Realising that he was telling the truth, Jessica smiled. ‘What about the wedding, though? I’m not walking down the aisle with a bun in the oven, Ed. It will look awful, people will think I’m a tart.’

Eddie laughed. ‘You ain’t gotta walk down the aisle with a bun in the oven. Look, we’d have had trouble finding a vicar to marry us on the quick ’cause I’ve already been married. How about I book a register office? We can get married in the next couple of weeks if you want.’

Jessica’s eyes shone. ‘Really, Ed? Do you mean that?’

‘Of course I do. Waiter, bring us over a bottle of champers,’ Eddie said loudly.

Aware of all the other diners looking at him, Eddie smiled. He loved being the centre of attention, it was all part of his make-up.

He stood up and addressed the whole restaurant. ‘You see this beautiful girl here,’ he said, pointing at Jess.

‘We, us two, are getting married and we’re having a baby. Now, who fancies a glass of champagne to celebrate our happiness with us?’

‘I’ll have one,’ said an old man with a bald head.

‘We’ll have a drink with you,’ said a woman in a spotted dress.

Eddie ordered the waiter to get more bottles of champagne and share them between all the other diners. The restaurant was reasonably empty and, apart from themselves, there were only five other tables taken.

Jessica could feel herself blushing beetroot red. Eddie could be so bloody loud, especially when he’d been drinking.

‘Nosy load of bastards. They were all looking at us,’ he whispered to Jess.

Winking at her, Eddie carried on where he’d left off. ‘Now come on, fucking stand up, I’ve just bought you all champagne.’

Well aware that he was probably a local villain, everybody leaped to attention. Eddie held his glass aloft.

‘To Jessica, the most beautiful girl in the world,’ he said.

Wary, but amused at the same time, everybody lifted their glasses.

‘To Jessica,’ they repeated after him.

Minutes later, Jessica’s happiness partly disintegrated.

‘I beg your pardon?’ she said to Eddie. He was winding her up, he had to be.

‘I said, I want you to pack your job up in the morning. Now we’re getting married, things are different. I’ve got money – you don’t need to work any more.’

Jessica looked at him in amazement. She liked her independence, enjoyed her little job and she had so many friends there.

‘I’m not ready to give it up yet, Ed. I know when I’ve had the baby, I’ll have to, but that’s ages away yet.’