Blood Brothers (13 page)

‘Right, well, I’ll be in the office if you need me.’

With that he strode away and closed his office door behind him; greatly relieved to be shutting out the world.

‘It’s all right for some!’ she called after him. But he was already out of hearing distance, and glad of it.

‘Joe?’

Alice’s voice whispered across the field to where Joe was seated on the bank, deep in thought. Torn two ways about his promise to be Frank’s best man, he was sorely tempted to walk away and keep going. Now, the sight of Alice coming towards him was deeply unsettling.

‘What are you doing here?’ Getting up he stood before her, his eyes momentarily drawn towards the cottage. ‘If anyone sees you out here with me at this Godforsaken time there would be awkward questions to be answered.’

She moved forward, a vision of loveliness, with a childish air of innocence. ‘I couldn’t rest,’ she admitted, ‘I keep thinking of…’ she hesitated before lowering her voice, ‘of that night together, you and me.’

When Joe made to speak, she raised her hand. ‘No, please let me speak. I need to tell you something Joe.’ She quickened her words, afraid that if she didn’t say what was troubling her, then it would burden her for the rest of her days. ‘That night…you and me, it was wonderful, Joe. I will always cherish the memory, but that’s all. It was wrong. I’m promised to your brother, and he doesn’t deserve to be deceived in such a way. I do love you, Joe. I think I always will, but I love Frank too. Soon we’ll be married, and I mean to keep my vows.’

Joe had listened in silence, but now he spoke. ‘I understand.’

‘Do you, Joe?’ There were tears in her eyes as she saw the pain in his face.

‘Yes, I do, and now you need to go. Get ready to make your vows and put all this behind you.’

When she stepped forward he retreated a little. ‘Go, Alice,’ he urged. ‘Quickly, before you’re missed. Soon everyone will be awake and wondering where you are.’

There was a moment when he thought he would take her in his arms and hold her to him, but then she was gone, and he was alone again.

‘I will never stop loving you,’ he murmured, watching her slight frame retreat into the distance. ‘Goodbye my darling Alice.’ His voice disappeared on the breeze, and with bowed head and heavy heart, he made his way back to the cottage.

‘
J
OE! ARE YOU
ready yet?’ Nancy’s voice carried up to the bedroom, where Joe was finishing dressing for the big day.

‘Yes, I’ll be right down!’ Since seeing Alice in the early hours he had not slept a wink. Stepping into his black polished shoes, he tied the laces into a strong bow. Taking his tie from the bed, he slung it round his neck and tried several times to knot it correctly without much success.

After the fourth attempt, he gave up. ‘Damned, stupid thing!’ He glanced at himself in the long mirror. ‘The trouble is, Joe Arnold, this is not your day.’ It was Frank’s day, and Alice’s, and he had to accept that, albeit reluctantly.

He tried knotting the tie one more time, but again without success. ‘You’re not used to wearing ties,’ he told himself. ‘neither are you comfortable with being turned out all smart and dandy.’ He was more like Alice, going with his instinct, and wearing what he felt comfortable with.

Drawing a deep sigh, he lowered his voice to a whisper, ‘One thing’s for sure, Joe Arnold, you won’t be comfortable witnessing the union of the woman you love to a brother you can never respect.’

For a long, heavy moment he fell silent, thinking about Alice. These past few days had been a real trial, with his thoughts constantly returning to that all too brief but magical
time in the barn. With her, he had shared a love he’d only ever dreamed of and now, in the blink of an eye, she was gone forever.

He respected her choice, because there was little alternative. Where the future was concerned, he could not envisage any other way than to put as much distance between himself and Alice as possible, once the marriage was absolute.

At the same time though, he would keep in touch with his parents. Unlike before, they would always know his whereabouts.

He blamed himself for what happened between him and Alice, that night in the barn. He should have followed his instincts and stayed away, at least until the wedding was over. Not for the first time, he wondered how he might feel when the moment in church was imminent.

His greatest fear was that when he handed over the wedding ring he might unwittingly reveal his feelings, in an unprotected glance, or the whisper of a smile.

He smiled now at the thought of her. And what about you, Alice? When you give your vows before the altar, how will you feel? Will you believe them from the bottom of your heart? Or in that moment when you become man and wife, will you regret having done it? Will you be happy?

In spite of everything, he wished her happiness with all his heart.

‘Joe!’ Nancy sounded frantic, ‘What the devil are you doing up there? The car’s here already!’

‘All right, I’m on my way!’ Joe took one last look in the mirror. ‘At least you look the part,’ he told himself. ‘Just remember why you’re here. Your brother asked you to fulfil a duty, and like it or not, that’s exactly what you must do.’

Joe came running down the stairs two at a time. ‘At last!’ Nancy grabbed hold of him. ‘Look at the state of your tie. Come here, let’s get you ready and on your way.’ With a flick of her
wrist and a flourish to finish, she stood back to admire her handiwork. ‘There! You look a real gent. Now get off with yer!’

