Last Tram to Lime Street

by Joan Jonker

Genres: Family Life; Siblings; Friendship; World War II; Sagas

Synopsis

When a dubious family move onto their street, the consequences are greater than either Molly or Nellie could have ever imagined... Joan Jonker brings us another instalment of her hugely popular Molly and Nellie series in Last Tram to Lime Street, as the two friends get up to more mischief in their beloved Liverpool. Perfect for fans of Lindsey Hutchinson and Katie Flynn. Molly Bennett and Nellie McDonough are as close as can be. They sort out all the neighbours' problems, care for seven children between them, and still have time for a giggle and a gossip. So imagine the excitement when Nellie's son, Steve, proposes to Molly's daughter, Jill. But it's not long before unsettling events turn their attention again to friends in need. The Bradley family, who have moved in up the street, are a bad lot, and Molly and Nellie find their hands full with sorting out the troubles that ensue. Meanwhile, Molly's teenage daughter, Doreen, has fallen head over heels in love with a young lad named Philip. She hasn't been with anyone quite like him before, and she's in for a terrible shock when she finds out whose family he comes from... What readers are saying about Last Tram to Lime Street : 'I have followed the fortunes of Molly and Nellie through all of Joan's books, but this one is my favourite by far. As with all her books the characters are so vivid and easily identifiable, reading it takes me into their lives, watching as their dramas unfold' 'Could not put this book down ... The best read I've had for a long time'

Release date: February 2, 2012

Publisher: Headline

Print pages: 484

Sample

‘Ma, will yer stop fussin’ around, yer gettin’ on me nerves.’ Molly Bennett clicked her tongue. ‘The house ’as been done from top to bottom, yer can eat yer dinner off the flamin’ floor, but yer still not satisfied.’

‘Isn’t it natural, now, that I’d want the place lookin’ nice for yer da comin’ out of hospital?’ Bridie Jackson’s Irish accent always became more pronounced when she was excited. ‘After ten weeks, yerself wouldn’t want him comin’ home to a midden, would yer now?’

‘A midden!’ Molly gazed around the living room of the small two-up two-down terraced house and smiled. It was like a little palace, with the furniture shining so bright you could see your face in it, the grate blackleaded and gleaming, and a glowing fire roaring up the chimney. And with the walls newly decorated in a light beige paper patterned with small sprigs of leaves and flowers, the room looked light and airy. It had been a rush for her husband, Jack, to get the room finished in time, because they’d only had three days’ notice that her da would be coming home. But over the weekend the whole family had got stuck in, scraping the walls, trimming the paper and helping with the pasting. It was midnight last night when they’d finished and stood back to admire their handiwork.

‘A midden, did yer say?’ Molly stood with her hands on her hips. ‘We’ve worked our fingers to the bone for the last three days, washing curtains and windows, scrubbing everything it’s possible to scrub, an’ yer still not happy. A flamin’ midden indeed!’

Bridie walked to the sideboard, moved the vase of flowers a couple of inches, then changed her mind and moved it back again. ‘I’m so nervous and excited, yer’ll have to make allowances for me, so yer will.’ She touched her daughter’s arm. ‘Molly, me darlin’, I don’t know what I’d have done without you over the last few months. You, Jack, and the children, yer’ve kept me going, so yer have. I’d have been lost without you, and don’t I give thanks to the good Lord every night for blessing me with such a marvellous family?’

‘Oh, come on, Ma, don’t go all soppy on me.’ Molly was trying hard to keep her emotions in check. ‘With Da comin’ out of hospital, we should be singin’, not cryin’ our eyes out.’

Bridie straightened her shoulders. She was a fine-looking woman, with a face that was still beautiful, even with the worry lines that had grown deeper each day since her beloved husband, Bob, had had a heart attack. She had a slim, almost girlish figure, and her hair, snow white now, was combed straight back from her face and rolled into a bun at the nape of her neck. ‘Will we have time for a cuppa an’ a sandwich before the ambulance comes?’

Molly glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. ‘They said sometime in the afternoon, an’ it’s only twelve o’clock, so there’s plenty of time.’

