmas Eve itself.
Rebecca was almost too excited to sleep. She found it hard to believe that she and Nick were engaged, and kept fingering the ring he had slipped on to the third finger of her left hand as if reassuring herself that it was true.
At breakfast, when she showed the ring to her parents they were delighted by the news.
‘I could see it was going to happen, of course,’ Sandra said as she hugged them both.
‘I’m pleased about it, too,’ Bill confirmed as he shook hands with Nick and gave Rebecca a bearlike hug. ‘I couldn’t have chosen a better man to hand my daughter over to,’ he added with a broad grin.
After breakfast they opened their presents. Nick had bought a beautiful cashmere stole for Sandra and a dark-red waistcoat for Bill.
He handed Rebecca a small flat package. She frowned as she took it. ‘I thought I’d had my present,’ she told him, splaying her hand so that her new ring gleamed and sparkled.
‘Well, yes, you have really. That’s why I’ve only bought you a little Christmas present.’
Mystified, she undid the wrapping. Inside, on a small velvet pad, was a key – a Yale key.
Rebecca stared at it bemused. ‘What’s this key for? she asked. ‘It looks like a door key, but I already have a key for Woodside.’
‘Oh, it’s not for Woodside,’ Nick told her. ‘Nothing quite so grand I’m afraid. No, it’s the key for a small cottage in the village of Millham and I hope we will soon be making it our home.’
‘Our home!’
‘Yes, our home,’ he repeated. ‘Now we’re engaged we need t
o make plans for our future, and I thought this would be a good start. It’s small but big enough. It’s detached and has a pretty little garden around it. And it’s empty. We can go and see it whenever you’re ready.’
Rebecca couldn’t wait. She was out of her chair, collecting her coat and hat. ‘Come on then, let’s do it now. We can all go. The turkey is in the oven and it’s too early to put the vegetables on to cook.’
‘No, you two go and look at it and we’ll see it later,’ Sandra demurred. ‘We’re both tired out. We’d sooner take it easy this morning, and we’ve promised the Masons we’ll keep an eye on their farm as they’ve gone to spend the day with Danny and his family.’
‘All that way, just for one day?’ Rebecca said in surprise.
‘Well, they can’t stay longer because of the animals,’ Bill explained. ‘As it is, the cows won’t be milked until they get home and heaven knows what the poor beasts will make of that. Poor old Tom will be up until midnight getting them sorted out.’
‘It was a last-minute arrangement,’ Sandra added. ‘I know they very much wanted to be with Cindy and Poppy for Christmas.’
‘I’ll go up there this morning and feed the hens and check the cattle, and you two can go up this afternoon and make sure the hens are locked up for the night,’ Bill told them.
‘We’ll expect you back here by midday and I’ll have everything ready for our Christmas dinner, so don’t be late,’ Sandra called after them as Rebecca and Nick set off.
Millham was about six miles away, almost halfway between Shelston and the school at Blissford where Rebecca was teaching. It had only two shops, a pub, a church, and a village school. The main street consisted of ten houses along one side and twelve along the other, with a small garage and filling station in the middle of them. There were four or five outlying farms, and the two larger ones had cottages for their workers.
The cottage they were going to see was at the far end of the High Street, detached from the other cottages by a garden that went right round it with fairly high hedges. It was Victorian, had a thatched roof, and consisted of one large living room and a medium-size kitchen downstairs and a large bedroom and a smaller one upstairs. There was no bathroom and the only water supply was a cold-water tap in the kitchen. At the side of the cottage was a wooden lean-to with a galvanized roof, which housed an Elsan toilet.