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  ‘Fifty years married, eh, Sadie,’ said Gem. ‘That’s some milestone.’

  ‘Yeah, I deserve a medal for having the patience of a saint. My husband’s a good man but not the easiest to live with. He’s knocking seventy but still not learned that a hook is for hanging things on and the coal and water buckets don’t fill themselves.’

  ‘You’ll be having a party to celebrate?’ asked Jenny.

  Sadie pulled a face. ‘Not thought about it really, as it ain’t until October. If I arrange something I’ll be sure to let you all know. How’s your wedding plans coming on, Fran? September seems a long way off, but it’s not when yer organising a wedding.’

  Fran smiled as she wound wool into a ball. ‘I’ve finally found a pattern for my costume. It’s a straight skirt with a box jacket and a lace collar and cuffs. I thought satin, but I can’t decide whether to go for lilac or pale blue.’

  ‘Definitely lilac,’ said Betty with conviction.

  ‘For goodness’ sake, lilac is for old fogeys like us. Absolutely pale blue,’ said Sadie.

  Fran could see a row on the subject brewing, so before either woman could say anything else, she spoke up. ‘Thank you very much, ladies. You’ve both helped me make my mind up.’

  Sadie looked smug. ‘Wise choice, Fran lovey, you’ll look so pretty in lilac.’

  Betty looked even smugger. ‘Fran knows fine well that with her colouring it’s pale blue.’

  Fran hid a smile. ‘Well, it’s neither. I’m going for emerald green.’

  Gem shot an approving look at her. ‘I’ll be making a start on the cake soon,’ she said.

  ‘Laced with plenty of rum,’ added Sadie.

  ‘Brandy,’ said Betty.

  ‘Whatever it’s laced with, I can promise you that one slice will have you dancing on the table singing “Roll Out the Barrel”,’ Gem told them.

  They both chuckled. Betty said, ‘Danced on a few tables in our time, ain’t we, Sadie?’

  ‘And fell off a few too. But them days are long gone. My legs only just about hold me up now.’

  Betty nodded in agreement. ‘Might not be able to dance the night away any more, but we can still tap our feet along to the music and watch all the younger ones making fools of themselves. I do love a good party.’

  ‘I was thinking of having one,’ said Ren.

  Jenny looked keenly at her. ‘What’s the occasion?’

  Ren shrugged. ‘No reason. Just that we ain’t had one since the season started and it’s about time we did. What about this coming Saturday night after the fair closes?’

  Jenny laughed. ‘Oh, I like that. A no-reason party.’ She leaned over and whispered in Ren’s ear, ‘Will everyone be invited?’

  ‘Of course. We’re a community.’ Ren looked at her knowingly. ‘Someone particular in mind?’

  Jenny grinned coyly. ‘Might be.’

  The little woman scowled in thought as she mused, ‘Now, who is good-looking enough for my pretty friend to be interested in? Speedy, from the Wall of Death, is a bit of all right. Then there’s Charley Watson, one of the boxers. Is it either of them?’

  ‘What are you two whispering about?’ Gem interrupted.

  They both shot her an innocent look. ‘Nothing,’ they said in unison.

  ‘Be about a bloke then,’ said Sadie.

  ‘Most definitely,’ said Betty.

  Absolutely is, thought Gem. As Ren was happily in a relationship with Donny, the man under discussion must therefore be of interest to her daughter. She would like nothing more than to see Jenny happily settled with the right man, but she forced herself to stay quiet as she had no intention of becoming an interfering, overbearing mother. She trusted her daughter to know what was best for her; when Jenny wanted her to be enlightened, she would freely do so. To allow Ren and Jenny to continue their conversation without interruption, she purposely engaged the rest of the group in other general fairground topics.

  Jenny might not have known her real mother for more than a few months, but she instinctively knew that Gem was restraining herself, and it told her that her mother had respect for her privacy and the patience to let her decide for herself whether to take her into her confidence. She was pleased that Gem was not turning out to be a domineering mother, but the thoughtful kind who trusted her daughter to make her own decisions. She would not hesitate to tell her just what she was discussing with Ren, but only if and when there was something to divulge. At the moment, there wasn’t, though she hoped there would be soon.

