‘You look very smart,’ Charity commented.
Seconds later, the back door opened and Maureen appeared. Eddie and Charity gaped at her. She looked so different she was almost unrecognisable. The dress seemed to emphasise the colour of her eyes and her fair hair was loosely curled about her shoulders, making her appear much younger.
‘Why . . . you look grand,’ Eddie told her shyly and she blushed.
‘And so do you,’ she answered as the children ran to cuddle her.
‘Come along then, else you’ll miss the beginning,’ Charity told them.
Eddie smiled as he ushered the children towards the door and finally, Charity was alone. She had told Eddie that she was going to go for a long walk. But really she intended to head to the circus camp and wait for a moment when she could catch Scarlet alone. And then . . . Her heart beat faster. Once Scarlet had told Luca where she was, he would come to her and they could begin their life together.
She waited for half an hour before taking up her shawl and leaving the farmhouse. She remembered where the circus stayed each year and was sure she would have no trouble finding it. It was next to a large wooded area where she could hide until it got dark. All she would have to do was keep an eye out for Scarlet then.
By the time she came to the edge of the woodland the circus had begun. She could hear the crowd inside laughing at the antics of the clown. Her heart was racing as she peeped out from behind the shelter of a tree. She had chosen to wear the drab clothes she wore for cleaning. Her hair was pulled into the nape of her neck and tied with string. If anyone noticed her they would think she was one of the village girls. Eventually, the evening darkened as she kept a close eye out for Scarlet. She was hoping for a glimpse of Luca as well but there had been no sign of him. Finally, the circus came to an end. The crowd began to pour out of the big top and head for the fair.
And that was when she spotted her. Keeping to the shadows, she made her way towards her.
‘Psst . . . Scarlet!’
Scarlet looked around. As she spotted Charity hurrying towards her, she frowned.
‘Scarlet, you may have heard that I’ve run away?’
Scarlet nodded.
‘Good, then I wondered if you would pass on a message to Luca so he can find me. We did tell you that we wanted to be together.’
She withdrew a piece of paper from her pocket and pressed it into Scarlet’s hand. ‘Will you give him this for me? It has the address of where I am on it.’
She noticed that Scarlet didn’t look particularly happy to see her. In fact, she looked very ill at ease.
‘Is everything all right?’ Charity suddenly had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. ‘Is Luca well? Nothing has happened to him, has it?’
‘No, and yes I will pass the letter on,’ Scarlet said quietly as she slid the piece of paper into her pocket.
Charity went to hug her. They had always been friends, but for some reason Scarlet drew back.
‘You’d best be going,’ she advised uneasily, glancing around to make sure no one was watching them. ‘Some of your people could be here tonight. It wouldn’t do if you were to be seen.’
Charity nodded. She couldn’t understand why Scarlet was being so cold towards her. ‘Yes, you’re right. Just tell Luca to come for me as soon as he can, please.’
Scarlet rushed away without another word as Charity turned to make her way back to the farm. She hadn’t managed to see Luca, but still, once he had seen Scarlet he would know where she was. On this happier thought she hurried her steps.
Chapter Thirteen
Charity was in bed when the family arrived home that evening. She could hear their cheerful chatter downstairs. They had obviously enjoyed themselves and she was glad. It had been hard for the children since they had lost their mother.
The next morning, when Charity made her way downstairs, they were beaming at her as she entered the kitchen.
She smiled as she ushered them to the table for their breakfast. ‘So, I take it you had a good evening.’
‘Oh yes!’ Simon’s eyes lit up as he thought back to it. ‘We saw all the animals in the circus. There were beautiful bears and dogs that danced. And there was a juggler and a lady who swung high up on a swing from the ceiling. And there were clowns and lots of other things too.’ His words tripped over each other in his excitement to tell her all about it. ‘Then when the circus was done Daddy and Maureen took us to the fair.’ Little Tilly’s head was nodding in agreement. ‘We had a toffee apple and we went on some rides.’
‘Oh yes, which ones did you go on?’ Charity asked.
‘First, we went on the swing boats. They went really high and Tilly was a bit frightened,’ he told her with a grin. ‘Then we went on this roundabout. It was all different coloured horses that went up and down. Tilly liked that one. We had a go on the coconut shy too. I didn’t win one but Daddy did. He gave it to Maureen. And we saw a funny lady who had a beard and a man who only came up to the belt on Daddy’s trousers.’
Charity smiled as she placed bowls of porridge in front of them. ‘It sounds like it was a wonderful night.’ It was lovely to see them both so happy.
