door for a moment, a smile on his face as he watched Joe swing his mother round in a hug. ‘It’s damned good to see you, Joe,’ he nodded his head. ‘When all’s said and done, it’s only right that you should be here to stand beside your brother.’
He began his way down the path, his gaze intent on Joe and Alice as they talked and laughed together.
Seeing them so close and natural had a deep, unsettling effect on him. Instinctively, he glanced towards the fields, looking for his eldest son; relieved to see that Frank was nowhere in sight, because if he had been, he would not have failed to see the magnetism between these two.
As he got nearer to the little group, Tom continued to chatter to himself, his voice a mingling of sadness and anger. ‘I’m no fool, Joe. Don’t think I didn’t see how you were, the first time you saw Alice. I’m sure you didn’t mean it to happen. I know you would never do anything to hurt your brother. That’s why you put a distance between yourself and Alice, but I can see now, you still have feelings for her.’
His voice hardened. ‘Remember, son…Alice and Frank are to be wed on Saturday, and you’ll be there to hand over the ring. In the eyes of the Lord and all that’s legal, they’ll be man and wife, and like it or not, you’ll be expected to give them your blessing.’
There was nothing more he wanted than to have all his family together. But thankfully, that was not about to happen. Besides, with two men, living under the same roof and wanting the same woman? His old heart sank. That would be a recipe for trouble, and no mistake!
‘Tom!’ Alice came running up the path to meet him. ‘Look! Joe’s here!’ Taking him by the hand, they approached Nancy and Joe, Alice all the while chattering excitedly. ‘I knew he wouldn’t let us down.’
Thrilled that at long last he was here to be Frank’s best man at their wedding, Alice reached up to kiss him on the cheek. ‘I forgot to thank you, Joe.’
‘Joe found an injured falcon,’ she informed them. ‘He’s made it safe in his old rabbit hutch.’
Joe was quick to hug his dad. ‘It’s really good to see you and Mum,’ he said fondly. ‘You’re both looking well.’
‘So are you, son, and I’ll want to know all about your travels later on.’ For now, he was interested in Joe’s find. ‘What’s all this about an injured falcon?’
‘Looks like a young one,’ Joe explained. ‘We’ve put a splint on its wing and bedded it down with a dish of water.’ He glanced towards the barn, ‘Given a few days I reckon it’ll be just fine.’
Tom grinned. ‘You haven’t changed, son,’ he said fondly. ‘You always did have a soft spot for anything injured.’
Glancing at his parents, Joe thought they hadn’t aged a day since he last saw them. ‘Look, Dad…Mum, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it earlier…’ he apologised. ‘Only…I had things to do…’
‘We understand, Joe love, and it’s all right. All that matters is that you’re home for the wedding,’ Nancy said warmly.
‘I’m glad to be here,’ Joe answered, though having seen Alice again, he suddenly wasn’t so sure.
Just a short while ago, he had started to feel more confident about being here. Until Alice had kissed him. With the warmth of her lips still burning his face, he realised more than ever how coming back here was a bad mistake.
But it was too late now. For all sorts of reasons.
Not a man for hugging, Tom gave his son a fond pat on the back. ‘Come on in, son. You can tell us what you’ve been up to.’
As the two of them went ahead, Nancy and Alice followed just a few steps behind.
Once inside the farmhouse, there was a real air of excitement. ‘Shall I go and get Frank?’ Alice asked eagerly. ‘He’s setting out the fencing posts in the top field.’
Tom thought that was a good idea. ‘Although, that fence needs finishing, but I expect you’d best run off and fetch him. No doubt he’ll be keen to see his brother. Matter o’ fact, he might want to take him into Bedford.’ He noticed how Joe had only a canvas bag, which was strung over his shoulder and appeared to be half empty. ‘Happen Joe might need to buy a new shirt or two?’
Nancy was having none of it, ‘Frank is not taking him anywhere! At least not yet. Joe’s only just arrived. He must be worn out and hungry. Let him rest while I get us all something to eat.’
Turning to Alice, she informed her, ‘Oh, and by the way, Frank isn’t in the top field. I saw him earlier on. By the manner of his route, I imagine he was away to plough the rough area down by the brook.’
Alice thanked her. ‘I won’t be long,’ she promised. ‘I’ll tell him he’s to come home, and that we’re all taking time out for something to eat…is that all right?’
Nancy smiled. ‘That’s it. Oh, and don’t you forget what I said…no paddling in the brook. You might frighten the ducks.’
At that Alice laughed. ‘They don’t mind me,’ she said.
While Joe was watching the two women, Tom noticed how Joe’s gaze was instinctively drawn to Alice. Just before, when Alice thanked Joe with that innocent little kiss on the cheek, Tom sensed it had unsettled him.
It was nothing glaringly obvious, and it didn’t seem to have attracted anyone’s notice as such. Even Alice herself had not realised the effects of that grateful little kiss.
Tom had felt it though; just like before when Joe was first introduced to Alice. There was a kind of undercurrent; a strong, palpable presence that wrapped the two of them together and excluded everyone else from the room.
It was a dangerous thing, and one that deeply worried him.
It was painfully obvious to Tom that his youngest son still harboured strong feelings for his brother’s woman. If anything, his absence had only fuelled the need in him.
He was grateful that for the moment at least, both Alice and Nancy had failed to sense anything untoward.
The truth was, he didn’t really know how to deal with it, other than sending his son away; right now, with the wedding so near and everyone excitedly looking forward to it, that was no easy option. Besides, he didn’t have the heart to do such a thing.
All he could do was keep a close eye on things, because one thing was certain. Here was a worrying situation, which could easily escalate out of hand.
Emotions were powerful things. They could cripple a man.
And sometimes, however hard that man might try, it was hard to keep control.
CALLING AS SHE ran, Alice went like the wind over the rise and on down to the brook. ‘Frank!’ She could see him in the distance, but he was too far away to hear her.
Quickly she ran towards him, her feet
