of one wall, sagging beneath the weight of all the food that had been piled upon them. There were pies and pastries, whole cheeses, crusty new baked bread, cakes, tarts and great stone jugs full of homebrewed ale and cider, plus numerous bottles of home-made wine. The furniture had been pushed back against the walls in readiness for the party, and once the speeches had been made, the wedding cake was cut, and a toast was raised to the happy couple. Mary’s father Jim then produced his flute and began to rattle out a tune as a good old kneesup got well under way. The sound of laughter and merriment was echoing along the little cobbled lane when suddenly the sound of a horse and carriage stopping outside the open doorway caused all eyes in the room to look towards the lane.
Mary’s mouth gaped in amazement as Samuel Forrester and his son Adam alighted from the coach and strode towards her. Bessie herself was all afluster. She had never expected the likes of such a wealthy man to cross her humble doorstep and was momentarily struck dumb.
However, she needn’t have worried, for Samuel Forrester was beaming as he grasped Joe’s hand and shook it warmly.
‘Congratulations, Joe.’ He smiled. ‘I have popped in because Mrs Forrester insisted that you should have your wedding present today.’ Turning, he took a beautifully wrapped parcel from Adam who was standing behind him, and looking at Mary, who was blushing furiously, he placed it in her arms. ‘Here you are, Mrs Turpin,’ he said kindly. ‘And may I say that you look absolutely beautiful?’
Totally lost for words, Mary bobbed her knee. ‘Th … thank you, sir,’ she stuttered.
Amy, who was standing at the side of the open door next to Beatrice, was amazed at how different Samuel Forrester looked when he smiled, and watched with amusement as poor Mary squirmed with embarrassment.
‘I must say, my dear, your dress and bonnet are most unusual,’ Samuel Forrester commented as he eyed her up and down. ‘Charming, in fact.’
‘Amy designed them, sir,’ Mary stated proudly.
He raised his eyebrows. ‘Oh really? And who is this Amy then?’ It was Amy’s turn to blush as Mary pointed her out, saying shyly, ‘That’s Amy Ernshaw over there, sir.’
He turned, but then as his eyes fell on Amy, the smile slid from his face. After staring at her for what seemed an age but was in fact only a matter of seconds, he pulled himself together with an obvious effort, as Seth, the groom’s father, and Adam exchanged a glance.
‘Your designs are quite stunning, my dear.’
Amy smiled with delight.
Suddenly remembering her manners, Bessie bustled over to him. ‘Would yer care fer a drink, sir?’ Now that she had got over the initial shock of seeing him there, she was enjoying the fact that gentry had attended Mary’s little reception and wanted to make sure that all the neighbours saw him.
Dragging his eyes away from Amy’s face, he said hastily, ‘Oh no, my dear Mrs Bradley, thank you, but as I said, I only called in to drop off the present and wish the couple well. I really must be going now. Do please carry on with your celebrations and accept my apologies for disturbing you.’
As he spoke he cast a last smile at Mary and Joe, then strode towards the door. The guests all followed him outside to the carriage, and as Adam climbed in before him, Mr Forrester turned briefly once more to the young couple.
‘I almost forgot,’ he was smiling again. ‘The mistress said to tell you that you are both to take the next three days off work.’
‘Oh, thank you, sir.’ Mary flushed with pleasure. Then the door to the carriage slammed and it rattled away across the cobblestones.
‘Well I’ll be.’ Bessie was almost beside herself and beaming from ear to ear. ‘This is turning out to be a wedding to remember and no mistake. Who would ever have thought that the likes o’ Samuel Forrester himself would ever darken my doorstep, eh?’
Everyone was slowly making their way back into the cottage and waiting excitedly for Mary to reveal what was in the beautifully wrapped parcel.
‘Oh, it seems such a shame to rip it,’ Mary declared, but she did all the same and gasped with delight when she saw its contents. Inside was a whole canteen of nickel-plated cutlery, and everyone admired it enviously. Everyone that is except Molly, who was seeing again and again in her mind the