The Lie (24 page)

‘When did it happen?'

Amelia hesitated. ‘We were told last week. His father didn't want you to know until he had been assessed – in case it was too much of a shock for you. It isn't quite as bad as we had feared, Emily. The doctors here think he will pull through, though it is going to be a long haul.'

‘But why wasn't I informed? I am his wife  . . .' Emily felt a spurt of irritation. She was his next of kin, but his parents had been told first and they hadn't told her until almost a week after the plane came down.

Amelia sounded embarrassed as she tried to explain. ‘Apparently Simon still had his father down as his next of kin, though how that happened I don't know. He must have told them he was getting married, but you know how these things happen. It's just an official mix-up again. I'm sorry, Emily. I thought you should have been told immediately, but Vane was worried for you in case—'

‘I'm not pregnant if that's what you're trying to ask,' Emily said, a sharp note in her voice. She was angry that they had kept the news from her, and that Simon hadn't registered her as his next of kin. It reinforced her feeling that she was just a woman he had married for breeding purposes, not truly important.

‘No, well, that can't be helped,' Amelia said. ‘You will want to see Simon as soon as they allow visitors, of course. Shall we expect you tomorrow?'

‘Yes, I'll come tomorrow if they will let me go.'

‘I should hardly think they will refuse in the circumstances.'

‘No, I don't suppose they will,' Emily said. It was awful of her but she was reluctant to give up her work to live with Simon's family, which would almost undoubtedly happen. ‘I'll speak to my supervisor this evening and catch the first train tomorrow.'

‘We shall expect you,' Amelia said. ‘And I'm very sorry, Emily  . . . about everything.'

‘It isn't your fault,' Emily said, but she knew her voice was formal, cool. ‘I'll see you tomorrow then.'

She put the phone down and sat on the bottom stair, hunching her knees up to her chest. She felt numb, confused, and her chest hurt. Tears were burning her eyes, but she held them back. Mostly, she felt guilty, as though it was her fault Simon had been hurt. She had been resenting him for not phoning her while he'd been lying in a hospital bed. It was almost as bad as if she had been directly responsible.

Why hadn't his father let her know immediately? More importantly, why hadn't Simon had her down as his next of kin?

Hearing her landlady hovering, Emily jumped up, grabbed her coat from the hallstand and went out before anything was said. She had money in her pocket, though she would walk most of the way. It would do her good.

Ten

A
lice was walking home after returning from Ely with the shopping she'd done for her mother. It was a better day at last and there were signs that spring might be on its way – another reason to make her smile if she didn't have enough of them already.

She was almost certain she was having a baby, Daniel's baby. She nursed the pleasure of her secret to her as she remembered sitting up in bed eating chocolates and sipping champagne. It hadn't happened the first time they had made love, but she must have fallen on her wedding night or the morning after. They had certainly made the most of their brief time together, and she couldn't be happier if a baby was the result. She knew that Daniel had wanted to wait for a family at one time, but if it had happened, it had happened; they would manage somehow. Her father had promised her a nice present when they set up home, and she'd decided to save the money for rent by staying put for the time being.

‘Why move when we've plenty of room for you?' her mother had told her when Henry took them to see the house in the fen. ‘This place would be nice enough if Daniel were here to share it, but you'll feel lonely here on your own. Save the rent and wait until he comes home.'

Her mother's advice made a lot of sense, Alice decided. She didn't particularly want to live in a large old house in the fen when there were modern ones in the village that might become available in time.

‘It was good of you to find it for me,' she told Henry, ‘but I think I'll wait until Daniel comes home.'

‘Sensible lass,' Henry said, and smiled at her. ‘See how things go. Daniel will probably buy something better when he's ready – with a yard where he can do up his bits and pieces. We've got land he could build on if he wanted. I think you're doing the right thing. Save your money and wait.'

So Alice was going to keep living with her family for now. Her mother might frown when she discovered she was pregnant, but she wouldn't change her mind.

