THE WAR BRIDE CLUB (11 page)

      When the others started to part ways, then she would walk to the edge of the ship and hold the handrail. She was in no hurry to push her way to the front.      

      “Alice! Alice, what are you doing?”

      That voice did make her turn.
 

      Betty was standing behind her, baby tucked under one arm, scarf draped around them both. Alice laughed. They looked so at ease and yet a mess all at the same time. But they looked happy.

      “I’m just watching,” she said, taking a step back so they were side by side. “Can’t see the point in elbowing my way up there.”

      Betty sighed and held William out.“Want a hold?”

      Alice shook her head. “I’m sorry, it’s just…”

      Betty pulled him back in against her and started to rock him.
 

      “Don’t worry, Willy, the other girls love you,” she cooed. “Aunty Alice just doesn’t want to get her pretty jacket all covered in sick.”

      “It’s not that.”

      Betty gave her a nudge before dropping a kiss to William’s head.
 

      “It’s okay, Alice, I’m just so used to the other two wanting to grab him all the time.”      

      She felt awkward, and it wasn’t something she was used to.
 

      “I’m just not…”

      “I know, I know.” Betty smiled at her then cooed at the baby again. “You’re a good friend, Alice. You don’t need to hold my baby to prove that. You were there when it counted and I’ll never forget that.”

      “I’ve seen it! I’ve seen it with my own eyes!”

      Alice was pleased to be distracted. She didn’t like the tears in her eyes. Or how it was making her feel talking to Betty like it was the end.
 

      Madeline was jumping around like she’d just won the lottery and June wasn’t acting much different.
 

      “We’re here. We’re actually here.” Madeline breathed the words like she was whispering a secret. “I’ve seen the Statue of Liberty, the actual statue!”

      They all stood, staring at one another and then out at the horizon. At the tiny block of land that was New York, and the giant statue holding a torch up high, to the sky.
 

      “We are all going to keep in touch, aren’t we girls?” Alice had to ask. She might be the confident one, the one who was sure about how her life was going to pan out. But she didn’t want to go it alone. Not when she’d made friends like these three on her voyage over.
 

      “You bet.” June leaned into her.
 

      “I don’t ever want to lose you girls, not ever.” Betty held William tight against her, but she shuffled closer.
 

      “So that’s settled then,” said Alice.
 

      “We’re to keep in touch, no matter what,” said Madeline. “Our friendship is forever.” 
      They all looked at one another and suddenly Alice couldn’t help it. She started to cry. Big, fat dollops of tears started falling, and no matter how hard she tried to choke them back or look glamorous, there was no way to stop it.
 

      Betty, June and Madeline were the same. Tears falling, sobs escaping, like someone had just died.
 

      Only William’s sharp cry made them all sniffle back their emotion.
 

      “Look at us!” Alice tried to be the brave one again. “Crying like a bunch of old ladies.”

      “I love you girls,” said Betty, swinging her baby back and forth.
 

      Alice didn’t need to say it back. She loved them too – there was something between them that would never die. Aside from her husband, friendship was more important to her than anything. Especially here, all the way on the other side of the world.
 

      Friendship meant everything. Or at least it had for the past weeks.
 

      Friendship had been all they’d had.
 

CHAPTER EIGHT

BETTY had that sinking feeling like the one she’d had the day of her labor. A tremor that snaked through her body and left a dull ache in the base of her spine. Something was troubling her, she just didn’t know
what.

      But for the first time since leaving London, she was starting to worry that Charlie wouldn’t be waiting for her. There was an emptiness within her. A thud that was trying to tell her he wasn’t there.
 

      The crowd was a thriving, moving mass of people. The same song played over and over again, blaring loudly through jittery speakers as
 
she waited for her papers to be stamped in the crowded office.
Here Comes the Bride
. If she heard the beat once again she would scream.
 

      William made his little bleat, whimpering against her.

      “It’s okay, darling. Shush now.” She pulled him tighter against her.
 

      Betty’s other arm felt dead, but she didn’t let go of her case.

      She shouldn’t have let the other girls go without her. Charlie had promised that the day she arrived he would be waiting at the dock, standing closer than any other person dared and flapping his cap in the air so she could see him.
Waiting to spin her around and around and welcome her to America.
 

      But he wasn’t.
 

      
Charlie, where are you
?
 

      She gave William a little jiggle as he whimpered again. He was hungry, and she didn’t want to feed him in such a public place.
 

      “Come on, then.” She forced a smile and used her best singsong voice. “Let’s find somewhere quiet, shall we?”

      Charlie would find her. He would come for her. She had never doubted him before and she had no good reason to start now. There could be any number of reasons that he was delayed, and the worst thing she could do for her marriage’s sake was to put blame before it was warranted.
 

      She could see the size of the crowd with her own eyes. He could be stuck in traffic, a delayed train… she wasn’t going to doubt him. Not yet.
 

      “Betty!”
 

      She turned. June was battling through the crowd. Betty waited.
 

      “Betty! Oh, thank goodness I found you.”

      She grinned at her friend. “I’m just looking for somewhere to feed William.”

      “Where’s your Charlie?”

      Betty felt the tears threaten again.
 

