Maude stood beside the piano in the public bar, unnecessarily hushed the pianist who had already frozen midway through Nellie Dean, a favourite song of the Larkins, there once being a well-known Larkin, Nellie, who married a Jack Dean in the late nineteen hundreds and were reputed to have owned a mill by a stream. She called for order and announced there would be a delay to the proceedings, they were expecting someone who had to make a call into the City of London. She apologised and announced free drinks would continue, which received a less than anticipated enthusiastic response, people were naturally nervous, and then Maude kissed Bess, passionately, in front of them all.
Nellie DeanDead silence.
"Ooh err missus," Bernie called out, breaking the ice and the patrons speedily returned t
