‘I’m sorry, Reggie, you are right. I shouldn’t have walked out with you. It’s not fair on you. But I’m aiming too high and I can’t have who I want, because he’s already spoken for. Instead I’m feeling sorry for myself and spoiling your day.’ Lucy bowed her head.
‘Never mind. You never know, I might just win you over from this fella, who obviously doesn’t know what he’s got. Whoever he is, he’s a fool. Now, a cream tea is calling to me, and I can’t wait to get my gnashers into one of those cream scones in that window over there. I might not be the right fella for you, but we might as well enjoy one another’s company. And seeing as I’ve got two bob in my pocket, we’ll have a good day on it. Friends is what we will be, and if anything else comes of it, then it will be a bonus.’ Reggie tugged on Lucy’s hand and opened the door into a small, intimate tea-room. ‘Sit back and think of yourself as Lady Muck, and I’ll be Lord Muck, and we’ll enjoy every mouthful and pretend that we eat cream cakes every day of the week.’ Reggie grinned and pulled Lucy into the shop. ‘Your chair, mi’lady.’
Lucy smiled at Reggie as he offered her a seat next to the window. If only she could get Adam out of her thoughts, Reggie would be the perfect partner. She was glad he understood, as she hadn’t wanted to hurt or deceive him. He might still be right: feelings might grow between them, she thought, as he winked at her and ordered a cream tea for two – something he could barely afford, and she knew it. But her head was still set on winning Adam’s heart, regardless of Ivy Thwaite’s intervention.
‘Well, how did it go? Your father said he didn’t look a bad sort, and at least he was polite.’ Dorothy Bancroft looked at her daughter and noticed a flush on her face, as Lucy placed her bonnet on the kitchen table and sat down to unbutton her boots.
‘We had a lovely day together, Mother. He treated me to a cream tea in Hattie Thorpe’s Tea-Rooms and then we strolled around Haworth. It was a very pleasant day.’ Lucy sat back and watched her mother smile.
‘And will you be walking out with him again? He’s brought some colour to your cheeks, if nothing else,’ Dorothy said. She remembered when she had first walked out with Bill; she’d known from the very first moment together that he would be the man she would marry. She hoped it would be the same for her Lucy, after Bill had given Reggie his seal of approval.
‘We might meet again, but just as friends, Mother – before you start insinuating anything more. He’s a nice lad, a bit cocky, but he’s good company. So don’t say any more about it, Mother, because we will be keeping it at friends; nothing more.’ Lucy shook her head as her mother sighed.
‘Well, that’s how all relations start out, and then they develop. It’s a shame he’s not got any money, though. I’d have been happier if he had. I wanted better for you.’ Dorothy looked down at Bert, asleep in her arms.
‘Mother, we are friends. I will not be marrying Reggie: not now, not ever,’ Lucy said firmly as she walked away, leaving her mother with no doubt that a marriage was not in the offing, at least not between Lucy and Reggie.
21
It was Thursday morning and the farmhouse at Black Moss was as clean as a new penny. The stone kitchen floor was scrubbed to within an inch of its life, and polished so well that the pegged mat placed near the fire was prone to slipping when walked upon. On the kitchen table was a bunch of dog-daisies in a vase, while upstairs in the spare bedroom a vase of red roses took pride of place next to the iron bedstead, which was immaculately made up and waiting for their most important guest, who was about to be met at Keighley that lunchtime.
Lucy stood with crossed arms and watched as Adam looked at himself in the mirror. Not a hair was out of place, his sideburns were beautifully shaped, and he smelled of the new soap he’d bought the day before in Keighley.
‘How do I look? Do you think Ivy will recognize me? I haven’t seen her for so long.’ Adam turned around and smiled at Lucy, who looked annoyed and had been moody all week.
‘You look very handsome. I’m sure she will recognize you straight away when she alights from the coach.’ Lucy wasn’t lying; Adam did look handsome. He’d spent time dressing himself that morning, and his white shirt and dark suit with his favourite stud in the collar made him look younger than his years. He looked nothing like the farmer that he was, most days of the week nowadays. Instead he had reverted to the ways of a gentleman, as he had been when he first arrived at Black Moss. She couldn’t help but stare at him as he made for the doorway. He was everything she wanted in a man, but he hadn’t dressed to win her heart. Instead this was all for Ivy Thwaite, and Lucy felt angry and hurt at Adam not realizing how she, standing there, felt about him.
She watched as he walked across the farmyard and climbed into the donkey-cart to go and pick up his beloved Ivy from
