LITMIR.BIZ

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tell her to go back to it! I mean what I say!’

      ‘But she can’t! The hostel bed was only empty for the weekend.’

      ‘Are we to argue over her, then? Is she more important to you than me?’

      ‘That is childish of you, William, and unworthy.’ She felt more calm, now, and even more determined. ‘And we are not arguing because it takes two to argue and I have nothing more to say.’ All at once, her voice was amazingly quiet. ‘I don’t want us to part like this, though. Please try to understand?’

      ‘You’ll do as you wish, I suppose.’ He pushed past her and opened the door. ‘There is no more to say, if you are determined. I bid you good day.’

      And with a banging of the front door and a crunching of wheels on the gravel of the drive, he was gone.

      He bid her good day! What a way to say goodbye! He was going back to the war and all she got was a brusque good day!

      But he would be back! By the time he got to the top road his temper would have cooled and he would turn the car in the lane and tell her he was sorry and hold her tightly and kiss her. And when he had done that he would use his talking-to-a-little-girl voice and coaxingly ask her to promise to send Ness away.

      That was when she knew she did not want him to come back because if he did she was afraid that for the sake of peace and harmony she would promise that Ness would go and she didn’t want her to go. Besides, where was she to stay, with all the hostel beds full again?

      She was relieved that after half an hour there was neither sight nor sound of William; relieved, too, that in her stubborn trembling defiance she had not needed to fall back on her last line of defence – ‘Ladybower is my house!’

      ‘Oh, what a mess!’

      The shaking began again and she sat down heavily at the kitchen table. The tea in the pot had gone cold, so what the hell! Rationing or not, she needed a cup of strong, hot, sugar-sweet tea!

      ‘Sorry, William,’ she said shakily as she filled the kettle. ‘Ness stays! No deal!’

      

      At six o’clock the kitchen door opened and a round brown hat sailed across the room and landed on the table.

      ‘What the – ?’ Startled, Lorna turned, then smiled to see Ness at the open door. ‘Now why did you do that?’

      ‘Oh, it’s a daft thing us Liverpudlians do sometimes; throw in our hat first to test the water, see if we’re welcome!’

      ‘Well, you are!’

      ‘Missed me, have you?’

      ‘More to the point, have you missed Ladybower?’

      ‘Ar, norrarf! The hostel’s fine, but it’s bedlam when thirty women are talking twenty to the dozen. And it’s worse once the hot water has all gone and everybody is wantin’ to know which sneaky cow’s had more’n six inches of water in her bath! But was it smashin’, having William home?’

      ‘Smashing.’ Lorna reached for the envelope she had placed behind the mantel clock.

      ‘This came for you – this morning.’

      ‘Oooh. And William saw it?’

      ‘He did!’

      ‘And one thing led to another and –’

      ‘And the cat was out of the bag, as they say. He went off in a huff.’ Her voice began to tremble again. ‘He accused me of being deceitful for not telling you to go.’

      ‘And when he found I hadn’t shoved off, he gave you down-the-banks, eh? So what is going to happen, Lorna?’

      ‘Nothing’s going to happen! William said you must go and I told him I wanted you to stay. I really want you to. Say you will?’

      ‘Of course I’ll stay, though I don’t like bein’ the cause of words between man and wife. And you’ve been weeping, haven’t you?’

      ‘On and off – just a little. Angry tears, really. He just slammed out, you see, and I was sure he’d turn round and come back and say he was sorry. But I’m glad he didn’t, because there would have been more words, more demands, and I’m not prepared to take orders any longer. And what’s more, I stood up for myself – didn’t even have to remind him that if push came to shove, Ladybower is my house and I’ll have who I want in it – well, within reason, that is!’

      ‘Ar, Lorna girl – you’re sure you want me here, that it’s worth all the bother? He’s going to come on leave again and there’ll be another slanging match and – and –’

      ‘More down-the-banks?’ Lorna said gravely. ‘And you know what? If William had been kinder, if he hadn’t practically ordered me to tell you to go, like a Victorian husband, if he’d coaxed and sweet-talked a little and asked me to do it for him because I love him, then I just might have given in and asked Nance to find somewhere else for you.’

      ‘I still think you should, Lorna. It just isn’t worth it.’

      ‘Oh, but it is! William must learn that I’ve got a mind of my own and I’m not prepared to talk about it any more, Ness. I’ve made up my mind, and that’s it! And I will tell you something. After William had gone I felt dreadful and I was longing for something special to happen to put things to rights. Y’know, like when I was little I’d say, “If the next bird I see is a thrush, there’ll be jam roly poly for supper.”’

      ‘Mm. We all did it, girl. So what happened so special to put the smile back on your face?’

      ‘We’ve had another egg, Ness! I heard such a cackling and there it was, all warm and new-laid. Something special, see? So I hard-boiled both eggs and put them in the salad. There’s ham left over from William’s sandwiches, so what do you say to ham and egg salad and boiled new potatoes for supper?’

      ‘I’d say,’ Ness smiled her wide, beautiful smile, ‘that this is the best billet I’ve ever had – and I’m stopping. Well, till Himself’s home on leave again, that is.’

      ‘And we’ll worry about that,’ Lorna said, chin set at defiance, ‘when it happens. So where is your kit?’

      ‘At the hostel. I’ve had the use of a bike these last three days. I’ll pedal over after supper; put the big case on the seat, and push it.’

      ‘I’ve got a better idea. We’ll collect your stuff in the car. And before you ask if I can spare the petrol – yes, I can! I wheedled a gallon out of William.’

      ‘You’re learning, Lorna Hatherwood! And I’m ravenous. I’ll just have a wash, then there’s such news to tell you!’

      ‘Potatoes ready in five minutes!’

      Lorna let go a breath of relief. It would be all right. Tonight, William would phone to let her know he was safely back and she would tell him to take care and that she loved him.

      Yes, of course it would be all right …

       FIVE

      ‘It was good of you to go to all the trouble. Will you mind doing it again, next leave?’

      Lorna sat on the spare-room bed, watching Ness unpack her kit.

      ‘Mind? No. Glad to be back, for all that. And I haven’t told you the news.’

      They had been so occupied at supper, oh-ing and ah-ing over the amazing home-produced, hard-boiled eggs and trying to sweep the matter of William’s heated departure under the mat, that Ness’s gossip was still untold.

      ‘Anything new?’

      ‘There

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