She was waiting for him in the barn and greeted him with affection. ‘Just think, the next time we meet it will be to go away together,’ Willie said as he hugged her. ‘Only a week and I’ll be here with the van to take you to Mam’s in Cardiff.’ ‘Pity there’ll be none of the family there to wish us luck,’ Annette said wistfully. ‘A wedding day is so special it should be shared with all the people you love. But never mind,’ she added quickly when she saw her words were upsetting Willie, ‘the one I love best in the whole world will be there and the rest of the family will soon know, won’t they? What fun it will be to tell them!’ It had been arranged well in advance of Annette’s twenty-first birthday that she should go to Willie’s mother to wait out the necessary period before the wedding could take place. It was to be in a register office with Willie’s mother, sisters and stepfather present. He wished he could have made the wedding a huge affair with her family joining in the celebration alongside his, but they both knew that was impossible.