      A tall, brown haired man appeared behind June. He slung his arm around her waist and she watched as June giggled, wishing it was her. That Charlie was standing with his arm around her.
 

      “Betty, this is my husband, Eddie. Eddie West.”

      “How do you do?”
 

      Betty held out her hand as he spoke. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Eddie. Pleased to meet you.”

      “Your husband is meeting you here?”

      June reached for William and Betty passed him to her. Willy loved the girls – they had held and coddled him almost as much as she had on the voyage.
 

      “I haven’t found him yet.” Betty spoke with as much bravery as she could muster. “I’m going to feed my son and then keep a look out.”

      “Here, let me take that.” Eddie reached for her case. “How about you settle over there.” He pointed. “We’ll help you over.”

      June passed William back to her and they all walked side by side.
 

      “He was going to meet you here, wasn’t he? I’m sure you could travel with us if you need to,” June said.
 

      Betty shook her head. “I’ll be fine, he’ll be here soon.”

      Eddie put her case down and gestured for her to sit. “We can wait if you’d like.”

      “Please, Betty, come with us. I can’t leave you here alone.”

      “Go,” said Betty. She gave June her bravest smile. She wasn’t going to ruin their day, too. “You two need to get on your way.”

      June looked unconvinced, but she bent to give William and then Betty a kiss anyway as Eddie took her hand. “Eddie’s mother and sister are waiting, so I suppose we should.”

      Betty felt a lick of jealousy and quickly wished it away. She would have loved to be greeted by her new family. To have found them straight away and be ushered into their care. June deserved it, but it still hurt.
 

      Eddie pulled a card from his pocket and passed it to her.
 

      “If you need us, just phone the number on here, any time. A friend of June’s is a friend of mine.”

      Betty took it and tucked it into her bag. The embossed cream card did at least give her a back up plan if something serious had delayed Charlie. If she was temporarily stranded.
 

      “Have a good trip,” she said.  
      Eddie had to drag June away but Betty was fine. All she wanted was to feed her baby, then find Charlie. The crowd was slowly thinning out already. Surely it would be easier to find him once there were less people about?

Betty was alone. The dock was still busy, but it was as if she’d been waiting hours. She had no idea how long it had been, but it felt like too long. The majority of people had left, but it was still more crowded than she felt comfortable with. Her hair curled, damp, against the base of her neck.

      William was starting to fuss again and she was trying hard not to cry herself.
 

      “Betty Olliver?”

      Her head shot up. A middle-aged woman with a tired face stood before her. She was clutching a photo in one hand.

      Betty squinted up at her, eyes burning from the tears she’d been trying to hold back. “I’m Betty,” she confirmed.
 

      “Oh, thank goodness.” The woman reached for her case and extended her other hand to help her up. “I thought I was never going to find you.”

      She held William tighter and kept an eye on her luggage. She didn’t trust strangers.
 

      “I’m sorry, are you Charlie’s mother?”

      “We weren’t expecting a baby yet,” the woman said. “Luke said you were in the family way but…”

      “Luke?”

      “The other Mr Olliver,” she said, pulling at Betty’s arm as she started walking.
 

      Betty dug her heels down and stopped. “I was expecting Charlie to meet me. I think I’ll wait if you don’t mind.”

      
Who was this woman?

      The lady stopped. Betty sensed sadness that something was wrong, but the woman smiled. The type of smile that made Betty’s toes tingle with worry. What was going on?

      “I’m sorry dear, I should have introduced myself properly. It’s been a long day.” She put the case down. “I’m Ivy. Luke’s housekeeper. He asked me to meet you and take you home to him.”

      “But…”

      “My dear, you did receive the telegram before you left, didn’t you? We weren’t sure you’d still come, but when we had no word back Luke said I’d better come down to meet you, just in case. We were already prepared for you, after all.”

      Betty’s head started to thump. She squeezed William, hard against her.
 

      “Where is Charlie?” Betty was starting to panic, ready to scream for her husband.
 

      Ivy reached for her, eyes suddenly damp with tears. She gave her a tiny smile, followed by a big sigh. The way she held her body, the slump of her shoulders, told her something was wrong.
That this kind looking woman didn’t want the burden of sharing something with her.
 

      Betty shuddered as her heart pounded like a pendulum. Tick-tock. Harder and faster until she thought it might actually beat right out from her jersey.
 

      “Betty, I’m so sorry, I didn’t think I’d be the one to have to break it to you…”

      “Where is he?” the voice she heard didn’t even sound like her own. It was strangled, pained. Heartbroken. Could almost taste what was coming next, knew she didn’t want to hear what this Ivy had to say, but she needed to.
She needed her husband.
“Where is my Charlie? Tell me where he is!”

      She let the woman take William for her as he started to scream. Her hands were shaking too hard to hold him herself.
 

      “I’m sorry, my love. Charlie’s dead.”

* * *

June tried to sit still. After so long at sea, she was desperate to stamp her feet on the ground, but she was travelling again, this time by train. Eddie was off in search of refreshments.
 

      “We’re so excited to finally have you here, June.” Eddie’s sister, Patricia, grabbed hold of her hand and squeezed.