Looking smart and civilised, Frank was already in the car. ‘What the hell are you playing at, Joe? If we’re not careful we’ll have the bride there before us!’

He had been in a sour mood ever since waking, and now, some hours later, his mood had not mellowed. ‘I’m a bag of nerves as it is,’ he complained all the way to church. ‘I wish we’d gone straight off and got wed in a registry office, but Alice and her mother would not hear of it!’

‘I should think not.’ Joe thought he was a real misery.

Frank was beyond pacifying. ‘Bloody women! The idea of a big white wedding was not my idea. If we’d just gone to a registry office, we could have saved a heap of money and there wouldn’t be all this bloody panic!’

Joe reasoned with him, ‘You shouldn’t deny Alice the right to choose what kind of wedding she wants, and besides, how could
you
save money, when it’s Alice’s parents who are paying for it all?’

‘Well, for your information, the wedding was not Alice’s choice. It was her mother’s…showing off to her friends and clients, that’s what it’s all about. As for the money, Alice is their daughter so she has a natural claim to their wealth.’

He gave a sly little grin. ‘As a matter of fact, the minute Alice is my wife, I’ll have as much a claim to it as she does.’ He groaned. ‘Jeez! I hate all this wedding stuff! All the fuss and palaver, I’ll be glad when it’s over.’

Joe said nothing. For very different reasons, he also wanted the day over and done with.

While Joe and Frank were driven to the church, the Jacobs household was also in panic.

Alice had been shut in her room for almost an hour. ‘What on earth is she doing up there?’ Maureen Jacobs demanded of her daughter, Pauline. ‘We’re all ready and waiting and here she is, locked in her room and refusing to open her door to anyone.’

‘Huh!’ Pauline snorted, ‘I’m not surprised. She’s always the same, you should know that by now.’

Wearing a straight gown of cream silk, with a sparkly tiara on her head and clasping a ribboned posy of red rosebuds, Pauline looked every inch the bridesmaid; as her doting mother constantly reminded her. ‘You look absolutely stunning, my dear!’ she announced on first seeing her dressed. ‘In fact, you look good enough to put the bride to shame.’ The idea of which put a smile on Pauline’s face. That had been her intention: to belittle Alice’s special day.

Behind the smile was a rising envy. Unable to find a man who was prepared to put up with her dictatorial manner, she was now being made to witness her younger sister getting married, and as far as Pauline was concerned, nothing could be more humiliating.

The prospect of playing second fiddle to Alice did not please her; although she consoled herself with the knowledge that Frank Arnold was nothing special. He was just a farmer, with no land of his own and no future. Besides which, according to the local gossip, he was a man of unpredictable temper, ready to fly off the handle at the slightest provocation. If that was true, then he was exactly the man to tame her wayward sister.

‘It’s time to go, everyone!’ Looking distinguished and dapper in his smart grey suit, Ronald Jacobs arrived to usher them out to the relevant cars. ‘Tell the driver of the first car to wait. I’ll go and bring Alice down.’

‘She won’t come down.’ Maureen informed him angrily. ‘She won’t even speak to anyone.’

‘Nonsense! The poor girl is probably overawed. It is her wedding day after all, so she’s allowed to be a little nervous. I expect all she needed was a moment or two on her own.’

‘Go on then!’ Maureen was out of patience. ‘See if you can succeed where we failed!’

‘You get in the car.’ He shooed them out. ‘I’ll go and reason with her. Alice will not respond to bullying, as well you know.’ It was a cleverly disguised accusation, which Maureen begrudgingly took note of.

‘Off you go then!’ He urged them away, before climbing the stairway with a sense of purpose.

‘Alice?’ Ronald tapped gently on the door. ‘Mother and Pauline have already gone to the car. It’s time to leave.’

When Alice called back to say she wasn’t ready, he tapped on the door again, this time though he was less patient and spoke to her in a much sterner voice, ‘You’d better get your skates on, my dear. I’m afraid we have to leave right now. The cars are waiting, and I am not moving from this spot until you open that door!’

‘Give me a minute, Father, please!’

‘I’m sorry, Alice, but this is no time to be dithering. I should imagine Frank and Joe are already at the church, and it’s high time we were on our way. So come on now, Alice. Open this door.’

When she remained silent, he changed tack. ‘It’s not like you to be so inconsiderate, and besides, I’ve waited all morning to see my beautiful Alice in her wedding gown. Please, dear…come on out…for me, eh?’

Inside the bedroom, Alice remained seated at the dressing table. Her head was bowed as she relived her night with Joe. Until this morning, she had managed to convince herself she was doing the right thing, but now the doubts were beginning to creep in.

‘Alice!’ The sound of her father growing angry made her
panic. ‘Alice, I need you to come out of there, this very minute!’ He coaxed her in softer voice, ‘Grandad and Grandma Beck have been sitting in their car for a good ten minutes or so. You know Grandad has had a poorly spell of late, so it really isn’t fair to leave them waiting like that.’ He knocked on the door a little harder. ‘Alice…please!’

