Blood Brothers. Josephine Cox

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      Alice explained about the shoes. ‘Pauline and Mother have been arguing for days over who would choose them. In the end Pauline won. She always does, but there’s not much time left, so that’s why I can’t ask her to stay in the house with me tonight, instead of visiting her friend.’

      Nancy put Alice’s concern to rest straight away. ‘Look here, child! You are about to become my daughter-in-law, and I couldn’t be more thrilled,’ she announced proudly. ‘My home is your home, and of course you’ll stay here, and that’s an end to it.’

      Alice kissed her on the cheek. ‘It’s me that’s thrilled,’ she whispered, ‘’cause I’m about to have another mum…the best in the world!’ Nancy flushed with delight.

      Just then Joe arrived. ‘Something smells good,’ he said rubbing his hands together.

      ‘Get your coat off and wash them mucky hands.’ Nancy could smell the oil from the tractor engine. ‘Your brother’s upstairs, so make sure the pair of you leave the bathroom as you found it!’

      While the brothers were away, Nancy and Alice put the finishing touches to the table.

      Alice thought she had never seen such an amazing spread. She felt proud of herself for having helped. Moreover, she had loved working in the kitchen with Nancy, because she taught her so much more than her mother had ever done.

      The table was laden with a feast. There was a plump joint of best beef waiting to be sliced by Tom, and various dishes of steaming-hot vegetables. There were roast potatoes golden brown and dripping with meat juices; boiled potatoes dressed with butter and herbs; fresh green peas, carrots and light, fluffy cauliflower. The baby Yorkshire puddings were all soft and melting on the inside, while the outsides were brown and crispy.

      A few minutes later everyone was round the table. Joe was about to start, when his mother caught his attention. ‘Not yet, son,’ she chided. ‘Have you forgotten your manners?’

      Joe was shocked. ‘I forgot!’ He apologised with a sheepish grin. ‘Looks like I’ve been away too long, eh?’

      Frank leapt at the opportunity to make a sly comment, ‘Shame on you, Joe.’ He gave him a knowing glance. ‘What kind of company have you been keeping? Don’t they say grace where you’ve been!’

      Joe might have made some discreet retaliation, but unwittingly his father did it for him. ‘Enough of that, Frank.’ He gave his eldest son a stern look. ‘I seem to recall a few weeks back, someone else forgot to wait for grace, didn’t you, Frank?’

      Reassuring Joe with an easy smile he admitted, ‘It’s not every family in the land gives thanks for what they’ve got, and that’s all right; but we’re farming stock, and throughout the generations it is something we care to do.’

      He then checked to make sure everyone was ready, before folding his hands on the table.

      It took only a moment for Tom to offer gratitude on all their behalfs. ‘We thank thee Lord for this plentiful food and the roof over our heads, and for bringing Joe home to us. Amen.’

      Afterwards, when they were all tucking in, Nancy asked Alice, ‘So, what else did your father have to say, Alice luv?’

      ‘Just that I was to stay here tonight if that was all right with you, and go home tomorrow. I’m to look in my wardrobe at the things Mother bought. You recall I told you, she went out to buy my shoes and veil? Oh and I’m to look at page fourteen of the leaflet on the table, because she hopes I like the bouquet she’s chosen.’

      ‘What!’ Tom was astounded. ‘I always thought it was the bride’s prerogative to choose her bouquet?’ He stuffed a potato in his mouth and began chewing.

      Nancy brought him up sharply. ‘Tom!’

      ‘What?’

      ‘It’s none of your business who chooses the bouquet, or anything else.’

      ‘I never said it was.’

      ‘Besides, how do you know it wasn’t Alice’s idea for her mother to choose her bouquet?’

      ‘It was not my idea,’ Alice offered, ‘but mother said if she was paying out a fortune on my wedding, she had every right to do some of the choosing.’ She gave a sad little smile. ‘To be honest though, I don’t think that’s why. I think it’s because she never had a white wedding of her own.’

      ‘Why was that?’ Frank was learning more about his future wife and family, with every passing day.

      Alice explained, ‘She told me that she and Father decided not to spend money on fripperies, and that it would be far better to invest the money in their first restaurant.’

      ‘I think they did right,’ Frank declared. ‘After all, look how they’ve used that money. Three restaurants up to now, and all because they started that first one with money that could have been wasted on paying for a big, fancy wedding.’

      While Alice pondered sadly on his remarks, Nancy said she would have much preferred a white wedding, ‘…with all the trimmings, like me and Tom had.’ She was quick to assure them, ‘It was nothing posh mind, but I had the loveliest dress and we paid for the choir to sing in church. We hired the village hall for the best party ever, with a pianist and a flautist and we danced all night long.’

      Sighing wistfully, she reminded Tom, ‘It was the best day ever, wasn’t it, Tom?’

      Tom readily agreed, but added, ‘To my mind, Alice’s parents did right. They made a first-class business decision. That’s why they now own three of the best eating places in the area.

      ‘My own story is not so straightforward. Y’see, my father once owned all the land adjacent to this farm-cottage, only he fell on hard times and had to sell a good part of it. Fortunately, he arranged to rent back some acres and the cottage…’

      ‘That’s enough now, Tom!’ Nancy often had to check him when he was being too forthright.

      Joe had a pertinent question for Frank. ‘So, if it was you, and you had a choice, you’d really go without a white wedding, and invest the money in a business, would you?’

      ‘Too right I would!’ Frank was adamant.

      ‘In that case, I reckon it’s just as well that it’s the bride’s family who are paying for yours and Alice’s wedding.’

      Frank nodded unashamedly. ‘That’s right. If it was coming out of my pocket, there’d be no fancy clothes, no big church do with a hundred people wanting to be fed and feted. Oh no! We’d be in and out of the registry office; a meal back at the house, then a few days looking about for a new and exciting enterprise.’

      Glancing over at Alice, he smiled encouragingly. ‘You agree with me don’t you, eh? You and me, setting out on our first big adventure together?’

      Alice gave him her best smile. ‘Sounds exciting,’ she said brightly, as though she actually agreed. But she did not agree. And as she looked up she caught Joe’s eyes. It was as if he could see right into her soul. She flushed slightly and СКАЧАТЬ