‘Oh, Alice!' Frances called to her from across the street. ‘Wait a moment, will you? I wanted to tell you something. I've had a letter from Emily.'

Alice waited for her to walk across the road. It was very quiet, hardly anybody about, and somewhere nearby a thrush was trilling its heart out.

‘It's warmer today, isn't it?' Alice said, then she saw the look on Frances's face and felt chilled. ‘Is something wrong – bad news?'

‘Yes, it is,' Frances told her. ‘Emily's husband was shot down over the Channel and he's been badly hurt.'

‘That's terrible,' Alice said, immediately concerned. ‘Poor Emily  . . . but doesn't Marcus fly with him?'

‘No, not for a while. They were moved to different crews a few months back. I'm not really sure why. Marcus said it was something to do with Simon – a disagreement between them. Simon asked for a transfer, I think.'

‘Oh, I see,' Alice said, though of course she didn't. ‘Does Emily know?'

Frances gave her an odd look. ‘Marcus said I wasn't to tell her – he thought it might be awkward for me if she knew he and Simon had fallen out.'

‘Oh, I see. So Marcus is all right then?'

‘Yes, he's fine, fingers crossed,' Frances said, but her eyes were anxious and her hands worked nervously at her sides. You never knew who was next and the news had upset her. ‘Emily says it was some time before they would let her see Simon, but she has visited now and she doesn't think the burns are as bad as they could have been. Simon is scarred but will recover with the proper medical care, and his father has brought in specialists – one of them flew over from America to consult with the English doctors on the best way forward. He might even go there to have some of the surgery he will need when he is well enough to undergo treatment.'

‘To America?' It seemed such an impossibly long way away to Alice, and she could hardly comprehend that anyone would think of going there for surgery.

Frances nodded. ‘They have some of the best hospitals in the world, Alice, especially for things like this. Marcus knows someone who had an accident in a training flight over there, just before the war really got going, and his family almost wrote him off, but the Americans pulled him round. He is home now but will never be able to fly again, though he's hoping for artificial limbs soon.'

‘Let's pray Simon recovers,' Alice said, feeling the sting of tears. War was so awful! ‘Emily must be terribly upset.'

‘Yes, she is,' Frances said. ‘She has asked me to go and stay at the Vanes' place for a few days, and I shall of course – though it's a bit of a trek.' She patted her stomach proudly. ‘Not much longer to go  . . .'

‘When are you due?'

‘I think it will be April sometime,' Frances said. ‘Marcus had a couple of short leaves close together so I'm not certain – but we think April.'

‘Oh, well, you'll be home again before then, won't you?'

‘Yes, I'll be home in a few days. But Emily seems so down – I've got to go and see her. She doesn't want to leave his parents while there's still doubt about Simon's recovery, you see.'

‘She's given up her job, then?'

‘I don't think she had much choice,' Frances said with a little frown. ‘Lord Vane told her it was her duty to stay with Simon, so I suppose she had to ask for a discharge on compassionate grounds.'

‘Yes, I expect so,' Alice agreed. ‘Dan said she loved her job there. It's a shame, isn't it – but she didn't have much choice with Simon badly wounded, did she?'

‘No, I don't think she could refuse in the circumstances. I'm glad she's with his family. I hated to think of her in Liverpool with all that bombing going on.'

‘It just keeps on and on, doesn't it?' Alice shivered. ‘Look at what they're doing to London. I don't know how the poor devils stand it.'

‘I know  . . .' Frances sighed. ‘It's terrible; that's why I'm glad Emily is well out of it, though I don't think she feels that way.'

‘No, but she'll be glad to be with her husband, won't she?'

‘Yes, of course,' Frances said. ‘When he comes out of the hospital she won't want to be anywhere but with him. That's not likely to be for a while, of course.'

‘No, I don't suppose so.'

Alice nodded, because it was bound to take time. She considered telling Frances about her baby, but decided to keep her secret a while longer.

