THE WAR BRIDE CLUB (12 page)

      Tears pricked her eyes, but she blinked them away. Having another girl, a sister-in-law beside her, was making her nostalgic. Would she ever hold her own sister’s hand again? See Lilly, or her mother and father?
 

      She braved a smile as she saw Patricia and her mother-in-law trade glances.
 

      “Are we not what you expected?” Patricia asked.

      “Oh, heavens no! I mean yes,” she laughed at her fumbled words. “It’s just you remind me of my own sister so much. It makes it hard, knowing I might never see her again.”

      Patricia slung an arm around her shoulders. “You’ll love it here. We know you will.”

      Eddie appeared in the carriage door. They had a private compartment to themselves with four large seats.
 

      “What’s going on here?” he passed around coffee from a tray and set it down on the table. “You’re not scaring my wife are you?”

      June couldn’t help but smile back at him. His grin was infectious. From that first day when she’d struggled home with him, helping him despite his drunken stupor, she’d not been able to take her eyes off that smile.
 

      “We like her just fine, Eddie.” Patricia thumped him on the arm as he tried to manhandle her out of the way.
 

      Eddie winked at June as he managed to dislodge his sister and steal her seat. He put his arm around her.
 

      “We call her Patty,” he said, indicating with a thumb at his sister. “She landed in a cow pat as a kid and the name stuck.”

      Patty squealed. “I did not!”

      Their mother put her hand up and Eddie pulled June against him and planted a kiss on her head.
 

      “Didn’t I tell you she was the best?”

      The two women laughed. June felt her cheeks flush, heat flooding them.
 

      “You must miss your family terribly, June.”

      She looked up and met her mother-in-laws eyes. “Yes.”

      “Will they come and visit?”

      June gulped. Her family weren’t exactly poor, but coming all the way to America was too extravagant for them to ever consider.
 

      “One day, maybe. But it wouldn’t be easy for them to, well, afford to do so.”

      He mother-in-law smiled and looked at Eddie. “Well, I’m sure we can help them make a visit one day, can’t we, Eddie?”

      He echoed his mother’s kind smile. It made June feel… content. She’d been so worried about meeting his family, tied in knots over the idea that they might not like her, and here they were doing their best to be kind. To welcome her.
 

      Eddie pulled her tighter.
 

      “Oh, and June?”
 

      She looked from the window back to Eddie’s mother.
 

      “You’re part of this family now. Call me Mother, or Irene. Whatever you feel most comfortable with.”

      June snuggled closer into Eddie. For the first time since she’d stepped foot on the ship to leave home, she felt truly happy. There was not a doubt in her mind that she’d done the right thing.
 

      Eddie was her husband. She had a wonderful new family. And if Irene kept her word, one day her family would come to see her.
 

      “Have a sleep, darling,” Eddie whispered into her ear, brushing her hair back with his thumb and index finger. “Just relax.”

      She was so tired that she didn’t argue. Instead she just lay her head against his shoulder and let her eyes flutter shut.
 

      She’d spent all those days at sea worrying. Staying awake at night and torturing herself with visions of what might happen when she arrived. Some of the other girls had been full of dreams and fancy ideas, but she’d had none. No illusions. Had been terrified of what his family might be like.

      
For once in her life it seemed her modesty had been rewarded.
 

June’s heart thudded with excitement. Patty and Irene were waving frantically to a man with a moustache, who was pulling to the side of the road in a car with no roof.
 

      “Eddie. Eddie!” She called to him as he lugged her case over.

      He gave her one of his big grins. “Thought you’d like the car.”

      “It has no roof!”
 

      June ran over to him and clung on to his forearm.

      “Don’t need a roof in New York. Not in summer.”

      She followed him to the car. The other two were already sitting in the back seat. June watched shyly as the man kissed his wife on the cheek, before walking around to greet her.
 

      His stomach protruded over his trousers in a well-fed kind of way. Her mother would have said it was evidence that a woman loved him and labored in the kitchen for him. He ran one hand over his thick moustache as he neared her, before taking the hat off his head.
 

      “Well, if it isn’t my new daughter-in-law, huh?”

      She crossed her ankles awkwardly on the spot, not sure what to do.
 

      “We’ve heard a lot about you, my girl. Eddie’s talked of nothing else since he arrived home.”

      She nervously took a step forward, then wondered why she was being so silly. Eddie’s father pulled her in for a big bear hug, before planting a kiss on each of her cheeks.
 

      “Welcome to the family, my love.”

      She knew her cheeks were flushing but she couldn’t help it.
 

      “Thank you for having me.”

      He gave Eddie a slap on the back and took her case.
 

      “You were right about her, eh? What a girl.”

      It made her heart sing. Made her skin alive with excitement.
 

      “Wait ‘till you’ve seen the new house. We’ve been…”

      “Dad!” Eddie scolded.

      His father put his hand over his mouth and gave her an apologetic look.
 

      “What house?” she asked.

      “It’s a surprise,” said Eddie. “Come on.”

