The big man took great enjoyment in examining the pair. For a long time he spoke not one word, but occasionally gave a kind of sigh, and twice he threw his head back as though the beauty of the rings had truly dazzled his eyes.

'Hmm! Average, I suppose,' he concluded lazily. 'Interesting designs, but not to my own personal taste ... much too fancy.'

When he looked up at Lucy, he was red in the face, with drops of sweat crawling over his eyebrows. 'Nice enough, though, but nothing out of the ordinary,' he remarked casually. 'But because you seem to be in dire straits, and I don't like to see a woman in difficulties, I might actually buy them for my wife. Yes! I'll make you an offer, and take them off your hands for a sensible price, which will be agreed on both sides. What d'you say, woman?'

'I say no!' Lucy was emphatic. 'Those rings belonged to my great-grandmother. They were pa.s.sed down to my grandma and then to my own dear mother. Being the oldest girl, I now have the responsibility of being their guardian. So, they are not mine to sell. They are simply in my keeping. I have nothing else of any value, and if I was not so desperate to raise some money, I would walk out of your shop right now!'

'What if I were to offer you an attractive price would you sell?'

'Never! Not even if you offered me ten times their worth. All I'm asking is that you lend me a tidy sum against them, in the sure knowledge that I will recover them as soon as possible.'

'Hmm!' The p.a.w.nbroker pushed the rings aside. 'So, you won't sell them ... not even for a handsome price?'

'No! As I've already explained, they are not mine to sell.' Lucy felt threatened. 'They are meant to continue down through the family from mother to daughter, as they have done for these past generations.'

'Look! I can see you're a tough customer what if I give you twenty pounds for each one, forty pounds in all? A more than generous offer, if I say so myself.'

Lucy's patience was growing thin, and now she was starting to panic. 'I've already told you, I just need to borrow against them. If you are not able, or willing to do that, then I'm in the wrong p.a.w.nbroker's. I'm sorry, it seems I've wasted your time, so I'll take the rings and go elsewhere.' She was now in a desperate hurry, being highly conscious of the taxi outside, which was running up a bill she may not be able to pay. 'Thank you for your time.' Lucy instinctively grabbed the box, and scooping up the rings, she hurried towards the door.

From the kitchen doorway, the small dark-haired woman had heard the exchange between Lucy and her husband, and she shook her head in disbelief. When she hurried into the shop, Lucy had already gone out of the door.

'You d.a.m.ned idiot, Tom. What have you done now?' she angrily confronted the big man.

'I don't know what you mean, woman! All I did was to make her a good offer for two handsome rings, but for some sentimental reason she were having none of it. Well, it's her loss, not ours. If she wants to go elsewhere, that's her choice, and good shuts to her!' He was not best pleased at having lost the game.

'So, because you thought to make a quick killing, you've now managed to turn away what might have been a regular customer. Is that what you're telling me?'

When he remained silent, she screeched at him, 'You stupid gormless b.u.g.g.e.r! When will you ever learn? This is a p.a.w.nbroker's shop ... a place where folks borrow money. If they don't want to sell, they don't need to! Have you got that?'

When he continued to sulk, she asked again, this time in a lower, more menacing tone, 'Tom! Have you got that?'

Mumbling an answer, he slunk off into the back room, desperate to locate the bottle of whisky she kept hidden from him.

Away down the street and heading for the taxi, Lucy was finding it hard to hold back the tears. She was beginning to believe that her plan to get away was already falling apart at the seams.

'Hey, lady!' A shrill voice halted Lucy in her tracks. 'Lady, hang on a minute, please!'

Turning to see a woman running towards her, Lucy was puzzled and somewhat alarmed. 'Now what?' she muttered under her breath. Convinced that she must be in some sort of trouble, Lucy walked back to the little woman. 'I'm sorry, were you calling me?' she asked worriedly.

