Beyond a Misty Shore (38 page)

‘You deserve to be happy, Sophie. You both deserve to be happy and I wish you a wonderful future together. When will you tell Bella?’

Sophie hadn’t thought about that. In the past she had been so careful not to let the child know that there was anything between her and Frank but now she realised that she would have to break it to her daughter that soon she would have a new father.

‘I’ll tell her as soon as she comes in from school this afternoon.’

‘The sooner the better, Sophie, and I’m sure she’ll be happy about it although she might be a bit . . . apprehensive at first.’

Sophie nodded thoughtfully. At least she had a couple of hours to think about what she would say to Bella.

Arthur decided that it would be prudent if he went out and so he put on his jacket, picked up his hat from the hallstand and let himself out quietly half an hour before Bella was due home.

Sophie was waiting at the front gate when Bella at last turned into Laurel Road. Bella walked home with her friends these days, saying she was too old now to be met, but she walked the last few yards alone, having left the others on Hawthorne Road.

‘Did you have a good day?’ Sophie asked, taking the child’s bag and cardigan from her.

‘It was
all right
, I suppose, but I’m glad it’s Saturday tomorrow. Can I go and play at Anne’s house in the afternoon, Mam?’

Sophie nodded. ‘Of course you can.’

‘Where’s Uncle Arthur?’ Bella asked on entering the living room and finding it empty.

‘I think he’s gone out for a walk, he . . . he knew there was something I had to tell you, something important.’ Sophie sat down and gently drew the child to her. ‘Do you remember your pa, Bella?’

Bella nodded, gazing at her mother. ‘I think I do, Mam. He’s in heaven with Aunty Hetty, isn’t he? Granny Sarah showed me the house where we all used to live, before he went to heaven and we came here.’

‘He is.’ Sophie paused, she hadn’t realised it was going to be this hard and Bella’s reaction depended so much on how she put this. ‘When he . . . died, Bella, I was very sad. I cried a lot and I missed him and was very lonely even though I had you and I love you very much.’

The child regarded her seriously with her big blue eyes.

‘But when we were living with Aunty Lizzie I . . . I became friends with Frank, who lived across the road.’

‘Robbie’s big brother. I remember him, he’s nice. He took us to see that bonfire at the street party.’

Sophie hoped she didn’t remember that Nora had also been there that night as well. ‘Frank and I were very good friends, Bella, for a long time, and . . . and well, then we discovered that we’d fallen in love.’

‘Wasn’t he married to that Nora? The one who was killed,’ Bella asked.

Sophie sighed. It had been impossible to keep it from the child; everyone in school had heard about it. ‘He was married to her but . . . but he didn’t love her, Bella. Sometimes that happens, you’ll understand when you are grown up. And now that poor Nora is dead, Frank wants to marry me. I still get very lonely sometimes, Bella, and I do love him and I want to marry him. Then he’ll be your new pa and he’ll be a great pa to you, I promise.’

Bella frowned, trying to digest all this. ‘Will you be happy if you marry him, Mam? You won’t be lonely any more?’ she asked at length.

Sophie nodded. ‘I’ll be happy. Will you be happy to have a new pa? I want you to be happy, Bella. It’s very important to me that you are.’

It was a few seconds before the child nodded slowly. ‘I’d like a new pa, Mam. I’m the only one in my class who hasn’t got a pa and sometimes I feel . . . left out when all the others talk about theirs.’

Sophie hadn’t known that and suddenly she felt the tears prick her eyes. She’d never realised that Bella felt like this. She was aware that Bella looked on Arthur as a grandfather but it wasn’t the same. She put her arms around the child. ‘Well, you’ll have a pa now too, Bella, and he’ll love you just as much as your pa in heaven does.’

Bella smiled. ‘Can I be a bridesmaid again, Mam?’

Sophie hugged her with relief. ‘Of course you can.’

Everything looked the same, Frank thought as he walked up Harebell Street towards his parents’ house. It was late morning and was already very warm; the cobbles were dusty and little clouds of flies hovered over the rubbish in the gutter. Yes, everything looked the same but it didn’t
feel
the same at all. As he drew nearer he glanced over at Nellie’s house. As usual the front door stood open, revealing the scuffed, cracked lino, the curtains at the windows were grey with grime, the brasses dull and pitted. There was no sign of life and he felt a wave of relief wash over him. Nora would never taunt, torment or humiliate him again. He would never have to set foot in Nellie’s house again either. At the top of the street a group of young lads were playing, swinging on a rope tied to one of the arms of the cast-iron lamppost; his brother was amongst them. He didn’t shout or wave to him; he didn’t want to call attention to himself. Robbie would be in soon enough for something to eat. Lads of that age always seemed to be hungry.

