The Back of Beyond by Doris Davidson Page B

always liked to know everything we were doing.’
    â€˜Aye well, but that was different. I wasn’t wanting to take you to bed every spare minute you had, like I’ll be with Marge.’
    â€˜You knew what you were taking on, and you’ll just have to put up with it.’
    â€˜How did the wedding go?’
    â€˜It was just perfect, Lexie.’ Unaware that she was turning the screws on her listener’s tortured heart, Bella Ritchie gave a full description of her visit to London, breaking off if another customer came in and carrying on again afterwards as if there had been no interruption. ‘It was different, wi’ two brides. I thought they’d be dressed the same, being sisters, but they’re nothing like each other. Dougal’s wife, Marge, she’s the bouncy kind, full o’ life, and she’s dark-haired like him, though I’d say hers is even curlier. Gwen, now, that’s Alistair’s wife, her hair’s a lovely blonde, natural like yours, nae like some I saw doon there, and it shines pale gold in the electric light. Her face is thinner than her sister’s and she’s a lot quieter, but they’re real nice lassies, though I didna understand half o’ what they said, they spoke that quick. Mind you, they’d a job makin’ my Willie oot, for he couldna think on the English for what he wanted to say.’
    â€˜But you managed to get on with … Gwen?’
    â€˜Nae bother! I couldna have wished for a better …’ About to say ‘a better daughter-in-law’, Bella finally remembered how attached Lexie had been to Alistair before he went away and caught her runaway tongue. ‘… a better day,’ she substituted, clumsily. ‘Sun shining and an awful lot warmer than it is up here. And the Jenkinses is just like ony o’ us. Nae side to them though they’ve got a fine big hotel. There’s a younger sister, and all, Peggy her name is, and the three o’ them work there, waitressing, cleaning the rooms and such like, good workers, they are.’
    â€˜Oh aye?’ Lexie felt obliged to make some kind of comment.
    â€˜Rosie, their mother, she’s a right nice soul, slim like them and quiet, but it’s my opinion she rules the roost, though her man wouldna like folk to think that. He was the biggest surprise we got. You should have seen him, Lexie … a great fat mountain o’ a man, and he does all the cooking sitting on a stool in the kitchen in the basement. The meal – the wedding breakfast they cried it though we didna sit doon till four o’clock – oh, I canna tell you how good it was. Willie said it was the kind o’ soup he likes best, the kind you can stand your spoon up in, I canna tak’ him nae place, then he said the fancy stuffing wi’ the roasted turkey went round his heart like a hairy worm, and I coulda kicked him, but they seemed pleased aboot it.’
    â€˜They likely took it as a compliment.’
    â€˜Aye, and so it was meant … if they understood it.’
    â€˜Was it a kirk wedding?’
    â€˜No, no! It was in a Register Office, then back to the hotel in taxis. Mind, I’d’ve been happier if it had been a kirk wedding, but … ach, I suppose that’s the English way o’ doing it, and the registrar had us a’ in tears at the gentle way he advised them to respect their vows, even Tiny, that’s Alistair’s father-in-law …’
    â€˜Tiny?’ Lexie gave a brittle laugh. ‘That’s a funny name if he’s so fat.’
    â€˜It was a nickname he got in the army. To get back to my story, Gwen being the oldest daughter, her and Alistair was wed first – she’ll be nineteen next month the same as him. Dougal was best man and young Peggy, I think she’s fifteen or sixteen, she was bridesmaid for her two sisters, and Dougal had Alistair for his best man.’
    â€˜What were the