There was a hissing noise from the fire before a piece of coal fell on to the hearth. Bridie moved as though she’d been shot from a gun. She grabbed the shovel and brush from the brass companion set and swept up the offending piece of coal to throw it back on the fire. ‘Will yer look at that now?’ She viewed with disgust the black sooty mark left on the hearth. ‘Just when yer think everything’s right, something always comes along to prove yer wrong, so it does.’

With a resigned shrug of her shoulders, Molly made her way to the kitchen for the floor-cloth. When she came back there was a cheeky grin on her face. ‘Here yer are, Ma.’

Bridie, on her knees in front of the grate, turned to take the cloth from her daughter’s outstretched hand and noticed the grin. ‘What’s tickling yer fancy now, lass?’

‘Nothing!’ Molly let the smile slip from her face. ‘I was just wondering if yer’d like me to take me tea an’ sarnies down the yard to the lavvy to eat, save makin’ any crumbs?’

Bridie threw the cloth down and fell back on her heels. ‘Sure now, wouldn’t that be a pretty sight for sore eyes?’

The sound of a motor outside brought Bridie scrambling to her feet and rushing to the window. ‘He’s here, Molly!’ She let the curtain fall back into place. ‘Bob’s home!’

‘All right, Ma, just calm down!’ Molly held on to her mother’s arm and wagged a finger in her face. ‘Remember what the doctor said, no upset or excitement.’

Bridie nodded as she wrenched her arm free and bolted down the hall to open the front door. She was waiting by the kerb when the back doors of the ambulance opened and Bob stepped out. Her arms outstretched, she flew to him. ‘Welcome home, me darling.’

Bob held her close while the ambulance men looked on. One of them, a man with sandy hair and laughing blue eyes, said, ‘It looks as though someone’s glad to see you, Mr Jackson.’

Bridie beamed at him. ‘’Tis more than glad I am, son.’

Molly had been watching the scene with a lump in her throat. Now she moved forward and touched her mother on the shoulder. ‘Move over, missus, an’ let someone else get a look in.’

Too full of emotion to speak, Bob smiled as Molly rained kisses on his face. There’d been times in the hospital when he thought he wasn’t going to pull through, so the sight of his beloved wife standing outside the little house that held so many happy memories, brought tears to sting the back of his eyes.

‘I think we’d better move out of the way so these men can get about their business.’ Molly winked at the two men who were waiting patiently to close the doors of the ambulance. ‘Make yer sick, wouldn’t it? Married over forty years and still love struck.’

The man with the sandy hair called, ‘Take care of yourself, Mr Jackson.’

‘Huh!’ Molly watched her parents disappear into the house. ‘No need to worry about me da lookin’ after himself, she won’t let the wind blow on him. Anyway, thanks, lads.’

When Molly walked into the living room, Bridie was helping Bob out of his coat. ‘Now sit yourself by the fire while I make yer a nice cup of tea. The kettle’s been on the boil for an hour, so it’ll not take long.’

Molly took the overcoat from her mother. ‘I’ll hang it up, you see to the tea.’

Bob fell back in his favourite chair, pleasure and relief on his face. ‘You’ve no idea how good it is to be home, lass, these ten weeks have seemed like a lifetime.’ He gazed around the room. ‘Been busy, I see.’

Molly could hear her mother pottering around in the kitchen. ‘She’s had everyone up the wall, rushin’ around like blue-arsed flies to make sure everythin’ was perfect for yer coming home.’ She patted his knee and smiled. ‘Anyone would think she was expectin’ the King himself.’

‘It looks nice, lass, and I’m grateful for everythin’ yer’ve done for Ma while I’ve been away. You and Jack, and the children, have all been marvellous.’ He swallowed hard. ‘It can’t have been easy for her, the first time we’ve been parted since the day we got married.’

‘I know that, Da, an’ I know yez love the bones of each other. But don’t let her kill yer with kindness. If Ma has her way, yer’ll be sittin’ in that chair all day while she waits on yer hand an’ foot. An’ that’s not goin’ to do yer any good. I know what the doctor said, that yer can’t go back to work and yer’ve got to take things easy. But he also said that if yer were sensible, there was no reason why yer couldn’t live a normal life. So don’t let Ma molly-coddle yer too much.’

