When a young woman came in leading a child aged about five, she looked away, and continued to stare at the doorway and hardly noticed the couple were approaching them.
‘Luke?’ the woman said.
Luke stood and introduced them. ‘Seranne, this is Marion Harper. Marion, meet Seranne. And this little lady,’ he said, bending to kiss the child’s cheek, ‘is Helen.’
Seranne stared at the woman and tried to imagine her as Luke’s wife. She was plainly dressed and her hair was clean and neatly cut but hanging limply about her shoulders. Her clothes were also clean but simple and well washed.
‘I think Luke would like me to explain why he has been helping me and my daughter,’ Marion said, offering her hand.
‘I don’t think there’s any need,’ Seranne said, embarrassed. How could Luke put her in this difficult position?
‘I presume you know we were to marry, and well, I met someone else just weeks before the wedding and I went away with this other man and left Luke standing at the altar.’
‘You weren’t married? But I thought—’
‘So did everyone else. The families said nothing, certain it would blow over as Luke told them it would. He was determined to find me and was convinced I would regret my mistake and we could marry secretly. I refused him a second time. Luke went away and I went too, with Helen’s father and apart from the families, everyone presumed we had married and were living together in a distant town.’
‘But surely the truth came out?’
‘Strangely enough it didn’t. The wedding was a small affair, only six people present, even though it was in a church. Both families waited for Luke and me to come home, the house we had rented stood waiting for us and, well, time passes and the affair slipped from people’s minds. Then Luke found me again and I was expecting Helen and the man who had promised to marry me was long gone.’
‘So then you married?’
‘No, I could hardly expect a third chance, could I? Luke, being the generous man he is, helped us to get on our feet. He found a caravan at first, then, as money grew easier we moved into a couple of rooms.’
‘You and Luke?’
‘No.’ Marion smiled. ‘It was over between us from the moment I ran out of that church wearing the white dress and veil. We both knew that. Just Helen and me.’
‘You see,’ Luke explained, ‘Marion and I had known each other for a long time and I couldn’t feel free of Marion even though there was no chance of a reconciliation.’
‘He promised to help, until Helen and I were settled.’
‘And are you?’ Seranne asked, helping Helen into her chair.
‘I’ve met someone special, a man who loves Helen as much as he loves me. We’re getting married.’
They began to eat, even though Seranne was so confused she didn’t think she could swallow a thing. But the presence of the bright little five-year-old helped and by the time the meal was over they were all relaxed, though Seranne had a thousand questions demanding to be heard.
It wasn’t until they were driving home that Seranne asked, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘I tried, several times, but you were too quick to make up your mind.’
‘You warned me about jumping to conclusions, I remember that.’
‘Seranne, I’m so proud of you. The way you have accepted Paul and your mother being together, and how you’ve handled Ed, and your inheritance, and now, facing Marion not having all the facts. Where is that quick-tempered girl I first knew?’
‘She’s grown up I suppose.’
They got out of the car near Jessica’s Victorian Tea Rooms, to see how the work was progressing. A small dog leapt out of a gateway and barked at her. She squealed and tripped over the kerb, and Luke grabbed her as she began to shout. ‘Did you see that? The animal is dangerous and shouldn’t be out without a lead. I’m going to complain.’ She was heading towards the gate where the dog was cowering, when she became aware of Luke’s laughter.
‘Not completely grown up, I’m happy to say,’ he said, gathering her once again into his arms.
Copyright
© Grace Thompson 2007
First published in Great Britain 2007
This edition 2012
ISBN 978 0 7090 9987 1 (epub)
ISBN 978 0 7090 9988 8 (mobi)
ISBN 978 0 7090 9989 5 (pdf)
ISBN 978 0 7090 8436 5 (print)
Robert Hale Limited
Clerkenwell House
Clerkenwell Green
London EC1R 0HT
www.halebooks.com
The right of Grace Thompson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
Time to Move On Page 29