Beyond a Misty Shore (37 page)

He got up and walked slowly across to the desk that was set against the far bulkhead. There was always writing paper and envelopes in one of the drawers. He’d write to both his mam and Sophie. They were in port for almost a week so he could give them to the agent and hopefully the letters would arrive in Liverpool before he did. It wasn’t often they got bad weather at this time of year but they had to cross the Bay of Biscay so it wasn’t automatically guaranteed. As he sat down and placed a sheet of paper with the company emblem and ‘
MV City of Exeter
’ embossed on the top he felt his spirits lift for the first time since he’d been summoned by Captain Fletcher. He was going home and it was to a better life than he’d envisaged this time last week.

A
RTHUR HAD PICKED UP
the post that morning but on seeing the foreign stamp he realised that it was from Frank and had just handed the letter to Sophie and excused himself.

Her hands shook a little as she opened it. She had wondered if he would write.

My dearest Sophie,

I hope you receive this letter before I get home as there are certain things I want you to know. Mam’s letter has just arrived giving me all the details of Nora’s tragic death. I had been informed earlier, of course, and so I have had a little time to try to come to terms with it. It was a terrible shock but now I know who she was mixed up with I can
understand how it happened. I have to admit that my emotions are still very mixed and rather confused. Shock, revulsion, regret and pity, of course. I never wished her harm, you know that, despite everything. But I also feel a great sense of relief knowing that I am no longer tied to a woman I never loved and actively disliked. Relief that I can look forward to the future and happiness. I want nothing more than to see you, Sophie, the minute I get home, but Mam has advised against it. She says the newspapermen are everywhere as obviously the case has given rise to great public interest. I don’t know if she is exaggerating – she often does – but I don’t want you to become involved in all the publicity Jake Harvey’s trial is bound to generate. I don’t want you to be upset, hurt or humiliated in any way, so it might be as well if I leave coming to see you for a while, although it will be very hard to stay away. I wanted to explain this to you so you wouldn’t think I don’t love you or care about your feelings and reputation. You know, Sophie, how much I love you. Now that I’m free, I am counting the days until I can ask you to marry me.

With all my love,

Frank

She folded it and held it to her. She longed to be on the dockside waiting when his ship tied up but she knew it wasn’t possible. How would it look if she was seen running into the arms of a man whose wife had just been murdered and who was hardly cold in her grave? The vilification that would be
heaped on both Frank and her would be unberable. He was right, it would be better if they didn’t see each other for a while. As he’d said, it would be hard, very hard, when they had waited so long for this day. There had been times when she’d almost given up hope of that ever happening but now in the not-too-distant future it would, she must be patient for just a while longer, she told herself.

He hadn’t said when he hoped to be home and she wondered had that been deliberate? She wondered had he also written to his mother? Very probably. Had he mentioned it to Martha? She got to her feet. She would go and see his mother and find out; it would help a little if she at least
knew
when he would be back in Liverpool.

As she went into the hall Arthur was coming down the stairs. He looked at her anxiously.

‘Is everything all right, Sophie? I take it the letter was from Frank? How is he?’

‘Yes, it was. He’s shocked, of course, but he isn’t glad she’s dead. He feels nothing but pity for her, but he feels relieved too.’

Arthur nodded. ‘That’s only to be expected, Sophie. Does he say when he’ll be home?’

‘No, but I think he’s written to his mother too so I’m going to see her. It will help if I at least know . . .’

He smiled at her. ‘It will all blow over, Sophie. In a few weeks, when the trial is over, people will forget all about it. There will be some other sensation in the press that will grab their attention and in six months’ time no one will even
remember who Nora Ryan or Jake Harvey were. The general public has a very short memory, trust me. I know that from experience.’

‘Of course you do, Arthur,’ she replied sadly.

Martha had wondered if Sophie would come to see her. She’d had a letter in the post that morning and Frank had said he’d written to Sophie too.

She greeted her with a smile. ‘Come in, Sophie. At least things have quietened down a bit in the street now the funeral is over.’

‘I got a letter from Frank in the post this morning and I wondered if he’d written to you as well.’

Martha put the kettle on. ‘He did. He seems to be taking it well enough; I suppose he’s had time to get over the shock now.’

Sophie nodded. ‘He said he doesn’t think it wise if he comes to see me straight away and I think he’s right. It wouldn’t look . . . right. Not so soon after . . .’

‘No, luv, I don’t suppose it would.’

‘Did he say when he does expect to be home? It’s just that if I had some idea . . . ?’

‘At the beginning of next week, that’s in three days’ time, unless they are held up by bad weather in the Bay of Biscay. Pat seems to think they might be – he’s always listening to the shipping forecast – though I can’t see that myself.’

Sophie pondered this as she sipped her tea. ‘It will be hard for him, being just across the road to where . . .’

Martha nodded firmly. ‘We’ll try to make it as easy as possible for him. I’ll go over and collect any of his things that are still at Nellie’s. There will be no need for him to go there again. He’ll not need to have anything more to do with them. He never got on with them anyway and hated living there. And I’m not having Nellie accusing him of neglecting Nora or anything else either. He was a saint to put up with her and
them
for all these years.’ Martha refilled her cup. ‘And Pat and I are going to persuade him not to sign off straight away with Harrison’s but to do the next short trip over to Hamburg and Rotterdam, that way he won’t be here for Jake Harvey’s trial.’