Bridie bustled in, carrying a wooden tray covered with a hand-embroidered cloth and set with a china tea pot, milk jug and sugar basin. ‘You’ll enjoy this, me darlin’, so yer will. A nice cup of strong tea, just the way yer like it.’

‘I won’t stay, Ma.’ Molly stood up. ‘Mary from over the road said she’d pick Ruthie up from school when she went for Bella, but I don’t want to play on her goodness. Besides, I’ve got dinner to see to.’

‘Will Jack an’ the children be coming round tonight?’ Bob asked. ‘It seems ages since I saw the kids.’

‘Not tonight, Da.’ Molly shook her head. ‘They wanted to, but I said they’d have to wait a day or two, till yer got settled in, like.’

Bob looked disappointed. ‘I was looking forward to seeing them.’

‘Yer’ve only just come out of hospital, Da, yer don’t want to be tiring yerself out.’ Molly bent to kiss him. ‘I’ll come in the morning, see how yer are. If me ma thinks it’s okay, the whole gang can come tomorrow night, but just for half an hour, mind yer! Yer still an invalid, so there’ll be no knees-up or jars out.’ Her eyes twinkled. ‘We’ll wait till next week for that.’

Bridie was about to object when she realised her daughter was only joking. ‘Will I ever get used to your humour?’ She tutted. ‘Sure, I nearly fell for that one, right enough.’ She busied herself with the cups on the tray. ‘Now will yer be on yer way before the tea gets cold.’

Molly winked at her father. ‘Did yer hear that, Da? She’s worked me to a standstill, but now she doesn’t need me any more it’s a case of “on yer bike, pal”!’

Bob chuckled. ‘Now I know I’m home.’

‘Has she behaved herself?’ Molly clutched her daughter’s hand. ‘Not been givin’ yer any lip?’

‘No, she’s been as good as gold.’ Mary Watson leaned against the door jamb. Her house was right opposite Molly’s, and their seven-year-old daughters were the best of mates. ‘How’s yer dad?’

‘He looks well,’ Molly answered, tightening her grip on Ruthie, who was pulling to get away. ‘But yer can never tell with a heart complaint, can yer? He looked the picture of health five minutes before he had the heart attack, so as I say, yer can never tell. Looks can be deceiving.’

‘Mam, let go, yer hurtin’ me,’ Ruthie cried, stamping her foot. ‘I want to go ’ome and get me hoop.’

‘Molly, why don’t yer leave her here till yer get the dinner on?’ Mary offered. ‘She can play upstairs with Bella.’

Molly looked down into her daughter’s pixie-like face, and when she noted the petulant droop to the rosebud mouth, Mary’s offer was too tempting to resist. ‘Are yer sure yer don’t mind? I’ve been at it since early this mornin’ and I’m not in any mood for her shenanigans.’

‘Come on, Ruthie.’ Mary held her hand out. ‘You and Bella can play tiddly-winks.’

Molly turned to cross the road. ‘Yer a pal, Mary. I’ll give her a shout when the dinner’s ready.’

The gas plopped when Molly put a match to it, and she quickly put the pan of potatoes on the ring. There was meat and cabbage over from yesterday, so she only had to warm it up to have with the potatoes. She was bending down to get the frying pan out of a cupboard when there was a loud ran-tan on the knocker. ‘Ye gods and little fishes!’ Molly said aloud, closing her eyes. ‘Is there no flamin’ peace for the wicked?’

‘Hiya, Molly, I’ve been lookin’ out for yer.’

‘Oh, thank God it’s only you. Come on in.’ Molly pressed herself back against the wall to let her eighteen-stone neighbour pass. Nellie McDonough lived three doors away, and she was Molly’s oldest and best friend.

Nellie waddled down the hall, her hips brushing the wall either side. ‘How’s yer dad?’

‘He looks fine, just the same as when yer saw him in hospital last week. I’m slippin’ round in the mornin’, if yer’d like to come an’ see him.’

‘Ooh, yeah, I’d like that, girl!’ A smile crossed Nellie’s chubby face. ‘I’ve got some news for yer.’

