The Lie (18 page)

However, when she went into her lodgings, she saw the letters lying on the hall table. Her heart started to race wildly as she looked at the writing and saw one was from Simon, the other from Frances. She hurried up the stairs to her room, wanting to read Simon's letter in private.

Maura was standing in front of the dressing table in her petticoat, looking at her reflection in the mirror, a pleased smile playing on her lips. She had her hand on her stomach, but she took it away as she turned to Emily.

‘I saw there was a letter for you,' she said. ‘Is it from Simon?'

‘Yes, it is,' Emily said. ‘I've been waiting for ages, but I suppose he hasn't had time.'

Maura pulled on her skirt and blouse. ‘Well, I'm off then. I'll leave you in peace.' She picked up her coat and went out humming a little tune.

Emily stared after her. Maura seemed in a much better frame of mind these days. She'd seen her leaving the station with one of the firemen a couple of times, and from the way she'd been laughing up at him it looked as if something was going on between them. Was she going out with someone else now?

It seemed too soon in a way, and yet Emily couldn't blame Maura for wanting some fun in her life. Everything was so horrible at the moment. You had to have something to look forward to or life was pretty wretched.

She opened her letter and gave a cry of pleasure. It was dated recently and contained an apology and an invitation. Simon was sorry he hadn't been in touch but he'd been working all hours and though he'd tried to phone her a couple of times he hadn't been able to reach her.

Emily frowned over that. Surely her landlady or one of the girls would have told her if they had taken a message? She knew Maura would and so would her landlady, but she could ask the others.

She read on. Simon had a week's leave coming up and he wanted her to meet him at his parents' home.

 

 . . . we ought to just visit them. You haven't been to see them I gather, and Father is a bit hurt over that. We can stop there one night and then go off somewhere on our own. Hope you've missed me as much as I've missed you, darling.

See you very soon,

Love, Simon

Emily had mixed feelings when she finished reading the brief letter. She'd been busy too, but she'd written to him several times, and to her sister and brothers. It was true she hadn't written to his parents, but that wasn't so easy, because she hardly knew them, and they could have written to her just as easily. Yet Simon seemed to be chastising her, which didn't seem quite fair.

However, she was looking forward to seeing him, and the memory of Terry's hurt face had faded now. She hadn't seen him again since that night at the social, and perhaps that was a good thing. She was married to Simon and he was coming home on leave.

Tucking the envelope in her handbag, she opened the letter from her sister next and smiled as she saw there was some good news for a change. Marcus had been home on leave a month or so earlier, and Frances was pregnant and wildly excited. She wanted Emily to come home if she possibly could so that they could have a really good talk. Tacked on at the end of her letter was something else to make Emily smile.

Frances had heard that Daniel and Alice were getting engaged at Christmas if he could get leave.

 

The date isn't certain
, Frances had written.
But I was talking to Mrs Robinson and she mentioned it so it must be right – she doesn't want them to get married just yet, because she thinks Alice too young. Daniel hasn't said anything, but then, he probably wouldn't. You know what he's like.

Emily smiled and laid the letter down on the chest beside her bed. She yawned as she took her skirt and blouse off, getting under the top covers in her petticoat. She was very tired and she would have to be early this evening, especially if she wanted to speak to Miss Anderson about taking a week's leave.

Maura was standing by the bed with a cup of tea in her hand when Emily woke. ‘Rise and shine,' she said. ‘You must have been very tired, love.'

‘Yes, I was,' Emily said, and took the cup gratefully. ‘I'm glad you woke me because I want to be in early tonight. I want to go on leave in four days from now.'

‘Simon got leave?' Maura asked. ‘He's all right then?'

‘Yes, he's fine,' Emily said, and smiled. ‘It was all good news. My sister is having a baby and I think Daniel is getting engaged.'

‘Has he got a steady girl then?' Maura's smile seemed a bit fixed. ‘Sure, I thought he was footloose and fancy free?'