  Ren slapped her on the arm in a triumphant manner. ‘Got it,’ she whispered. ‘It’s that new chap that talks like he’s one of them nobs with a plum in his mouth. What’s his name now? Ben … Jim … something like that. Can’t say as I blame you for having a fancy for him. He might not be the best-looking chap but he’s definitely got something about him that makes you take notice. You’d have a fight on your hands for him if I wasn’t so happy already with my Donny.’

  Jenny laughed. ‘Then thank goodness you are. I’ve noticed a couple of the other girls have their eye on him, so I’ve enough competition as it is without you as well. He has got something about him, but what that is I haven’t a clue. As you said, there’s better-looking lads who work here, but it’s not his looks that attract me. It’s just something about him… oh, I don’t know. How can you have this huge need to want to know someone better after only just saying hello to them? But it was the way he stopped and took his cap off when I passed, and gave me a lovely smile, and said back to me, “And good afternoon to you too, miss.” Fancy calling me miss, like I was royalty. Really respectful it was.’

  ‘Well I hate to burst your bubble, but he called me miss too when he asked me for a bag of mint imperials the other day. He looks an ordinary bloke, so I wonder how he came to talk so posh.’

  Jenny grinned. ‘It’s because his father was a head gardener for a lord or something on his estate, and he used to mix with the master’s children and even had lessons with them. I overheard Dad telling Mum about him when he first took him on. I think that’s what first intrigued me – to see for myself this new worker who spoke like the queen – so I went out of my way to have a look at him. I suppose I was fascinated to know how someone who grew up on a fancy estate ended up working as a casual for a travelling fair. I don’t know what I was expecting.’ She laughed. ‘Some handsome lah-di-dah sort dressed like he was about to go on a pheasant shoot in his plus fours and brogues with a gun under his arm. But he just looked like any of the other gaff lads. Maybe not quite so scruffy. So I suppose in a way when I first clapped eyes on him I was disappointed.’

  ‘But that changed when he doffed his cap at you and treated you like you were a lady.’

  Jenny nodded. ‘Yes, it did. I liked it. Made a change.’

  Ren patted Jenny’s arm. ‘Then I’ll make sure he gets an invite to the party.’

  ‘Oh, well, aren’t we forgetting that I might have a liking for him, but I may not be his type.’

  Ren scoffed. ‘And what is there not to like about you?’ She looked searchingly at her friend. ‘I’m surprised that you aren’t already married. Most girls are at your age. Well, ’cept me, of course, but then it was Donny or no one, and we can’t marry until we can find out where Suzie is. Still, we’re as good as married anyway, so a piece of paper ain’t gonna make no difference to us. So, is it that you ain’t met Mr Right yet?’

  Jenny flashed a wan smile. ‘I thought I had a couple of times. Derek was the first one, but he got called up to do his National Service, and while he was away he met someone else and got her pregnant, so that was the end of him. The second one was Eric. I was besotted with him. He had a look of the film star Stewart Granger about him, tall, dark and… hell, was he handsome. He was a draftsman in a large tool-making firm and had great prospects. He was fun to be with and we talked such a lot about anything and everything. I was sure he was on the verge of asking me to marry him and I would have accepted without even thinking about it. But th
en my mum – my adopted mum – got ill, and that’s when I realised how utterly selfish Eric was. He told me that he appreciated that I would need space to look after my mother, but what he meant was that he’d make himself scarce, and then when she was dead, we could pick up where we’d left off. I was absolutely flabbergasted. He really thought he was doing me a favour by letting me get on with it instead of assuring me he would stand by me and help me through such an awful time. Suffice to say, I don’t think he realised I knew such words until I hurled them at him when I sent him packing. Would have definitely made a navvy blush.’

  Ren eyed her, impressed. ‘Good on you. My Donny might not win any beauty contests, but if that had been my mam, he’d have been at her bedside every spare minute, holding her hand, reading her stories, making her laugh, anything to help take her mind off what she was going through, and he’d be doing all he could to look after me too whilst I was caring for her – making me cups of tea, cooking dinner, even doing the washing and cleaning, which most men would absolutely refuse to do, bless him.’

  ‘And that’s the kind of man I want for myself,’ Jenny told her emphatically.