Molly pulled two chairs away from the table. ‘Take the weight off yer feet, but I haven’t got long, mind, ’cos I’ve been out since early this mornin’ and I’ll have to tidy up before the family get in.’

The chair creaked ominously as Nellie sat down and Molly held her breath. One of these days her friend would end up on the floor on her backside, a broken chair beneath her. ‘Well, what’s the news?’

Nellie adjusted the turban on her head before folding her arms under her mountainous bosom. ‘D’yer know that empty house at the top of the street, the one the Culshaws did a midnight flit from on Christmas Eve?’

‘Yeah, what about it?’

‘A family moved in there this mornin’.’ Nellie was rewarded by Molly’s look of surprise. ‘The cart came just after you’d left to go to yer ma’s.’

‘Go’way!’ Molly’s fingers were making patterns in the plush of the chenille tablecloth. ‘It’s a wonder the rent man didn’t say anythin’. Mind you, I haven’t seen Mr Henry for weeks, you’ve been payin’ me rent.’ Molly’s eyes narrowed. ‘You’re losin’ yer grip, aren’t yer? Fancy not gettin’ that news out of him!’

‘Humph!’ Nellie jerked her head back, sending her layers of chins swaying in all directions. ‘I don’t ’ave time to stand gossipin’ to the flamin’ rent man! Got more to do with me time.’

‘Ah, well, yer see, look what yer’ve missed by not spendin’ a few minutes gossipin’ with him! If yer’d known they were moving in, yer could have taken a chair up an’ sat outside, makin’ a note of what furniture went in, an’ how many were in the family. Then yer could ’ave passed the information on to me.’ Molly could picture the scene in her mind and her tummy started to rumble with laughter. ‘Fine mate you are, Nellie McDonough! Now we’ll never know what they’ve got in their ’ouse.’ The movement of the floorboards beneath her feet warned Molly that laughter was going to erupt from her friend’s mouth any second. And when Nellie laughed, the whole house would shake. She stood up quickly and rounded the table. ‘Come on, missus, off that chair before yer break the bloody thing.’

Nellie was pulled to her feet just as the laughter came, and her whole body shook. The two friends clung to each other as tears rolled down their cheeks. Neighbours for nineteen years, they’d grown so close they were like sisters. Nellie had had three children one after the other, just a year apart. And Molly had followed suit, each of hers a year younger than Nellie’s. But Molly had broken the mould when seven years after Tommy, her youngest, was born, she became pregnant with Ruthie.

‘D’yer know, that’s the best laugh I’ve had for months.’ Molly ran the back of her hand across her eyes. ‘Thinkin’ of you sittin’ outside the new people’s house, takin’ a note of what went in, well, can yer imagine it?’

Nellie’s chins were doing a quickstep as she tried to control her mirth. ‘What I could do, if yer like,’ she spluttered, ‘I could knock on their door an’ ask to borrow a cup of sugar. With a bit of luck they might ask me in.’

‘I’d better come with yer, then, so I can pick yer up after they’ve belted yer one.’ Molly sniffed. ‘D’yer know, that laugh’s done me a power of good. Better than six bottles of stout.’

Nellie was wiping her nose on the corner of her wraparound floral pinny. ‘Cheaper, too! Anyway, the day wasn’t wasted, I did see the man an’ his wife. About our age, I should think. And I saw two teenagers, but whether they’re the only kids they’ve got, I wouldn’t know. An’ from what I saw of the furniture, well, it was just so-so, nothin’ to write home about.’

Molly’s eyes were wide. ‘How the ’ell did yer see all that from down this end?’

Nellie tapped her nose. ‘Ah, well, I mightn’t gossip with the rent man, but I do spend some time in the corner shop talkin’ to Maisie an’ Alec. And as luck would ’ave it, I was there when the cart rolled up. An’ from the shop window yer can see right over to that house.’

‘You nosy beggar!’ Molly pressed her hands to her waist. ‘Don’t yer dare make me laugh again, Nellie McDonough, ’cos I’ve got a stitch in me side now. But tell me, did yer just stand lookin’ out of the shop window, watchin’ everythin’ that was goin’ on?’

‘Yeah!’ Nellie rolled her eyes. ‘Look, if yer goin’ to get a cob on ’cos I make yer laugh, I’m not goin’ to tell yer any more.’