'Yes ... I just want to say, I'm very angry about my husband. I heard him bullying you ... just now in the p.a.w.nbroker's.' She did not give Lucy a chance to talk, being eager to know if Lucy was still of a mind to p.a.w.n the rings, and if so, she would be a.s.sured that they would loan her the handsome sum of forty pounds against the pair, with a recovery payment of just five per cent, instead of the normal ten.

Lucy was flabbergasted. 'That's what he offered me to sell them,' she recalled, 'but I already told him, I'm not selling them. I don't have the right.'

'No! I'm not talking about you selling. I'm talking about you p.a.w.ning them, with a view to collecting them at a later date.'

'But why would you do that?' Lucy was immensely relieved, though she had reservations about the p.a.w.nbroker himself.

The little woman explained, 'I'm afraid my husband sometimes feels that he can badger customers into selling, even when they don't want to. His bullying treatment of them has caused too many customers to take their business elsewhere, and as my late father started the business, and I am now a partner with my husband, I have made it clear to him that his bad behaviour has to stop!'

Conscious of pa.s.sing onlookers, she lowered her voice. 'I heard your conversation with him just now, and I got the feeling that you might have been through tough times lately; otherwise you would not be p.a.w.ning what I believe are family heirlooms. So I suspect that, apart from anything else, it must have been very difficult for you to walk into a p.a.w.nbroker's shop in the first place. Am I right?'

'Yes, it was difficult,' Lucy had to admit. 'And now I'm not certain what I should do. I had plans, but now I don't know who I can trust any more.'

'You can trust me,' the woman a.s.sured her. 'You can talk to anyone who knows me and they will tell you I am a decent, fair-minded woman, trying to make an honest living, and I would never ask you or anyone else to do anything you did not feel comfortable with.'

The little woman had taken a liking to Lucy. She saw a gentle, kind soul who, for whatever reason, had been brought to her knees. And she genuinely wanted to help. 'If you and I come to an agreement that is fair on both sides, I promise you, hand on heart, that I will personally take the greatest care of your precious belongings. Moreover, you can take your time redeeming them. But when you do come to collect your belongings, as I know you will, then they will be there safe and sound, waiting for you.'

Lucy had a nagging instinct that she might safely put her trust in this woman, but for some reason she was still slightly unsure. 'How will you keep the rings safe?' she had to know.

'Ah, well! You need have no worries about that,' the little woman a.s.sured Lucy. 'Many valuable artefacts are left with us for safekeeping, and we have several ways of making them secure. We also have a bank deposit box, which is in my name; and I have the only key. There is also another back-up system, which I would rather not divulge. But, make no mistake, when you return for your goods, I will have them ready for you, be it a month, a year, or even longer. That is the nature of our business,' she smiled. 'Many years back I was taught the business by my late father, and I learned it well.'

She again sincerely apologised for her husband's behaviour. 'My Tom is a bit of a rascal. Once he gets behind that counter he can be loud and arrogant, with few manners, no graces, and sometimes he gets carried away with his own importance. On the whole, though, I promise you, he really is a good and honest man.' She gave a wide smile. 'After your encounter with him, I'm afraid you'll have to trust me on that.'

Lucy glanced anxiously down the street, noting with some surprise that the taxi driver was now out of his cab and sitting on the back b.u.mper, watching her. 'How long will it take?' Lucy was concerned about the taxi fare, rising by the minute. 'I'm in a real rush.'

'So, are you happy to do the deal then?'

'Yes, please. But I need to deal with you, not your husband.'

Lucy was astonished when the woman asked if they might conclude the deal inside the taxi. She also had seen the driver impatiently waiting and watching.

As they walked together down the street, the woman explained. 'Technically speaking it isn't the most desirable thing to do, but having heard my husband give you impossible alternatives, I thought you might feel more comfortable away from the shop ... and him. So, in the hope that we might agree, I took the bull by the horns, so to speak, and I've brought the money and the contract with me.'

'I see.' Lucy thought it was very enterprising of her. However, she still felt somewhat nervous. 'I'm sorry, I do want to trust you, but how can I be sure that you really are from the p.a.w.nbroker's?'