  ‘Well then, we’d better get this party organised so you can find out if this fellow has the qualities my Donny has.’ Ren noticed Julie coming out of her van nearby and heading off in the direction of the main fair. She said to Jenny, ‘I’ve just seen Julie on her way to the Wall of Death, so I’m going to go and tell her about the party and she can help us spread the word. Really it’s an excuse to have a rest from bagging up these sweets for a bit.’

  Fed up herself with unpicking old jumpers and rolling up the wool, Jenny said, ‘I’ll come with you.’

  They looked an odd pair walking alongside each other, Jenny tall for a woman at five foot seven, Ren tiny at four foot three, and they received good-humoured comments from other members of the community they passed, one in particular likening them to Laurel and Hardy.

  Jenny responded laughingly, ‘I hope you’re not implying that I’m fat like Oliver Hardy is.’

  Chuckling, Ren shouted back, ‘Or that I’m as dopey as Stan Laurel.’

  By the time they arrived at the Wall of Death, Julie had disappeared inside. They found her dressed in protective leathers astride a practice bike, about to rev up the engine. She smiled, delighted to see them both, waving a hand to beckon them in. ‘This is a nice surprise. Come to watch me practise?’

  They told her that they hadn’t, but that they were inviting her and Dicky to a no-reason party next Saturday evening.

  Julie didn’t need to confer with Dicky first, as he never turned down an invitation to have a drink and fraternise with other pretty girls in the Grundy community. Woe betide her, though, if she had too much to drink or chatted up any of the other men. To avoid the humiliation of his behaviour, she could conveniently forget to mention the party, but he was bound to find out about it via the community grapevine, and she then risked suffering from his wrath that she had kept it from him. Acting like she was really excited about it, she accepted the invitation and confirmed that they would bring contributions of food and beer.

  Ren gestured to Jenny that they ought to leave Julie to get on with her practice session, but Jenny wanted to ask Julie a question that had intrigued her since she had first been introduced to the other woman and found out what she did for a living.

  ‘Do you ever get scared doing your stunts, Julie? They are very dangerous, aren’t they?’

  Julie replied without hesitation, ‘Terrified.’

  Ren looked at her, confused. ‘So why do you do it then?’

  ‘Because it’s also so exhilarating. It’s impossible to describe the feeling I have when I’ve finished a show and hear the crowd clapping and cheering me and know that for those few minutes I’ve brought them excitement.’ She eyed the two girls in turn before asking, ‘Have either of you ever ridden on a motorbike?’

  Ren looked utterly horrified at the thought. ‘Not on your nelly. I doubt my feet would reach the footrests anyway, but I know I’d take a bend and lean the wrong way and end up in a heap in a ditch.’

  The other two laughed loudly at the vision Ren had conjured up in both their minds.

  ‘I’ve always fancied a go but I never knew anyone that had a motorcycle to take me out on,’ Jenny said.

  Julie smiled at her. ‘Well, now you do.’ She dismounted and stood beside the bike.

  Jenny looked at her aghast. ‘What, you mean I should have a go now?’

  ‘No time like the present. Just sit on it and get a feel for it, start the engine if you like. You’re not really dressed for it, but if you fancy a proper go, when we’re both free, I’ll lend you some of my leathers and we’ll go out and find a piece of straight road, like Dicky did the first time I rode a bike.’

  It was too good an offer for Jenny to turn down. She dropped her handbag on the floor and with an excited gleam in her eyes stepped over to the bike, hitched up her skirt and sat astride it. At Julie’s urging, she turned the ignition key, then gingerly revved the throttle. As the engine roared into life, she expected to feel fear, but instead it was a thrill of anticipation that rushed through her. She wished that a straight piece of road stretched ahead and she could kick back the stabilisers and see if she was capable of steering a straight line without falling off. She eased back the throttle until the engine died and switched off the engine, then looked at Julie longingly. ‘Oh, I’d love to have a proper go if you can find the time.’

  ‘What’s going on?’

  All three women turned towards the door to see Dicky looking stonily over at them. Jenny and Ren didn’t notice the momentary flash of fear that blazed from Julie’s eyes. Very quickly, though, she planted a smile on her face and called to him, ‘This is the first time Jenny has ever sat on a bike and she’d like a proper go on one. We can arrange that for her, can’t we, Dicky?’