Now she had Molly filled with curiosity. ‘Nellie McDonough, if yer think yer gettin’ out of this ’ouse without tellin’ me everythin’, then yer’ve got another think comin’. So come on, spit it out.’

Nellie took a deep breath, wondering how she could possibly stop herself from laughing. ‘I was in the shop when the cart came past loaded with furniture. Naturally me and Maisie, and Alec, were interested to see where it was goin’ so we went to the window. Then a customer came in, you know Mrs Barrow from the next street, and she told Alec she wasn’t in a hurry, so she stood watching with us. Pretty soon the shop was full, and we all had our noses pressed against the three windows.’ It was no good, Nellie couldn’t keep her face straight. Her chubby cheeks moved upwards to cover her eyes as she bent double. ‘Honest, girl, there must have been about twenty people in that little shop, an’ every one of them swore they weren’t in a hurry.’

‘An’ how long did that go on for?’

Nellie’s loud guffaw filled the room. ‘Until the cart was empty and the peep show was over. I told Maisie afterwards she should ’ave sold tickets, her an’ Alec would ’ave made a fortune.’

Once again the two women clung to each other. Molly could feel her shoulder damp from the tears that rolled unchecked from Nellie’s eyes. ‘I’ll tell yer somethin’ for nothin’, Nellie, I don’t like the new people, they’re not a bit considerate,’ Molly wheezed. ‘Why the ’ell didn’t they leave it until tomorrow to move in? I could ’ave had a seat right in the front of Maisie’s window.’

‘It was better than goin’ to the pictures, girl,’ Nellie said. ‘Funniest thing I’ve seen in years.’

Molly’s eyes lighted on the clock on the mantelpiece and she broke away. ‘Holy sufferin’ ducks, look at the time! I’ll be laughin’ the other side of me face if the dinner’s not ready when Jack an’ the kids get in.’ She turned Nellie to face the door. ‘On yer way, kiddo! I might slip up later when I’ve got Ruthie to bed. Ta-ra for now.’

‘No, none of yez can go to see Grandad.’ Molly let her eyes stay for a second on each of the faces around the table. Only Ruthie was missing. She’d been tired so Molly had given her her dinner early and put her to bed. Jill, her eldest, was sixteen. A lovely-looking girl with a slim figure, long blonde hair, vivid blue eyes and a peaches-and-cream complexion. Next to Jill sat Doreen, who was a year younger. Doreen was very like her sister in looks, but their natures were completely different. Jill was shy and gentle, while Doreen was a livewire, outgoing and outspoken.

‘Just for five minutes, Mam, please?’ Tommy pleaded. ‘I’m dyin’ to see me grandad.’

Molly’s gaze landed on her fourteen-year-old son. He’d left school at Christmas and now worked in the same factory as his dad. Like the rest of the family, he idolised his grandad, and after ten weeks it was only natural he wanted to see him. ‘Perhaps tomorrow night, son.’ Molly had a soft spot for her only son, who was the spitting image of his dad, tall, dark and good-looking. ‘When I see him in the mornin’, if he looks well enough, we’ll all nip around for half an hour.’

‘Five minutes wouldn’t hurt,’ Tommy growled.

‘Yer heard what me mam said, so stop yer moaning.’ Doreen aimed a kick at him under the table, but it was her father’s shin her foot came into contact with.

‘We’ll have less of that, young lady.’ Jack pointed a fork at his daughter. ‘We sit around the table to eat, so mind yer manners.’

‘Oh, here we go again, not in the ’ouse five minutes an’ fightin’ already.’ Molly leaned towards Jill. ‘It’s a good job you an’ me haven’t got bad tempers, isn’t it, sunshine? Life wouldn’t be worth livin’.’

Jill smiled. She never got involved in family squabbles, but they didn’t upset her because they were soon over and nobody sulked or held grudges. ‘I have my moments.’

