the girls grew up and moved on, and Doreen at least will be glad of the company. She’s that excited about a baby in the house, and I’ll be glad to get Mike out the brass industry, I’ll tell you.’
‘But it’s so far away,’ Tressa complained to Lizzie.
‘You’ll soon settle down,’ Lizzie said. ‘How far was this place from Ballintra and we settled here fine.’
‘Aye, but we had each other.’
‘And now you have Mike and an uncle and aunt who’ll welcome you, and soon a wee baby too, all of your very own. You won’t be lonely then, and you’ll be too busy to blow your nose, never mind miss anyone.’
And so she could reassure her cousin, but she knew that when Tressa left there would be a gaping hole in her own life. When, later that evening, Arthur said to her, ‘You’ll miss Tressa,’ she could do nothing but nod her head, because she couldn’t trust herself to speak.
She was glad Pat and Betty had been invited, but not that keen to see Steve, who’d been Mike’s best man. It was the first time she had seen him since that awful business in February, when he’d taken a swing at the policeman, and she knew by the glares he was casting her that he hadn’t forgotten either.
Tressa had said that, according to Mike, Steve had taken up with someone called Stuart Fellows, and Lizzie supposed he was the man keeping Steve company at the bar. She wasn’t terribly impressed with him, but she told herself it was none of her business if Steve Gillespie went about with a man from Mars. Anyway, she’d probably not see Steve again when this day was over, and that would suit her just fine.
‘You should have dropped dead with the look that old woman’s giving you,’ Betty said suddenly, and Lizzie glanced up. ‘Oh, that’s Steve’s mother,’ she said. ‘Flo was never keen on me, and Mike told Tressa she blames me for Steve getting locked up that night in February.’
Betty remembered the night well, and Lizzie went on, ‘Tressa said some of the neighbours gave her a hard time about it, but most of that was her own fault. I mean, she’s been blowing Steve’s trumpet for years. You name it, he had it and in dollops, far more than any other boy born this side of paradise, and that understandably put a lot of women’s backs up. They must have thought when they read in the papers that he’d been charged, for assaulting a policeman no less, and for being drunk and disorderly and causing an affray, they had something to make Flo squirm with for a change, pay her back for her bragging. I can’t say I blame them.’
‘How does Steve feel?’
‘I don’t know and don’t really care.’ Lizzie said emphatically.
‘He seems near welded to the bar with that other fellow.’
‘Aye,’ Lizzie said.
As the girls were discussing Steve, so he was saying to Stuart, ‘I was crazy about her, you know.’
‘I can understand it. She’s a looker,’ Stuart said.
Steve shook his head. ‘I don’t know. I mean, when I remember the prison cell and all. God, she did nothing, she just stood at the attic window of that hotel and watched them dragging me away. She didn’t come down and say it was partly her damned fault. Part of me can’t ever forget that.’
‘Put her out of your head, mate,’ Stuart advised. ‘She’s bad news.’
‘That’s it. I can’t,’ Steve said. ‘Despite it all, I still love her like mad. I don’t know why either.’ He didn’t go on to say that when Lizzie had told him it was over he’d wanted to die. You didn’t share that, even with a mate. He’d think you’d gone soft in the head.
Steve looked across the room. Lizzie was still wearing her bridesmaid’s dress of peach-coloured satin with the long lacy sleeves, and she looked breathtaking. The headdress was gone and her hair was drawn up into an elegant chignon, showing her slender neck, and he felt the blood pound in his brain.
He knew he had to at least talk to her. If he lost this opportunity he’d probably never get another and he’d always regret it.
‘Oh God, Steve’s coming over,’ Lizzie said to Betty.
‘So what? You’ll have to meet him sometime.’
‘Why? Anyway, he’s been drinking.’
‘Course he bloody has. It’s a wedding, ain’t it?’
‘Yes, but…’ There was no time to say more for Steve was suddenly beside her.
‘Hallo, Lizzie.’
‘Hallo, Steve.’
Across the room, Flo dug Rodney in the ribs. ‘Go across and tell our Steve to get away from that Lizzie!’ she demanded.
Rodney was too drunk to care who Steve was talking to. ‘For God’s sake, woman, he’s a grown man.’
‘Are you going or not?’
‘Not. Go yourself if you’re so concerned. Rescue your wee, innocent son why don’t you?’
‘Useless, you are! Bloody useless!’ Flo cried, and she marched across the room.
Lizzie saw her coming. ‘Your mother’s on her way,’ she just had time to say to Steve before Flo was in front of her demanding,
‘What d’you want of my son now, you brazen hussy?’
That was rich, Lizzie thought, seeing that it had been Steve who’d come over to her, but she didn’t bother saying this. This was Mike and Tressa’s day and she wanted no scene, so she smiled at Flo. ‘Just exchanging pleasantries,’ she said and Steve urged, ‘Go on back to Dad, Mom. This doesn’t concern you.’
‘Oh, so it doesn’t concern me that this dirty little trollop caused you to be taken in by the coppers?’
Scene or no scene, Lizzie wasn’t standing for that. ‘I did no such thing, and I won’t be called names I don’t deserve.’
‘You do deserve them and more, you brazen, troublemaking bitch.’
‘Mom, that will do.’
‘I’ll decide what will do,’ Flo snapped. ‘That one will have you for a fool and throw you to one side when she’s done with you.’
‘Mom, shut up!’ Steve said, his voice rising in agitation.
‘That’s a fine way to speak to me.’
‘Oh for Christ’s sake,’ Steve said, exasperated, and he took his mother by the elbow and steered her across the floor to where his father was. Lizzie took the opportunity to slip outside and hoped the night air would cool her cheeks, which were flaming with embarrassment and anger. She leant against the wall. It was still as light as day outside, but some of the heat had gone and she was glad of the little breeze.
‘Thought I’d find you here.’
‘Steve!’
‘Lizzie, are you scared of me?’ Steve asked, worried about the wary look that had come over Lizzie’s face and her widened eyes.
Lizzie looked him full in the face. ‘What do you think?’ she asked. ‘If the boot was on the other foot, wouldn’t you be scared? Look at the size of me to the size of you, and that night…well, I’m not sure what you would have done if I hadn’t got away. And quite apart from that, you could have lost me my job.’
‘I know, and I understand how you feel,’ Steve said sincerely. ‘I’ve regretted that night often and wish I could turn the clock back, for it was never my intention to hurt you. All I can say in my defence, and it is no excuse, is that I was angry and drunk, for I’d seldom drunk as much in such a short space of time. My head was reeling, and then, when you told me it was over…Christ, I think I really went clean mad for a bit. I’m real sorry about it, Lizzie.’
Lizzie saw