She was thinking about Emily as she left her sister-in-law and continued her walk home. It was so sad that Emily's husband should have been badly injured. Alice knew how she would feel if it had happened to Daniel. She would want to be with him as much as they would let her. Nothing would have made her go back to work and leave him in the hospital. She thought about the precious love letter he'd left on the table beside the bed. He'd said it was things she needed to know, but it was really a passionate love letter. She kept it with her and read it whenever she was missing him too much.

Alice was still doing a few days a week on the land, but she might have to cut down soon if her hopes were proved right. She could keep on doing tractor work for her father and perhaps some milking for a while, but she would have to stop doing the hard labour.

She enjoyed her work too, but she wouldn't mind giving it all up if she was having Daniel's baby.

‘It's so good to see you,' Emily said, and hugged her sister, feeling the sting of tears behind her eyes. ‘Thank you for coming. I really needed to see you.'

The emotion in her voice made Frances look at her. This wasn't like Emily at all. She was usually a well-balanced, thoughtful girl who kept her feelings under control, but of course she had more than enough to distress her now.

‘Of course I came,' Frances said, and kept an arm about her waist as they walked into the little back parlour that Emily had chosen to use. ‘Have you seen Simon yet?'

‘For about five minutes,' Emily said, choking back the sob that rose in her throat. ‘He was still under sedation so he didn't know I was there, but they tell me he's doing well. They say he will recover, that he isn't going to die.'

‘That's something,' Frances said, and looked at her face. ‘Was it awful for you, love? I mean, the burns  . . . seeing them?'

‘He had bandages covering his hands and part of his face, but I could see his mouth and his eyelids,' Emily said. ‘They looked a bit swollen but it is early days yet. I spoke to one of the doctors and he said Simon is in better shape than a lot of airmen who come down like that, so perhaps we've been lucky.'

‘Good, let's hope that's right, love.' Frances squeezed her waist. ‘Besides, they can do wonderful things these days.'

‘Yes, I know. I'm not worried about that – not for my own sake, anyway. It's dreadful for Simon. I keep thinking about the pain he will have to suffer and  . . .' She shook her head as the emotion clogged in her throat. How could she tell her sister that she felt trapped? It was so awful of her to think of herself at a time like this, but she was confused and unhappy, and it didn't help that she was expected to live here with Simon's family.

‘What is it, then? Something's wrong, I can see it.'

‘Oh, nothing  . . .' Emily blinked her tears away. She couldn't tell Frances that she believed she had made a mistake in marrying so hastily. It would look as if she was deserting Simon at the first sign of trouble, and her own sense of decency wouldn't let her do that, even if she knew what she wanted – and the trouble was, she didn't. ‘It's just  . . .' She couldn't find the words to go on.

‘Yes, of course,' Frances said at once. ‘You must be desperately worried, love. I wish there was something I could do to help.'

‘You're here and that makes me feel better,' Emily told her, and smiled. ‘Let's talk about something else. Tell me how you feel, what it feels like having the baby – and what you've managed to buy. Amelia gave me some baby wool she had put by yesterday and I've started to knit some coats for you, one in white and another in lemon.' She pulled a wry face. ‘I'm not very good at knitting, though.'

‘I'm sure they will be lovely,' Frances said. ‘I've brought my knitting with me, and some sewing too. I'm making a christening gown.'

‘I'm sure ours must be somewhere in the attic at Rathmere,' Emily said. ‘Don't most families keep them from one generation to the next?'

‘I think Henry had one and Clay gave Dorothy another,' Frances said, and pulled a face. ‘I'm a bit worried about Henry, Emily. He had a terrible cough when I saw him last week, and I think he's finding it all a bit much without Clay. It wasn't too bad when Daniel was home, but now – well, he can't cope.'

‘Have you heard anything from Daniel?' Emily asked.

‘No, and I don't think Alice has either,' Frances said. ‘But you know what it's like getting letters from over there  . . .'

‘From over where? No one knows where he is yet, do they?'

‘No, but Alice thinks it might be Egypt, though of course she doesn't really have a clue.'