nothing’s stolen. It’ll be all sorts. But mainly from France.’
‘Are you talking about smuggled stuff, then? It’s to avoid paying duty, isn’t it?’
Terry sighed. He hated to think what she’d be like if she was in the police. Criminals wouldn’t stand a chance. ‘Look, it’ll be all right …’
‘I don’t want you to get involved in anything illegal, Terry,’ Linda said. ‘That puts everything we’ve achieved at risk – you, me and June. You always said you wouldn’t do anything dodgy and I know you’ve had offers. But you can’t do anything to damage our family. Promise me you won’t.’
Terry could never say no to his wife, but he knew that this opportunity wouldn’t come along twice and it would be worth what he saw as a very small risk. Last week a man had approached him, making it clear he was part of a larger operation. They’d once been customers of the haulage firm he worked for, and kept an eye out for anyone who might be useful to them and who’d appreciate the chance of a little extra on the side.
‘We’d get compensated for our trouble,’ he said. ‘Really, it makes sense. The docks are just down the road with ferries going to France. We’re in the ideal place to take advantage of that. Just think, we’d be able to move to a bigger house if we’re careful.’
Linda shut her eyes. She was tempted. She wanted another baby more than anything and she was damned if she was going to raise her own children in the overcrowded conditions she’d been brought up in. Terry had found her Achilles heel. She knew it, he knew it. She felt sick at the thought of losing everything but if this was their big break … Terry wasn’t a chancer, she told herself. He’d have thought it all through and weighed up the odds.
‘I don’t want you doing anything dangerous,’ she said, furious that she might break into tears at any moment. ‘Nothing that’ll threaten what we’ve done so far. I want to be proud of you, Terry, not afraid for you.’
Terry reached out and hugged his wife tightly. ‘I’d never put you in danger, you know that. I love you far too much. I just want us to do well. And I know you want another baby.’ He hugged her even tighter. ‘I do too. We could make a start right now if you like. We’ll have our family in a lovely big house, Linda. I promise you it’ll be all right.’
Linda hugged him back then pushed him away. ‘You daft sod. Look what you’ve made me do.’ She wiped her face. ‘June’ll come in and see at any moment.’ Hurriedly she splashed her cheeks with water at the sink. ‘Be careful, Terry. I trust you, of course I do. But make sure you only deal with people you can trust too. Nothing stolen.’
‘No, it’s nothing like that, I told you.’ Terry made for the door once more, juggling the packet from hand to hand. ‘Just think of it as a grey area. That’s all it is. A grey area.’
Alison had set off to find out what the grocer charged for eggs. She was enjoying the sense of freedom and the fact that Fred trusted her to do this. Since she’d started her job at the butchers, things were starting to look a little brighter.
When Alison went into the grocer’s, she purchased a packet of biscuits while surreptitiously taking note of the egg prices. She then hurried back, desperate to make time to pop into the ironmonger’s.
There was no sign of the old man at the counter but Paul was there in an instant, his overall sleeves rolled up to his elbows. She couldn’t help noticing the dark hairs on his arms and hoped she wasn’t staring. ‘Hello again,’ he said. ‘I was just doing a spot of lifting round the back. The boss isn’t up to it but it’s no trouble for me.’
‘No, I suppose not,’ said Alison. She could imagine he was strong, and stopped her train of thought before it could go any further.
‘But you haven’t come in here to hear about that, have you?’ He gave her his cheeky grin. ‘What can I do for you?’ He raised his eyebrows and she had to giggle.
‘I just want a nice big nail to hang my coat on.’
‘You don’t want a nail. You want a hook. Come this way and I’ll see what I can find,’ Paul said, leading her into the gloomy interior of the shop. He stopped at a row of dusty drawers and, opening one, he pulled out a brass hook. ‘Here’s a nice one. Perfect to hang a coat on.’
Before she knew how it had happened, Alison found herself pressed against the shelves behind her. Paul was so close that she could smell his skin and hear his breathing as he asked, ‘Would you like to buy it?’
‘I … think … so …’ She couldn’t meet his eyes, afraid he’d see her turmoil.
There was a clatter from the front of the shop. ‘Mr Lanning! Where are you, please?’
Paul gave a short laugh. ‘He always does this. Just when things were getting interesting. Come on.’ More loudly he called, ‘I’m with a customer. We’re just going to the till.’
She had no choice but to follow him as he quickly moved towards the counter, twisting to avoid the various boxes of seemingly random items stacked in odd places along the shop floor. She couldn’t think straight. What had just happened? Was it all in her head?
Blindly she handed over the money and again felt that deliberate touch of his fingers against the skin of her palm as he gave her the change. ‘I’ll see you out, miss,’ he said. The old man nodded in approval and began to make his stooped way away from the counter once more.
Paul grandly opened the door for her. ‘Do you bring sandwiches in for lunch?’ he asked casually.
‘No,’ she said, ‘I usually eat with Fr … Mr Chapman. We’ve got chicken casserole today.’
‘Pity,’ he said.
But when she turned to ask him what he meant, he’d already shut the door.
For the second time that day she stood under the awning not understanding what was going on. She was annoyed that she was at a disadvantage, having had so little experience with men. Then she gave herself a shake. Whatever was going on, she decided she’d enjoy it for all it was worth.
Jill Parrot sat at her kitchen table, several sheets of paper in front of her. There was nothing she liked better than a project to organise. They had about six and a half months to plan the wedding and she couldn’t wait to get started. With Cora, Hazel and Neville working full time and beyond, she was the best person to step in.
She made several headings: Guests, Venue, Catering. Then she divided the remaining space into six columns, one for each month. How long would it take to decide on a venue and how much notice did they need? She wrote a target date in pencil. When it had been confirmed she would write over it in pen. Maybe she should colour-code it according to who was going to do what. Should she assume that it would be at the local church and then they could use the hall? She’d better check. Neither she nor her husband Lennie had any special ties to the parish, and her children would only go to church if it was Christmas, Easter or a special event. Cora was born and bred here, though, and might have strong views.
Jill didn’t mind as long as the young couple had a good day and a proper celebration to start their life together. She smiled as she remembered her own wedding day – how happy she’d been. Neville had come along a year later and Kathy not long after that. Neville was a hard worker, she’d give him that, and such a good-looking
