She could see that he was distracted and pouted prettily. ‘I hope I didn’t disturb anything between you two?’
He shook his head. ‘No, of course you didn’t,’ he lied.
‘Good.’ She stared at him. ‘Because you must know nothing could come of you and Charity wanting to be together. We are circus people, Luca, and Charity is a Gypsy. We marry our own kind.’
He jumped effortlessly to his feet and looked down at her.
‘I don’t know why. We’re not so very different from them. We both live travelling lives.’
She shrugged. ‘Even so, that’s how it is and has been since the dawn of time. It is our tradition. Perhaps you should look for a suitable wife amongst your own kind.’
He shook his head. ‘I think it’s too late for that.’ And without another word he marched away leaving Scarlet with tears in her eyes.
After hurrying through the darkness, Luca saw Charity just about to enter her parents’ vardo. She saw him coming and paused.
‘Wait for me later tonight down by the stream,’ she whispered. ‘I’ll slip out when my parents are asleep. They’ll be drunk by then and probably won’t even notice.’
He nodded and walked away.
Later, down by the stream, it was the early hours of the morning before he heard her soft tread on the grass behind him. Everywhere was quiet save for the sound of the night creatures. The giant bonfire was nothing more than ash and embers now. The party was long over and the camp was deserted.
‘I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.’ He rushed towards her and took her in his arms. He had been on his feet since early the previous morning and he was exhausted. But he would have waited all night for her if need be. This might be their last chance to be together.
‘What are we going to do?’ she asked forlornly.
He sighed. ‘I don’t know but we must think of something. I can’t bear the thought of you being promised to someone else.’ And then their lips touched and the world seemed to stand still. That night on the banks of the stream the two became one.
‘I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,’ Luca fretted when it was over and she lay in his arms. She shook her head. ‘Don’t be sorry, I’m not.’ She had given him that which should have been saved for her husband. She had no regrets. It had felt like the most natural thing in the world.
‘But what shall we do now?’
‘If it means us being together I must run away,’ she told him solemnly.
‘And become my wife?’
She nodded. ‘I think I would like that. I am already yours now.’
Charity stroked his hair. ‘My family and I will leave for Appleby Fair in the morning. You and the circus will join us within the next month. While we are there, I will be going into town to buy provisions. When I’m there I’ll try to find a job and somewhere to stay in the surrounding villages. On a farm perhaps or in a shop. I cannot remain with my parents now. They would disown me if they knew what I’d done. And anyway, we must be together. So, before they can announce who they wish me to marry I must slip away. Somehow, before my people move on, I’ll get word to Scarlet of where I’ll be. Then when the circus leaves Appleby you can come to join me. We’ll have to make a life away from our people if we are to be together.’
Luca nodded in agreement as he drew her to her feet. It would be a wrench for him to leave his people. He loved his life in the circus, but he loved Charity more. They adjusted their clothing and hand in hand made their way back to the camp.
‘I shall count the days until I see you again. And please be careful,’ he whispered.
She nodded as they shared one last kiss. And then she crept back into her parents’ vardo. The decision had been made.
Chapter Six
The next morning, at first light, the Gypsy camp was a hive of activity. The men were preparing the horses for the long journey. The women were packing the vardos and cooking a meal for them to have before they left. It might be late in the day before they ate again.
Luca glimpsed Charity a few times but there was no time to talk. By mid-morning the Gypsies were ready to leave. The horses that would pull the vardos were harnessed and attached. The horses that would be sold at the fair were tethered behind. Luca’s and Charity’s fathers said their goodbyes. And then the long line of vardos left to embark on the journey.
As Charity’s vardo passed Luca they exchanged no more than a glance. Charity’s mother was sitting beside her and they didn’t want to raise suspicion. Luca felt as if his heart was being torn from his chest. It would be only a matter of weeks until he saw the girl he loved again. And yet it felt like a lifetime. Finally, the last vardo was gone and the place felt strangely quiet. Luca found it hard to concentrate on anything, especially as Scarlet seemed to be behind him every time he turned around.
Later that day, Luca had been training the new horses in a field.Scarlet hung over the fence beaming at him.
‘Would you like to go for a walk this evening?’ she called. ‘I mean after the fair is finished.’
Luca frowned and shook his head. ‘No, I think I might have an early night.’
