‘Mac!’ Roz gently placed the dress and coronet on the chair by her side.
‘I know I’m a chore to live with,’ he said, watching her face change from surprise to something dream-struck and soft. ‘I’ve tried smartening myself up a bit for you, for our anniversary year…’
‘The new clothes,’ she said in sudden realisation. ‘The barber’s?’
‘Aye, I think maybe I’ll be taking better care of these things myself from now on. I shouldn’t have left stuff like that up to you all this time.’
He pulled the metal band from its slot between velvety cushions to show her the ring glinting between his pinched fingers.
‘This was my first time trying silversmithing,’ he said, and he was grateful for the gasp and his wife’s hands thrown to her mouth in astonishment. ‘I booked myself in at Malcolm Dunning’s jewellery workshop down at the meeting o’ the three waters, asked him to show me how to fashion a ring for you. We melted scrap silver ourselves and added a wee drop of silver taken from my wedding band. See?’ A tilt of his fingers revealed the familiar old ring, now a little smaller, back on his finger where it belonged, safe and snug.
‘The three waters is another long drive away,’ she said, letting her arms fall to her sides in relief and embarrassment. ‘Oh, Mac. I’m sorry. I was convinced the signs all pointed to you cheating, or at least wanting to leave me here alone, removing yourself from our marriage.’
‘Not possible,’ he said. ‘That would never be me. But I understand how it must have looked, and felt. I was dead set on wanting to surprise you, for once; you’d been so quiet lately. I’ll understand if you’d rather not wear this ring, but I’d like it an awful lot if you would.’
Still on bended knee, he slipped the band onto the ring finger of her right hand, mirroring the wedding band on her left. ‘Can you stand another twenty-nine years of me?’
She curbed her smile just for a moment. ‘So you’re going to buy your own underwear from now on? Book your own hair appointments? Schedule your dental check-ups? Sew your own buttons? Know when to empty the dryer and when to fill it?’ She looked like she could go on, but was stopping herself. It gave him a guilty twinge. ‘Make anniversary plans?’
‘I will,’ he said, solemnly.
‘But you’ll let me do my own sewing from now on?’ she said, with a glance at the dress.
‘No more Maddie.’ He smiled. ‘That wummin’s sick to the back teeth of me now, that’s for certain.’
She laughed unrestrainedly at this. ‘OK, good.’
‘But would you have taken time to fix these things of yours if I hadn’t taken it upon myself? You do so little for yourself.’
This struck home and she absorbed the lesson. She must try and care for herself better. Her eyes fell to the ring and where he still held her hand.
‘Another twenty-nine years of you, Charlie McIntyre?’ she asked, and he nodded. ‘That wouldn’t be enough for me, Mac. I’m hoping that when this one is done, there’s another lifetime for us, so I can marry you all over again there.’
On his feet, because he had to hold his wife right this minute, he spoke softly to her, brushing his lips over hers. ‘I’ll find you there and I’ll be sure to ask you,’ and he sealed his promise with a kiss.
When they pulled a little way apart just to allow them to smile, he spoke again. ‘But no more surprises. Turns out, I’m not very good at them.’
The words seemed to break the spell they were falling under. Roz widened the gap between them.
‘Ah! About that,’ she said, her cheeks flushing. ‘There’s something I need to tell you. I’ve been keeping a secret as well.’
25
‘Where are they getting all these fireworks from? That’s what I want to know!’ Carenza was complaining as Peaches dragged her through the flaps of the first aid tent, only to screech out loud on discovering Dr Alice in the arms of Cary Anderson (his litter-picking spike spearing the grass at the other side of the tent as though he’d thrown it, Tarzan style, before dipping the doctor over and kissing her like he was doing now).
‘Where are all the St John’s volunteers?’ Carenza demanded as the pair jumped apart.
‘I released them into the wild,’ Alice attempted to joke, but seeing Carenza’s stormy looks, she added, ‘They’re doing the rounds in the rec, making sure everyone’s OK. I have my phone on, just in case,’ she added with an apologetic smile.
Carenza sighed heavily.
‘It’s all right, Mum,’ Peaches interjected before this turned into a lecture. ‘You know, Alice hasn’t seen any of the Beltane party? You should go and see Sachin’s band, they’re really good. I wanted to have a word with Mum anyway, if that’s all right?’
Alice looked between Carenza and Cary and decided to take this generous offer of escape. ‘We won’t stray too far,’ she said. Flashing her phone again, she pulled Cary out into the night with the look of a pair of truants running from school.
‘Is this really necessary?’ Carenza rounded on her daughter as soon as the lovers were gone. ‘In the first aid tent?’
‘I think so.’ Peaches had to hold her nerve if she was really going to do this.