The little woman smiled. 'If you want to do the deal inside the shop, that will not be a problem for me. Having realised you were in some sort of a hurry, I just thought we might save you some time, that's all. And, besides, it's a two-way thing, don't you know? I might run off with your articles, but you might run off with my forty pounds which, I'm sure I do not need to remind you, is a great deal of money.'

The taxi driver had no objections to them using his taxi as an office. Moreover, he put Lucy's suspicions to rest when he disclosed that the woman from the p.a.w.nbroker's shop was his sister-in-law.

'It's a small world,' he told Lucy with a knowing smile. 'Most of the folks round here, are related one way or another.'

The little woman smiled. 'If I was in this lady's shoes, I'd run a mile,' she teased. 'Meeting Tom was enough of a shock, without her knowing she's being driven about by my brother-in-law.'

Concerned that Lucy might not feel altogether comfortable, he offered to get out of the way, while the business was conducted.

'I can take a short walk, if you like?' He gave Lucy a cheeky wink. 'As long as I'm getting paid for my time, I'm happy.'

'Five minutes should do it,' the little woman told him. 'And behave yourself, Harry Parker. Don't you go adding extra time on this good lady's bill, or you'll have me to answer to!'

'Gawd bless us!' he exclaimed. 'Would I ever do a thing like that?' And whistling merrily, he made himself scarce.

Ten minutes later he was back. 'Well, can we get off now?' He was eager to complete his journey.

'All done!' Within minutes the deal had been completed, with enough time to enjoy a little chat.

'I'll see you when you get back from wherever you're off to,' the woman told Lucy. 'Meantime, this precious little box will be kept safe until you come for it. I promise you, I will personally take care of it as though it was in your own keeping.' She tucked it safely away in her inside pocket.

When the woman had gone, rings and all, Lucy felt more confident, especially when the driver told her, 'I don't want to know what kind of deal you two might have concluded, but what I can tell you is that it's a close community round here, and I know that, hand on heart, when Maggie Fisher makes a promise, neither h.e.l.l nor high water, and certainly not even that gormless husband of hers, would stop her from keeping it.'

After the short time she had spent with the little woman, Lucy did not doubt his words. Indeed, she was already feeling much easier.

However, she was still nervous as to the decision she had made to go away on her own. It was something she had never done before in the whole of her mundane life.

All manner of unwelcome doubts were beginning to fill her mind, so she was glad of the interruption when the driver called back to her, 'Am I right in thinking you want to go somewhere else, before the station?'

Lucy concentrated her mind. 'Yes! The local churchyard, if you please?'

The driver gave a nod. 'The churchyard it is then.' He was made to wonder about this kindly pa.s.senger. From what he could gather, she must be short of money, as she had obviously p.a.w.ned an item or items that meant a great deal to her. And now, poor soul, she was headed for the churchyard.

Being a man who kept himself to himself, he did not speculate. Nor did he ask uncomfortable questions. But as he headed the car in the opposite direction to the railway station, he glanced at Lucy in the driver's mirror. As a rule he had a good instinct about people, yet this particular pa.s.senger intrigued him.

He thought she was not a bad-looking woman. In her forties, maybe; a bit worn and tired, and seeming to lack confidence in herself. Moreover, there was such an air of sadness and loneliness about her that he concluded she might well be putting herself through an ordeal of sorts; possibly to help her escape a deeply unhappy period in her life.

'We'll be there in five minutes,' he promised. 'And then, unless your plans have changed, it's on to the station.'

'That's right,' Lucy confirmed it. 'Thank you.'

In truth, Lucy was so low in spirit, it would not have taken much for her to ask if he would please take her straight home.

As they neared the churchyard, Lucy grew increasingly anxious, and when the car was stopped and the driver came to open the door for her, Lucy remained in her seat for a long, uncomfortable moment.

The taxi driver, though, was incredibly patient. He stood silent, his hand on the door, and his thoughts going back to when he had lost his dear wife some ten years ago. He had never got over that, and somehow he knew instinctively that here, in this pretty churchyard, lay someone who at one time or another had been a special part of this unhappy woman's life.