‘Well, in a way he was until now,' Emily said with a little frown. ‘He didn't say anything to me when he was here last month. And I only had a postcard to tell me he was being transferred to a maintenance unit down south somewhere. He hasn't been in touch since then, so I suppose he's busy.'

‘Everyone has been struggling to keep up,' Maura said, and yawned. Her eyes went to the letter on the chest beside Emily's bed. ‘When is your brother getting engaged then?'

‘Frances thinks it will be at Christmas, though she hasn't heard anything official yet. I thought he was going to wait until after the war – but then, Alice is still young. They may have a long engagement.'

‘They shouldn't do that, not the way things are,' Maura said, and her eyes shadowed for a moment. ‘If I were her I should persuade him to marry me sooner rather than later.'

‘What about you?' Emily asked. ‘You've seemed a bit better in yourself lately.'

‘Oh, I'm fine,' Maura told her. ‘I feel much better about things. I had a letter from John's mother yesterday. She says they're going to let him out of that side ward soon, and they are talking about skin grafts to his face in a few months.'

‘That sounds promising?'

Maura shrugged. ‘I hope it goes well for him, but I shan't be visiting him. He isn't the same any more. Besides, I have other friends I want to see.'

Emily looked at her uncertainly. Was Maura behaving oddly, or was she imagining things?

She put down her cup and got out of bed, leaving the bedroom to visit the toilet up the hall.

As soon as the door closed behind Emily Maura picked up the letter from Frances and read it. She scanned it quickly and put it back as before, a thoughtful expression in her eyes. She was carrying a child and she was pretty certain it was Daniel's, even though she'd been with two other men since. She had promised she wouldn't ask anything more of Daniel after that night, and she wouldn't  . . . at least, she wouldn't if things went her way with a man she'd met recently.

He was pretty keen, and she thought he might ask her to marry him. She wasn't in love with him – didn't want to be in love ever again, because it hurt too much – but she liked him and he would do. All she needed was a ring on her finger so that she could give her child a name and a home.

Daniel was quite safe unless she got into trouble, and then she might just pay him a little visit at his home.

Emily got off the train and looked about her. Last time she'd visited Simon's family he had driven her, and she wasn't quite sure how to get to their house. She imagined it might be quite a way to walk. Just as she was wondering whether she could find a taxi, she heard a horn blow loudly and saw Amelia Vane waving at her from the station yard.

She smiled and walked quickly towards her. ‘I was just wondering what to do,' she said. ‘It was good of you to come and meet me. How did you know which train I would be on?'

‘Simon said you were coming and there are only two trains that stop here today,' Amelia told her with a smile. ‘I decided to meet them both, but you're nice and early so I shan't have to come again.'

‘I should have rung you,' Emily said. ‘Simon did give me the number but I didn't like to.'

‘Why on earth not?' Amelia had got out of the car to take her case and now she moved forward and kissed her on the cheek. ‘Don't you know we're delighted to have you in the family, Emily? Simon is so odd at times. We none of us thought he would marry, and it was a wonderful surprise when he told us that he'd married you.'

‘I thought we should have come down and told you first, but there wasn't time.'

‘It didn't matter,' Amelia said. ‘We are just pleased it happened.' Her eyes moved over Emily's slender figure, bringing a flush to the girl's cheeks. Had Amelia thought she might be pregnant already?

‘Vane is thrilled that you're staying here for a short time. He wants to get you involved in his project.'

‘Oh, yes.' Emily vaguely recalled that he was writing and researching a history of his family in Medieval times. ‘I don't think I would be much good at it, though, Amelia.'

‘I shouldn't worry,' she replied with a laugh. ‘He only wants to bore you with all he's discovered. He will talk for ages to anyone who will listen. But once you're living here, when you give up your job and come to us, then you'll want something to do, won't you?'

‘I shan't be giving up for a long time,' Emily said, frowning slightly. ‘I like what I do and they need me. If I didn't work for the fire service I should probably have to go in a factory or something.'

‘Oh, not now you're married to Simon!' Amelia said. ‘Vane wouldn't have that. Besides, once you have children  . . .'