Slowly the door inched open, and when she emerged, he was visibly shocked, ‘Oh, my dear…you look amazing.’

Taking Alice’s hands in his, he walked her towards him, his eyes alight with pride. ‘Is this really little Alice Jacobs?’ he asked brokenly, ‘my little girl, all grown up and looking like a princess?’

Seeing her like this had been a real jolt for him. She had always been the tomboy; climbing trees and running wild, with nothing and no one able to tame her, and now he could hardly believe what he was seeing. ‘You’re so lovely my dear.’ His eyes welled with tears. ‘My little Alice…amazing. Absolutely amazing!’

The high-necked ivory gown had been her mother’s choice. Fitted at the waist and billowed to the hem, it was somewhat heavy for Alice’s slight figure, but even so she carried it with a certain unique quality that only she could. The flowing, figured veil that might easily have swamped her, instead exaggerated her fine features and shining dark-blue eyes.

Her long hair, which naturally hung loose and wild, was bound with pink flower-clips and wound into a spray of curls at the top of her head with a wide band of veil threading it all together.

It was not her mother’s choice of dress that brought about the beauty in Alice. Instead, the beauty was in her warm nature and in the quality of spirit that shone from her.

Maureen too, was forced to admit, ‘You really do make a lovely bride, my dear.’ Splendid and regal, she led the way.

‘I’m ready now, Father.’ Calmed by his presence and made confident by his heartfelt remarks, Alice felt able to face the day.

‘I’m proud of you, my dear,’ he whispered as he walked her to the car. ‘Every man in that church will envy me, having you for a daughter.’

At this moment in time, he imagined he could forgive her anything.

He had no way of knowing that the true test of his forgiveness was already in the making.

The imposing old church in the nearby town of Leighton Buzzard was filled to capacity with friends and neighbours. There were strangers too, made curious by the rumour that the daughter of Ronald Jacobs was marrying a farmer’s son.

The ceremony went without a hitch; though when the congregation was asked ‘If anyone here knows of any reason why these two should not be joined together in marriage’ Joe kept his silence and bowed his head.

And so they were married. To the haunting sound of the organ, Frank and Alice walked up to sign the register, as man and wife, every step they took like a knife in Joe’s heart.

Everyone smiled as the couple made their way down the aisle, and outside they were congratulated and showered with confetti, Maureen and Pauline noticeably more restrained than the rest of the congregation.

The sun shone and everyone appeared happy. Outside, the guests began to form little groups while they waited for the cars to arrive and carry them the few miles to the Grand Hotel, and a lavish reception.

During the initial rush, Joe had kept his distance. Now though, in the moment before Frank and Alice got into the
car, he went to shake his brother by the hand. ‘Am I allowed to kiss the bride?’ he asked.

‘So long as it’s just a peck. I can’t have my wife being manhandled by all and sundry,’ Frank joked.

Just then, Frank turned round and went off to speak to the driver.

Joe took the opportunity to kiss Alice gently, his insides nervously churning as he told her in a whisper, ‘You look lovely, Alice.’

With the memory of their liaison strong in her mind, and now the touch of his mouth on her cheek, Alice blushed to her roots. ‘Thank you, Joe…I…I didn’t mean to hurt you,’ she stammered.

‘You’ve done nothing to hurt me, Alice.’ His answer was a warm and forgiving smile. ‘All I want is for you to be happy…’

Started as Frank slapped him on the back. Joe swung round. ‘Everything all right is it?’

‘Of course. Can you think of any reason why it shouldn’t be?’ Frank chuckled.

Joe ignored the question and said, ‘I’ll see you both at the hotel.’

‘Come on then, wife!’ Without further ado, Frank took Alice by the arm. ‘We’d best get to the reception, and receive our guests.’

Alice went with him, and as she climbed into the car, she turned to look at Joe. For a fleeting moment, he thought he saw the look of regret in her eyes. ‘I hope you haven’t made a mistake, Alice, my love,’ he whispered. ‘For all our sakes.’

The reception was lavish. The guests were pampered and the food was presented in a fashion fit for a king.

The toast was taken, then Joe gave a short speech, and everyone gave a resounding ovation.

The evening that followed was unforgettable.

When the band struck up for the first waltz, Frank swung Alice on to the floor, holding her close while he swung her round to the music. Everyone clapped before swarming on to the dance floor, until there was no room to move.

The band played on until the small hours and everyone danced or excitedly chatted about the wonderful day, and the lucky couple. As the night wore on, the dancing got faster, and the guests got merrier.

Glad to leave her kitchen responsibilities behind, little Lucy danced until her bones ached. She felt excited and privileged to be here. Moreover, this was the very first time in her uneventful life that she had enjoyed fine food, cooked by someone else, then prepared and served on fine china and silver-platters, polished so high you could see your face in it.

The height of the evening, was when the fat, red-faced butcher gave her a full-blown kiss on the mouth; then promptly collapsed in a heap at her feet, he was so drunk it took three men to carry him off.