‘But he’ll only be away a week, what if it lasts longer than that?’

Martha looked sceptical. ‘It won’t. It’s a cut-and-dried case. He’ll be found guilty and sentenced although I’ve no idea when they’ll hang him. It won’t be straight away though – more’s the pity.’

Sophie shuddered. ‘That will be something else we’ll have to contend with.’

‘At least it will be the end of it all and we can put it behind us and get on with our lives,’ Martha stated briskly.

‘So, I suppose it will be a few weeks yet before I can see Frank.’ Sophie smiled ruefully. ‘It will be very hard for us both.’

Martha reached across and patted her arm. ‘I know it will, Sophie. He loves you a great deal, he told me so in the letter.’

Sophie sighed and nodded, trying to fight down the
feelings of impatience and disappointment that had risen in her at Martha’s words. ‘And I love him too. I . . . I never thought I would ever love anyone again after Andrew was drowned, but I fell in love with Frank although at times it all looked so hopeless. We’ve waited so long and he . . . he had to put up with so much . . .’

‘I know, but it will all soon be over for you both and I’ll welcome you as a daughter-in-law with open arms, Sophie.’ Martha meant what she said and she thought that all this press interest was terribly unfair on them both. ‘You know, luv, there’s nothing to stop you paying a visit to Lizzie on Tuesday night, she
is
your aunt and you do often come to see her.’

Sophie looked a little puzzled.

Martha smiled conspiratorially. ‘I’m sure it could be arranged for Frank to slip in to see Lizzie at the same time, using the back way in through the entry. Who would know except us and Lizzie’s family and none of us are likely to mention it to anyone else.’

Sophie’s eyes lit up and she took Martha’s hand. ‘Could you arrange it?’

‘Of course I will. I’ll go in to see Lizzie straight after you’ve gone and I know she’ll be delighted. She can make sure that her lot are all out.’

Sophie took her leave feeling much happier than she’d done when she’d arrived. As she walked to the tram stop her step was light and her heart was beating faster. In two short days he would be home and she wouldn’t have to wait weeks
to see him, just a single day, and then for the first time since that fateful New Year’s Eve he would hold her and kiss her and this time there would be no shocked and disapproving glances or justifiably jealous outbursts or attacks from Nora. The waiting would be over and they could plan their future together.

Lizzie was a little put out when Martha informed her that Sophie had been to see her. ‘Well, she might have called in to see me as well, I
am
her aunt.’

‘Just hold on a minute, Lizzie, will you. She wanted to know when Frank would be home.’

Lizzie frowned. ‘I thought you said you’d advised him not to see her straight away. Well, of course he will
want
to but it wouldn’t be the wisest thing to do, they wouldn’t want the papers to get hold of it.’

‘That’s what I’ve come to tell you. I’ve sorted out a way round it. I had a letter this morning and he’ll be home on Monday. No one can read anything into her paying you a visit on Tuesday evening, can they? She often comes to see you and, as you’ve just said, you’re her aunt. So, what I suggested was that when she’s here our Frank slips in the back way.’

As understanding dawned Lizzie began to smile. ‘Now why didn’t I think of that?’

‘Do you think you can get rid of your lot for a few hours? Give them a bit of time alone? God knows they deserve it.’

Lizzie nodded enthusiastically. ‘Jim and our John can go
for a couple of pints, Katie spends half her life down at Mary Seddon’s anyway these days so I’ll make sure she’s with Matt that night . . .’

‘And you and your Billy can come in to me. In fact Pat can go to the pub with Jim as well and the two lads do play well together. There’s no need to tell those two what it’s all about, Lizzie. The least our Robbie and your Billy know, the better. We can’t trust them to keep their mouths shut,’ Martha added.

‘And Sophie can leave Bella with Arthur Chatsworth,’ Lizzie mused. ‘So, it’s all sorted, Martha, and I’m glad. There will be another wedding in the offing before long, I’ll bet. They’ve waited so long that I can’t see them wanting to delay much.’ She smiled broadly at her friend. ‘Just think, then we’ll be related, Martha. He’s your son and she’s my niece: I’m not quite sure what “relation” that makes us to each other but I think we’ll have a cup of tea to celebrate just the same.’

Martha nodded happily. ‘It looks as if things will be turning out for the best all round now, Lizzie. Maria already happily married; next it will be Sophie and Frank and then your Katie and Matt Seddon.’

Lizzie grinned at her again. ‘It’s like trams and buses, Martha. You wait for ages and none turn up and then three come altogether.’

S
OPHIE HADN’T BEEN ABLE
to contain her sheer joy when she’d arrived home. Her sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks gave her away.

‘I can see by your face that he’ll be home soon, Sophie,’ Arthur deduced.

‘On Monday, so Martha says, and she is going to arrange with Aunty Lizzie for me to see him in Lizzie’s house on Tuesday evening. Neither of us wanted to have to wait but . . . we felt if we were seen together as soon as he got home it would attract the wrong kind of interest and there would be a storm of criticism. So, to all intents and purposes I’ll just be going to visit Aunty Lizzie and—’

Arthur smiled. ‘Frank will just “happen” to be there too?’

‘No, he’ll slip in the back way. Oh, Arthur, I’m so happy! I
can’t believe that now everything is going to be . . .’ She flung her arms around him and hugged him.