He paused for a second outside his mam’s house. Her door too stood open but the lino was polished, the windows sparkling, the curtains pristine and the brasses well polished. Even the step had been scrubbed.

‘Mam, I’m home!’ he called as he dropped his kitbag in the lobby, and never had those words been uttered with such enthusiasm and cheerfulness.

Martha instantly appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron, her face wreathed in smiles.

‘Come on in, Frank, it’s good to have you home, and I’m so sorry for the way I treated you in the past, when you were married to Nora.’ She hugged him, silently giving thanks that all the trials and sorrows of the past were over at last. ‘I’ve a real treat for you, lad. Homemade cottage pie and with a decent bit of minced beef too. And I’ve a surprise too! You’ll be seeing Sophie tomorrow night.’

‘But, Mam, I thought—’

‘Don’t worry, Lizzie and I have arranged it all. No one will be any the wiser. Now sit yourself down while I get the pie out of the oven.’

Frank digested her words and felt a surge of joy rush through him. ‘I’ve never felt so happy for years, Mam. I know the circumstances are tragic and that things will still be a bit difficult, but as soon as I caught sight of the Three Graces at the Pier Head I felt I was home and that from now on life will be so much better for us all.’

Martha nodded and, putting down the pie, hugged him. ‘They will, Frank. They will indeed.’

For Sophie the next four days had seemed unbearably long and when Tuesday at last arrived she knew it would be best if she kept herself busy all day, otherwise she would get herself into such a state of nervous excitement that she’d be fit for nothing. She intended to get to Lizzie’s for about eight o’clock. It would of course still be light but at least there would be less activity in the street and fewer people about.

She wanted to take a great deal of care with her appearance
and had decided to wear a navy and white flowered dress with a white jacket over it. Smart but not too brightly coloured: she didn’t want to attract attention to herself. She’d put her hair up and wore a small white straw hat with a narrow brim trimmed with navy ribbon.

She had very mixed emotions as she walked towards Harebell Street. Her heart was beating jerkily with happiness, excitement and some nervousness too. There had been times over the weekend when she’d had to pinch herself and tell herself that it really was happening.

As she passed Maggie Dodd’s shop, Maggie was just drawing down the blinds.

‘You look smart, Sophie. Paying Lizzie a visit?’ Maggie asked pleasantly.

‘Yes, I haven’t been to see her since we got back from Maria’s wedding, so I thought I’d pop along this evening for an hour,’ Sophie answered, trying to keep her tone calm and matter of fact.

‘You were wise, Sophie, what with all that’s been going on. Shocking it’s been.’

Sophie nodded, looking serious. ‘It was a terrible tragedy, Mrs Dodd. We heard about it when we got back from the island. It was such a shock.’

Maggie picked up the tub that held a collection of brushes and brooms and prepared to take them inside. ‘Well, it’s all over now – bar the shouting as they say, thank God.’

Sophie moved away thankfully. ‘Goodnight, Mrs Dodd.’

Maggie nodded and closed the shop door and Sophie
walked on. She was grateful Maggie hadn’t mentioned Frank. Maybe she hadn’t heard that he was home, although she doubted that. There wasn’t much in this neighbourhood that Maggie didn’t know about.

As usual Lizzie’s front door was slightly ajar and she let herself in. ‘Aunty Lizzie! It’s me, Sophie,’ she called as she went down the lobby. She was hoping Lizzie would let her see Frank in the parlour for there was never any privacy in the kitchen. She stopped dead as the kitchen door opened. Frank was standing in the doorway. Her heart seemed to leap into her throat and she couldn’t utter a word. He looked so handsome and so well. It was as though all the anguish and anxiety had been lifted from him.

‘Sophie! Oh, Sophie!’ he cried, coming towards her.

Then he took her in his arms and she clung to him, still unable to speak. Her heart was so full.

He kissed her tenderly at first but then with increasing passion. ‘Oh, Sophie, my darling, I never thought this moment would come.’

She drew away a little, thinking of Lizzie and her family. ‘Aunty Lizzie?’