Jill was the clever one of the family. She could have gone on to high school when she was fourteen, but Molly needed her working and bringing in a wage. With six mouths to feed, clothes to buy and all the bills to pay, she was hard pressed to make ends meet on Jack’s meagre earnings. For years she’d had to scrimp and save, robbing Peter to pay Paul, and although it broke her heart, she had to deny her daughter the chance of a better education for the sake of all the family. Jill never complained. Instead she got herself a job behind the counter in Allerton’s cake shop, and did a two-year course at night school learning shorthand and typing. Now she was working in Castle Street, in the offices of Pearson, Sedgewick and Brown, a firm of solicitors.

‘D’yer want to hear somethin’ funny?’ Molly now asked her. ‘These lot needn’t listen if they don’t want to.’ With a smile already on her face, she began to relate Nellie’s story, mimicking her friend down to the last detail. She was looking at Jill, but out of the corner of her eye she could see smiles appearing on the faces of the others. By the time she was halfway through the story, the room was ringing with loud laughter.

‘Ay, Mam, that’s not ’alf funny,’ Tommy chuckled. ‘I can just imagine Auntie Nellie, she looks like Norman Evans, doin’ his “Over the garden wall” thing.’

‘Don’t yer dare tell her that, she’ll ’ave yer life.’

‘I think the funniest part is all the customers crowded round the windows in that little shop,’ Doreen giggled, her face flushed. ‘I’d love to ’ave seen it.’

‘What’s tickled my fancy,’ Jack said, ‘was you pulling Nellie off the chair in case she broke it. The size of her, yer could have broken yer back, never mind the chair!’

‘I laughed that much, I nearly wet me knickers,’ Molly said. ‘She’s a real case when she gets goin’, is Nellie.’

‘You know, Mam, I bet if you’d dared her to go up to the new people and ask to borrow a cup of sugar, she’d have gone.’ Jill was courting Nellie’s son, Steve, and she knew the tricks her boyfriend’s mother could get up to. ‘I wouldn’t put anything past her.’

‘No, yer can always expect the unexpected with Nellie.’ There was a twinkle in Molly’s eyes as she gazed around the table. ‘Yer all in such a happy frame of mind, it seems a shame to wipe the smiles off yer faces. But yez can all get stuck in an’ get the dishes washed, ’cos I ain’t doin’ them, I’m worn out.’

‘Ah, ray, Mam! I’m goin’ out!’ Doreen and Tommy cried in unison, dismay on their faces.

‘When the dishes are done yez can go to Timbuctoo for all I care, but not before,’ Molly told them. ‘I’ve been on the go the whole flamin’ day, an’ I’ve had it up to here.’ She patted the top of her head. ‘So, no moans, just get crackin’. The sooner yer start, the sooner yer finished.’

‘I’ll do the dishes,’ Jill said. ‘Steve’s not coming until half seven.’

‘I’ll give a hand,’ Tommy grunted, pushing his chair back. ‘It won’t take long.’

‘We’ll all get stuck in.’ Doreen started to stack the dirty plates on top of each other. ‘Many hands make light work.’

Molly smiled at Jack across the table. ‘Not bad kids, are they?’

Jack smiled back. ‘If they’re all going out, we’ll have the house to ourselves. Just think, a couple of hours’ peace an’ quiet.’

‘Yer’ll have it all to yerself, sunshine, ’cos I promised to go up to Nellie’s for half an hour.’

Jack moved his head from side to side. ‘Haven’t you seen enough of each other for one day? Beats me what yez find to talk about.’

‘I won’t be out long, just half an hour. I’ll be back before yer’ve finished readin’ the Echo.’ Molly stood up and pushed her chair back under the table before going into the kitchen. She put her fingers to her lips, and winked, her eyes telling the children to make less noise and listen. Then she went back to Jack. ‘Besides, we won’t be doin’ much talkin’. We’re goin’ for a little walk, just up the street. We want to see what kind of curtains the new people have got up.’ The look of bewilderment on Jack’s face egged her on. ‘Yer can always tell what kind of folk they are by their curtains. Dead giveaway, they are.’

‘Molly, have yer lost the run of yer senses? Yer can’t just walk up to a person’s house and stand gawping at their curtains! They’ll wonder what sort of a neighbourhood they’ve moved into.’