'Well, you're either getting out or staying in, so which is it to be?' he addressed Lucy in a jovial fashion.

'Oh, I'm sorry.' Lucy was lost in poignant memories. 'I won't take too long.'

'You take as long as you like, my dear,' he advised. 'When you're ready to leave I'll be waiting here.' Because of her troubled manner he began to wonder if later he might be taking her to the railway station, as planned, or to somewhere completely different.

Without a look back, Lucy hesitantly made her way to the corner of the churchyard where lay her darling parents.

When she arrived at the gently shaded spot, she thought, as before, how beautiful it was here. Tucked away in this pretty corner, their grave would be blessed by the rising sun in the morning, and cradled by moonlit skies at night. Comfortingly, this little area was constantly sheltered by the wide, strong arms of a handsome cherry tree.

Unable to hold back the tears, Lucy fell to her knees and after tenderly brushing her hand over the two names etched onto the temporary wooden cross among the still-fresh flowers, she whispered of her love and sorrow, telling them that she would never forget them.

'Oh, but I do miss you both ... so very, very much,' she whispered tearfully. 'There are times when I feel I can't bear it any more, but I don't let the others see me sad, because that would be cruel. I need to be strong for them, because they too are hurting, just as I am.'

She gave a wobbly little smile. 'What are we like, eh? We hide the pain away, and n.o.body knows the truth of it. What makes us do that, especially when it might be easier to admit how much you're hurting? We should help each other ... talk about it and not be weak or ashamed.'

Lucy had something important playing on her mind, and now was the time to confess it. 'I don't know if you can see what's happening down here, Mum and Dad, but it's been so very hard lately, and to tell the truth, I'm out of my depth. I can't seem to deal with it.'

Taking a deep breath, she explained gently, 'I don't want to say any more, except to tell you that I've decided to go away and think about things ... see if I can make any sense of why I'm still here, and you're not. Don't be ashamed of me, but I would change places with you both right here and now.'

Suddenly, the tears broke like a dam giving way inside her and she was helpless to stop them. As the tears rolled down her cheeks, she sobbed bitterly. 'I feel so alone,' she whispered brokenly. 'I don't know who I am. Sometimes I really believe that I don't have a place in this life. I feel as though people look at me, and they don't even see me ... not the real me! They don't see the guilty child who was forced to marry. Or the frightened child who gave birth before she was even a woman herself. And they never see the girl who went on to spend her adult life with a man who it now seems she hardly knew.'

She glanced about the churchyard, her sorry gaze falling on the many headstones there. 'What is it really all about, Mum and Dad? Is life a gift, or is it a punishment for our sins? Oh, I would give anything to have you here with me, to advise me what I should do.'

Her thoughts drifted back to Martin. From child to adult, he had been a huge part of her life ... but now he was no part of her life at all. She had to ask herself: throughout those long years together, while living as man and wife and raising two beautiful children, had she ever really known him ... Martin the schoolboy, Martin the husband, Martin the father?

She gave a wry little smile. 'Martin the cheat. Martin the stranger. Martin the man who does not want or need me any more; and probably never did.'

Saying it out loud cut deep into Lucy's soul. 'It's over now,' she whispered. 'All over.'

She had to ask herself how she could have been so naive. So blind to the fact that while she was wondering if she had ever loved him, it was now painfully obvious that he must have been having the same doubts about her. Otherwise why would he have turned to her sister? And now, for the first time, she was actually asking: why did Paula not resist him? She felt doubly wounded, wondering if what had happened between those two was somehow her own fault.

All her bitterness poured out in a rush of pain. No! It was not my fault! I've been a good wife, and a good mother. And all the time, there was no room in his heart for me. Maybe it was always Paula, and maybe he was just waiting for her marriage to break down so he could muscle in. I don't know! I don't know the truth of it now, and I don't suppose I ever will.