He smiled down at her. ‘They’re all out; we’ve the house to ourselves for a couple of hours.’

It was quite a while before they drew apart and Frank led her towards Lizzie’s front room. ‘Mam planned it all, so we could be alone,’ he informed her.

‘I’d hoped Lizzie would let us use the parlour as I thought they’d all be in. This . . . this is so much better. Oh, Frank, I
can’t believe it. I really can’t. You’re here at last and it . . . it’s all over.’

He drew her down onto the sofa. ‘There are times when I’ve thought that too. It’s really
over
, Sophie. I’m free. We have a future now – or at least very soon we will.’

She leaned her head on his shoulder. ‘There’s still the trial, Frank.’

‘I know but they’ve persuaded me to do a last short trip. I know it’s only a week but hopefully things will have settled down when I get back. Sophie, I want to marry you as soon as possible – that’s if you want to marry me?’ he added hopefully.

‘Oh, Frank, of course I do! And I don’t want to wait for very long either. I’ve already told Bella.’

He nodded, looking a little anxious. ‘How did she take it?’

‘Very well.’ She smiled up at him. ‘She’s looking forward to having a new pa and to being a bridesmaid.’ She became serious again. ‘How long do you think we should wait?’

‘I’ve had plenty of time to think about that, my love. Would you be happy to get married in four weeks? The banns will have to be called, if you want a church wedding.’

‘Yes, I’d like it to be in church, Frank, but a very quiet affair. Just us, Bella, Arthur, your parents and Uncle Jim and Aunty Lizzie.’

‘Not Maria and her husband and your mother?’

She shook her head. She’d had her family around her the first time she’d been married and it wouldn’t be fair to drag them across now. ‘Mam is very busy helping Maria to get the tea shop they’re opening up and running before the season is
over and Hans already has half a dozen contracts for his new tractor. They’ll understand, I know they will, and it’s not as though it’s the first time . . . for either of us.’

‘I just wish it could be sooner, Sophie, I love you so much and I want you so much.’ He held her tightly.

‘I know, Frank, but it really isn’t very long to wait and you will be away for a week too. We have a lot of things to talk about and decide on and I will have things to organise, including a dress for Bella. She’ll want a new—’ she replied before his lips cut off her words.

All too soon they heard Lizzie and Billy returning, Lizzie making rather a lot of noise as she closed the scullery door and loudly informing Billy he was to go straight up to bed as it was way past his bedtime.

Frank stood up, pulling Sophie up with him. ‘I think that’s the signal for me to go back to Mam’s,’ he whispered reluctantly.

Sophie smiled. ‘She’ll be in here any minute now.’

Lizzie’s head appeared around the door. ‘We’re back, so you’d best go now, Frank. Our Billy’s safely upstairs. Is everything sorted out?’

‘More or less. We hope to get married in four weeks. Frank is going to go and see the vicar at Christ Church tomorrow, I’m going to meet him there,’ Sophie informed her.

Lizzie beamed at them. ‘I’m delighted and so will Martha be.’ She cocked her head to one side, listening. ‘That sounds
like Jim and Pat coming back. Come into the kitchen, Sophie, and we’ll have a cup of tea before you go home,’ she instructed before bustling back into the lobby.

Frank kissed her again. ‘At least I’ll see you tomorrow for an hour, Sophie.’

She held him tightly. ‘It won’t be long now, Frank, before we never have to say goodbye again.’

Arthur was sitting reading when she arrived back but he looked up expectantly as she came into the sitting room. After Bella had gone to bed he’d had time to think about things, mainly his future.

‘Are you relieved now you’ve seen him, Sophie?’

She took off her jacket and hat and sat down. ‘Yes, and I’m so happy, Arthur. He looks so well; that dejected, hopeless air has gone. We’re getting married in four weeks; we’re going to see the vicar at Christ Church tomorrow. It will be very quiet, just family – which includes you.’

He nodded. He’d been certain she would include him. ‘And have you discussed where you will live and what Frank will do?’

‘Not in great detail. He hopes to go back to his trade and I suppose we’ll live here.’

‘I’ve been thinking about that, Sophie.’

‘Arthur, it won’t affect you. This is your home and always will be, you know that.’

‘But you’ll want some time together, alone as man and wife, Sophie.’

‘With Bella too. She’ll need time to get used to Frank,’ she reminded him.