  He sauntered over to join them, giving Ren and Jenny a charming smile. ‘Yeah, yeah, of course. Soon as we get time, we’ll sort something out.’ He fixed his eyes firmly on his wife. ‘Have you practised that new stunt yet? I want to include it in tomorrow night’s performance, so you will be ready, won’t you, darling?’

  His request might have sounded polite to Jenny and Ren, but Julie knew it was loaded with menace. Should she not be ready for tomorrow night, her husband would make his displeasure very apparent in his own particular way. The new stunt was a particularly dangerous one. While the bike was racing around the wall at speed, Julie would pull her legs up behind her until she was lying flat across the top of it, whilst still guiding it with her hands. Then after a couple of circuits she would manoeuvre her body back into a sitting position. One lapse of concentration could result in serious injury or worse, and she would have liked more time to practise it before going public, but she knew Dicky had made up his mind that it would be included in tomorrow night’s show.

  ‘Yes, of course I will. Straight onto it now,’ she assured him, although her stomach was churning at the thought.

  Ren and Jenny, taking this as their cue to leave, said their goodbyes and hurried out.

  As soon as they had disappeared through the door, Dicky grabbed hold of Julie’s arms, pushed his face close to hers and hissed, ‘What do you think you’re doing allowing any Tom, Dick or Harry to play around on our bikes? What will we use if they damage one, and who’ll pay for it to be fixed.’

  Julie froze in fear, knowing only too well what was in store for her simply because she had wanted to give a friend a bit of fun. She was married to a monster, a man who derived pleasure from causing hurt to others, and none more so than his own wife. And far worse than any of the beatings he gave her or the belittling, insulting comments he continually shot her way was the fact that as matters stood, she had no way of escaping him – until, that was, the day he went too far and killed her.

  Outside the Wall of Death, Ren and Jenny had begun to make their way back to resume their tasks with the rest of the women outside Gem’
s van when Jenny suddenly realised she had left her handbag behind. Leaving Ren where she was, she dashed back to retrieve it. As she opened the door and made to step inside, what she saw made her freeze in stunned shock. Even from this distance she could see the gleam of power in Dicky’s eyes as, gripping Julie’s arm with one hand, he drew back the other, fist tightly clenched. She clearly heard him say, ‘Now you know what happens when you cross me, Jules,’ then he brought his fist forward with force onto the side of his wife’s head.

  Julie, meantime, had her eyes closed, an air of resignation about her, prepared for what she was about to receive. The pain was excruciating, making her see stars, and she let out a low groan of agony as she clutched the side of her head and stumbled backwards. Dicky watched her for a moment, a smug smile playing on his lips, before he hissed, ‘Now get on that bike and don’t get off until you can do the new stunt blindfolded with one arm tied behind your back. Got that, darling?’

  Gazing at him with fearful tear-filled eyes, she silently nodded.

  Concerned that Dicky would sense he was being watched and unsure how he would react, but more worried that Julie would suffer the humiliation of knowing there had been a witness to her husband’s mistreatment of her, Jenny stepped back and let the door close silently after her.

  The scene had deeply upset her. From the moment she had met Julie, she had liked the woman and instinctively knew that the pair of them would become friends. Whenever she had crossed paths with Dicky, he’d always been charming, polite and flatteringly flirtatious and had shown no sign he had a dark side to his nature. She had never had any reason to believe that Dicky and Julie’s marriage was anything but a happy and harmonious one. Given what she had seen today, that obviously wasn’t the case.

  Sheer anger swamped her being. No woman, let alone a lovely one like Julie, should be treated by the man who was supposed to love and cherish her in the manner that she had just witnessed. She felt a huge urge to return and give that bully of a man a piece of her mind, but then what went on behind closed doors between husband and wife was their business alone and not for others to poke their noses into uninvited. She just hoped that sooner rather than later Julie would pluck up the courage to make her escape from Dicky and find herself a man who would treat her in the manner she deserved. Somehow, though, and without revealing the reason behind her offer, she would let Julie know that if ever she needed the support of another woman, Jenny would be there for her.