‘Well, of course,' Emily said, and blushed again. ‘I'll have to leave once I  . . . once we have children.'

‘Well, there you are then.' Amelia beamed at her. ‘We had better get back. Simon should be here very soon.'

Emily got into the car, feeling as if she were being taken over. She wanted children one day, of course she did – but she wasn't in a hurry to start yet, and she didn't want to leave her job and live here. When Simon came out of the air force she had hoped they would find a nice little house of their own. It wasn't that she didn't like his family or the lovely house they lived in, no, it wasn't that at all, but she had thought they would have somewhere of their own for a few years at least.

Daniel read the letter from Alice, then slipped it into the pocket of his drill overalls. He was working on a lorry that was a perfect pain to get right; it had broken down too many times of late and he'd had it in the ear from his supervisor, though it wasn't his fault. It needed new parts but there weren't any going spare and he was patching it up as best he could yet again.

Alice's letter had brought some sunshine into a dull day, he thought. It surprised him how much he looked forward to them now, and he was glad that he'd asked her to get engaged next time he was on leave. He'd put in for leave at Christmas and he'd just heard that he was getting three days, Boxing Day and the two following. So he wouldn't be there on Christmas Day but Alice wouldn't mind. She would be pleased with the ring he had bought her, and the nylon stockings he'd managed to get from an American he'd met at one of the pubs down here. It was surprising what those Yanks got hold of, he thought with a smile, and it had pleased him that he'd been able to buy the stockings for Alice.

He imagined her wearing them. She had nice legs, and a good figure altogether. Daniel found himself thinking more often these days about how it would be for them once they were lovers. He grinned as a picture of Alice wearing nothing but the stockings and garters came into his head. Yes, that would keep the chill out on a cold winter's night all right! He had begun to count the days until his leave.

Glancing up, he saw one of the canteen girls on her way over, and turned back to his work, concentrating hard. Daphne had made her interest plain and he wasn't falling for that one. It gave him cold shivers thinking about Maura and the night he'd slept with her. Thank goodness nothing had happened. It couldn't have done or she would have tried to get in touch. He wouldn't be taking anymore risks like that. He'd been a stupid fool! Alice was the girl for him and he didn't intend to risk their relationship now. Something had changed the night he'd asked Alice to get engaged, and he'd known all at once how important she was to him.

When Daphne spoke to him, he glanced up, grunted something and got on with his work, ignoring her. He had no intention of becoming involved with anyone else. In a few weeks he would be slipping his ring on Alice's finger.

‘I thought we were only spending one night here?' Emily said, as Simon began to dress for dinner. ‘I was looking forward to going somewhere on our own.'

‘I can't go off too soon,' Simon said. ‘You know how pleased Father was to see us, and with the news of the wedding – he just wants us to meet all his friends.'

‘But what about our plans?' Emily said. She wasn't sure why she was pushing him, but for some reason she was out of sorts. Simon had made love to her twice the previous night, but this time he hadn't bothered to play games or tease her, and it hadn't been very satisfactory somehow. She felt as if his loving had been almost furtive, as if he were doing what was expected of him rather than for pleasure – his or hers. It hadn't been good for either of them. ‘Your family seems to think we're going to live here after the war. We aren't – are we?'

‘Of course we are – some of the time, anyway,' Simon said, his gaze narrowed and hard. ‘You must have realized that this place needs a lot of looking after? Father told you and so did Amelia.'

‘Yes, but that's their job, isn't it?'

‘For the moment, yes, but I shall help when the war is over. I'm the heir and it's up to me to help keep the estate running, Emily. Surely you knew that? You must have understood.'

‘Well, I didn't, not like that,' she said, and frowned. She wouldn't have minded so much if she'd been asked, but it all seemed cut and dried. She was expected to be the dutiful wife, give Simon a couple of sons and a daughter, and then settle down to mindless chores that would bore her to tears. She wasn't interested in tracing the family back to the Middle Ages or in playing lady of the manor. ‘I knew it might happen one day, but I thought we might have our own house. I like to cook and do my own flowers and—'