      He took her hand and helped her into the car. She sat beside Patty, the three women all tucked into the back. Eddie took the front passenger’s seat and his father drove.
 

      “Hold on to your hats, ladies.”

      They all laughed. June louder than any of them.
 

      Life couldn’t get any better than this.
 

Or could it.
 

      June hated being in the dark, but she dared not peek. The scarf was tied tightly over her eyes. Eddie was leading her, and she held tight on to his arm.
 

      The others had mysteriously stayed up at the house, refusing to show her what room she was to call her own. The home had been beautiful, statuesque and elegant. Full of lovely furniture, framed photos, delicate cushions that she was sure were handmade.
 

      The entire property had stolen her heart from the moment the car had ascended the drive. Up the slight incline of a hill, and flanked by endless fields full of cows and others full with crops. A real-life ranch if ever she’d seen one.
 

      “Almost there.”

      “Eddie, please! Let me take it off,” she begged.

      He stayed silent for a few steps, not offering her any words. Then he stopped.
 

      “Okay, if you must.”

      She tugged the knot at the back of her head. The handkerchief slipped away.
 

      
Oh.
It was a house.
 

      She looked at him. Why were they here? Who lived here?

      “Eddie, where are we?” she asked.

      “Home.” He said the word simply.
 

      “But…”

      His smile couldn’t stretch any wider if he tried. “Let’s have a look, shall we?”

      She was puzzled. Why would they look inside the house? And why had he called it
home
? They’d just been at his home.
 

      It was large and built from wood – cream weatherboards that had obviously been freshly painted. Two chimneys stood proud on the roof, large windows looked out over fields. It was settled high on the land, looking down to the contours of the fields below.
 

      Eddie was almost at the front door. She hurried over to join him.
 

      “Stop,” he called out.

       
Her foot froze mid-air. He’d opened the door but halted her with his hand before she could walk inside.
 

      “Eddie…”

      He scooped her up into his arms and carried her over the threshold, before kissing her softly on the lips.
 

      “I’ve been back almost four months,” he told her, placing her down on polished timber floorboards. “I’ve worked with my father and his builder every day on this house to have it ready for us.”

      June gulped. “This is
our
house?”

      Eddie grinned at her. It was a smile that lit his eyes and made them crinkle in the corners. “All ours.”

      “Oh, Eddie. Oh my goodness!”

      She walked through the lounge and into the kitchen. She touched her palm to the solid timber counter before skimming her fingers across it. She took in the new stove, the appliances, before walking back into the lounge. The fire was set with kindling, despite the warm weather.
 

      “Is this really ours?”

      He nodded. “Do you like it?”

      She ran into his arms and squealed like she’d never done before. “I love it! Oh Eddie, I can’t believe it’s ours. Truly ours!”

      “We need to get some more furniture, but it’ll do for now.”

      “Do? Eddie, it’s
perfect
.” She exhaled the word with a sigh. “I don’t ever want to leave.”

      He took her hand to lead her up the stairs. “I’ll show you around then we’ll go get your things. Everyone’s waiting to see what you think.”

      “I can’t believe they would help you to do this for me. Have you been living here?”

      He shook his head. “We only finished it last week.” Eddie shrugged. “And I wanted us to spend our first night here together.”

      He moved away from her and disappeared through one of the doors.
 

      “Where are you?” she called out.
 

      June looked in. He was lying propped up by one elbow on a large bed. June didn’t know where to look, not with the way he was watching her.
 

      “Want to try it out?” he asked.

      “Eddie! We can’t.”

      He sat up and grabbed her hands, pulling her down on to the bed, too. He rolled on top of her and sat astride, holding her down.
 

      “Eddie!” But there was no use. He was too strong.
 

      He leant down and kissed her neck, teasing her.
 

      “Eddie, please! Stop!” But she couldn’t stop giggling and he wasn’t taking her seriously.
 

      He released her arms and kissed her mouth instead, but he didn’t stop.
 

      “I love you, June.” He paused and looked down at her, his eyes searching hers.
 

      She smiled straight back at him. “I’m glad I found you that day, Eddie West.”

      He rolled off her and tugged her into the crook of his arm.
 

      “As much as I’d like to stay here, mother will have half the neighborhood at the main house by now. She’s throwing you a party.”

      June jumped up. “Oh no! They can’t see me like this.”

      She fingered her hair, unwashed and in need of styling. Her clothes were embarrassingly crumpled and she had no idea what they’d expect her to wear.
 

      Eddie bent to kiss her then straightened his trousers.
 

      “Stay here. The bathroom is down the hall, and the hot water’s on. Mother put towels in there already. I’ll run back and get your things.”

      Eddie took off and she lay back down on the bed, stretched out like a starfish.
 

      She couldn’t wait to write to her family.
 

      She’d worried about her husband, whether he would have regretted marrying her on a whim in London. She’d expected his family to be cautious, distant even. Thought she might have set her hopes too high on what their home, what the farm would be.