'I need to be me for a while, Mum and Dad,' she confessed aloud now. 'I don't know who I am any more, or what I've been doing wrong. Why don't my family love me in the same way I love them unconditionally, and without measure? What's wrong with me? Am I incapable of being loved? Am I too easy ... too giving, and while I give, they keep taking? Now I feel like an outcast. In fact, yes, that's exactly what I am: an outcast. And I don't know why. All I keep thinking is that one way or another it must be my own fault.'

Ashamed at her unexpected outburst, she went on softly, 'I'm sorry. I just wanted to come and tell you what I'm doing and why, and to ask you, please don't judge me too harshly.' She smiled. 'There I go again, apologising like I always do. But I don't want you to be sad because of me. I'll be all right, really I will. I'm just tired, and worn, and sometimes I feel so alone. Now, though, I'm going away for a while. I need to do that because if I don't, how will I ever know who I really am? Or where I truly belong?'

She now glanced towards the gate, where the taxi driver was waiting patiently, a pipe in his mouth, and a twirl of smoke rising up to the heavens.

Lucy wiped her face, straightened her hair and took a deep, invigorating breath, before stretching her two arms across the flower-heaped grave. 'Look after each other, you two, and know that I'm always thinking of you. Oh, and don't take any notice of my complaining. I'll be all right, I promise.'

She began to feel that her mum and dad were actually listening, and she felt a lot calmer.

'The children do miss you, though,' she said, 'but they're fine. I'm grateful for Anne's concern over me she's a good girl and as for your grandson, he's doing all right too. He's following his dream and doing what his granddad suggested. He'll be heading for college before long to follow his chosen career. He doesn't say too much to me, but that's all right, because he and Anne are very close and they talk together about their plans. I get to know eventually, though, and that's fair enough, because all I ever want is for them to be content.'

She now had a confession to make, and it made her uncomfortable. 'I've done a bad thing, Mum,' she began softly. 'The thing is, going away costs money, and that is something I don't have much of ... so ...' she hesitated, '... forgive me, Mum, but I'm here to tell you, I've p.a.w.ned your beautiful rings. I'm sorry, I really am. But I will get them back. Whatever it takes, I will get them back!'

She felt small and guilty, and yet strangely defiant. 'I had to let you know but, hand on heart, I will get them back as soon as I can. Meantime, I'm going on a kind of holiday, but I'll be back soon, and besides, how could I ever leave you two, for any length of time, eh?'

For long, aching moments, she settled her sorry gaze onto the little cross and the names of her beloved parents written there. 'You must know how much I love you both,' she whispered brokenly. 'It's not the same without you in my life. It's like some great fist has torn the heart out of me, and I don't know what to do any more.'

When the rising emotion threatened to swamp her, she took a deep, calming breath. For a while she just stood there, like a lost soul.

And then she was saying her goodbyes. She stood awhile, lovingly gazing down, admiring the pretty flowers laid across her parents' resting place. 'G.o.d bless,' she whispered, then she kissed both hands, before momentarily pressing them over their names on the cross, as though to transfer the kisses to them.

As she walked away, Lucy felt an uplifting sense of calm. In her heart she felt that she had been cut loose, and that from this moment, whatever the consequences, the road she walked would be chosen by her, and no one else. More importantly, she felt stronger in herself than she ever had done before.

This is my time, she thought. Maybe this really is my only chance to stride out into the big bad world, on my own. Without anyone else making decisions for me.

She began to realise the enormity of what she was about to do. Every day of her life since she was a schoolgirl had been planned right down to the last detail, and now here she was, off on a little adventure to find out who she was, and what she wanted out of life. She was actually doing it: she had p.a.w.ned her mother's rings and was about to buy a ticket to somewhere she had loved long ago, in what now seemed to be in another life altogether.

Suddenly the whole idea was unimaginable. Woa, Lucy Lovejoy! What have you done? she thought.

Giving an odd little skip, she could not deny a bubbling of excitement. 'Lucy, I'll tell you what you've done!' she told herself. 'You have started to take charge of your own life. For the first time, in over twenty years!'

Excited and a little nervous, she hurried back to the taxi, feeling like a naughty child let loose.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.