‘Well, it’s like this, yer see, Jack. Me an’ Nellie agree that because we’ve lived ’ere for nearly twenty years, it’s our territory, like, isn’t it? We reckon we’re entitled to vet any new people that move in.’ The startled look on her husband’s face was too much for Molly. She leaned her elbows on the sideboard and gave way to the laughter that had been building up inside her.

When Jack saw the three grinning faces appear round the kitchen door, he cursed himself for being taken in so easily. He should know, after all these years, to take everything his wife said with a pinch of salt. ‘Okay, I give in.’ He held his hands up in surrender. ‘You caught me out again, Molly Bennett.’

‘That’s why I love yer, Jack Bennett, yer so easy to manage.’ Molly plonked herself on his knee and put her arms around his neck. ‘I wouldn’t ’ave yer any different for all the money in the world.’ She was about to kiss him when she remembered they had an audience. ‘Back to work, you lot. There’s some things not meant for your eyes.’

Holding Molly’s body close, and listening to the happy giggling in the kitchen, Jack thought how lucky he was to have a wife who could turn tears to laughter. And when her soft lips covered his, he told himself there wasn’t another bloke alive who had what he had.

‘Good news, Jill!’ Miles Sedgewick’s smile as he waltzed into the office was as wide as his face. Without taking his eyes off Jill he put his briefcase on the floor and sat on the corner of his desk. ‘A letter came in this morning’s post from the Ministry of Defence to say I’d been accepted for the post.’

Jill’s fingers hovered over the typewriter keys as she gazed across the office she shared with Miles, the son of one of the partners in the firm of solicitors. She tried to feel some enthusiasm but it wasn’t easy. She really didn’t care one way or the other about Miles leaving, it was his reason for getting another job that galled her. Mr. Sedgewick senior thought a war with Germany was on the cards, and because he knew people in the right places, he’d wangled a job for his son in a reserved occupation. Which meant, if there was a war, while all the eligible men were being called up, Miles would be sitting pretty. And Jill didn’t think that was fair. As her mam said, it just showed what money could do.

‘That’s nice for you.’ Jill flicked the arm at the end of the typewriter to start a new line. ‘I bet your father’s pleased.’

‘He and Mother are delighted,’ Miles told her, smugly. He was twenty-one, tall, and quite good-looking, with a thick mop of dark hair and hazel eyes. ‘Father said I can leave on Friday, so I’ll be starting my new job next Monday.’ He rounded his desk and sat down. ‘I feel very pleased with myself.’

‘Will you still be studying, the same as you are here?’ Jill asked.

‘Oh, yes! It’ll be a few years before I’m a fully fledged solicitor. If there is a war, and Father seems to think it’s inevitable, it won’t last long, probably only a year or so, then I’ll be back here to join the firm as a junior partner.’ Miles took a fountain pen from the top pocket of his suit and tapped it on the desk. ‘This calls for a celebration, don’t you think? A leaving party to send me on my way.’

‘I’m sure your father will arrange something.’

‘Oh, I don’t want to celebrate with Father! I was thinking you and I could go out together for a meal and a drink. How are you fixed for Friday night?’

He’s got a nerve, Jill thought. Doesn’t even bother asking if I’d like to go, just takes it for granted. ‘No thanks, Miles, I’ll be going out with Steve on Friday.’

‘Surely he can take your chains off for one night? After all, it’s only to bid me a fond farewell.’

Jill shook her head. Miles had talked her into going with him and his parents to a Christmas function in the Adelphi, and it had been the cause of a split between her and Steve. Her boyfriend had begged her not to go, couldn’t understand why she wanted to go out with another bloke. But Jill had already promised Miles, and because she thought it would sound childish if she said her boyfriend objected, she’d gone. In her mind she’d felt sure Steve would come round when he’d got over his fit of the sulks, but he hadn’t. For three weeks he’d stayed away from her and although Jill had kept her sadness to herself, it had been the longest three weeks of her life. Miles had persuaded her to go out with him a few times during those weeks when she was at a loose end, and he’d gone out of his way to win her affection, but it hadn’t worked. Jill’s heart belonged to Steve, and all she could feel for Miles was friendship. Now she was back with the boy she loved, she had no intention of doing anything else to jeopardise their relationship. ‘No, Miles! I bet you wouldn’t like i