THE WAR BRIDE CLUB (28 page)

      “My help?”

      It felt good, being able to talk like this. They’d gotten the heavy stuff that needed to be said out of the way, and now they could just get on with trying to be friends.
 

      “There were four of us, all sailing for New York, although I think Madeline ended up a bit further away on a farm. We found each other on our first day and we were inseparable, like sisters.”

      “Who were the other two?”

      “June and Alice,” she told him.
 

      “Have you made plans to see them again?”

      Betty would do anything to see the girls again. Needed to see them so badly.
 

      “June’s husband gave me his card, but I don’t know where the other girls are. I just know roughly where they are geographically, and their married names.”

      “And you want me to help you find them?” Luke asked.
 

      She wriggled in her seat, eyes lighting up at the idea. She hadn’t been ready to tell anyone about Charlie, not to start with, but now she wished she’d called June straight away, instead of letting all these months pass for her to come to terms with things.

      “If there’s anything you can do to help me, any way we could find them, I’d appreciate it.”

      Luke smiled over at her.
 

      “We said we’d stay in touch and never forget the time we shared together. But I hadn’t realized New York would be so big, or really thought that far ahead about how to stay in contact.”

      “How about you call into my office on Monday morning? My secretary can spend the afternoon helping you locate them. Maybe start with calling the man whose card you already have,” said.
 

      “Oh, thank you, Luke! Thank you so much.”

      “Thank my secretary once you find them. If she was fighting for us it mightn’t have taken so long to win the war, so I’ve no doubt she’ll track them down for you.”

      Betty sat back deep in the seat and couldn’t help but smile. Seeing June, Madeline and Alice again would be like a dream come true. They wouldn’t believe her when she told them about Charlie. Had they faced tragedy too, or were they all living the dream lives they had imagined? She hoped so.
 

      “Don’t smile too much yet, we still have to make it through this visit,” Luke said with a grimace.
 

      Somehow, this visit seemed a lot less worrisome with the prospect of tracking her friends down the day after next.
 

Maybe she’d spoken too soon. Meeting her in-laws was not as easy as she’d hoped it would be. And
 
William was not proving to be a happy distraction. He’d started crying the moment his grandmother had poked one of her long nails at him, trying to get a smile, and the look on his face still hadn’t changed.
 

      “Shall I get a maid to take him?” her mother-in-law asked.

      She could see Mrs. Olliver was getting sick of his squawking.
 

      “I had a wet nurse for you boys.” She directed her words to Luke, then Betty. “No need for a mother to amuse a child all day.”

      Betty bit her tongue.
If it wasn’t the mother’s job, then who’s was it?
Some poor maid who ended up with a better bond with the child than its own flesh and blood?
Not where she came from.
 

      Was that why Luke was so close to Ivy?

      “I’ve hardly heard William cry since they arrived, mother. He obviously doesn’t like his surroundings here.”

      Betty tried not to laugh at Luke’s dry tone.
 

      “I can take him inside, if you’d prefer,” Betty said. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him today.”

      Mrs Olliver flapped her hand and went back to drinking her bourbon. Her second since they’d arrived.
 

      “Perhaps he’d like something to eat, you know, to keep him occupied. Lunch should be served within minutes.”

      Did the woman have no idea? “He’s only just started on solids, as in pureed vegetables, ma’am, so just milk for him while we’re here.”

      “Oh.”

      She’d clearly been less than involved in the upbringing of her two sons.
 

      “So Mother, any news? What’s been happening in your world?”

      “I’d rather know about yours. Any special ladies?”
 

      Betty watched anger take hold of his face, frown lines appearing around his eyes.
 

      “Really, Mother, you must have better things to think about than my love life.”

      She shrugged, turning to glare at two young maids as they rushed out with plates of food.
 

      “Where is your father?”

      Luke shrugged at his mother. She stood and marched toward the house, sending the maids scurrying forward to place the food on the table. The setting was glorious, the outdoor table tucked away from the bright sunshine, overlooking a pretty, manicured garden. Like an over-sized version of Luke’s own home.
 

      Betty jumped when he caught her by the wrist, his fingers closing over her skin.
 

      It was the first time they’d touched, aside from the handshake the night she’d arrived and bumping into one another earlier in the morning.
 

      “As soon as lunch is over, if I make it that far, I want you to pretend you have a headache. Feel faint or something.” His words were so low they were like a quick hiss. “I’ll take William, you hold my arm and we’ll make a get away.”

      “I thought you wanted to spend the day here?” She tried to keep the smirk off her face as she recalled Ivy’s prediction.
 

      “Play along or I’ll leave you here,” he told her.
 

      Luke quickly released her wrist as his parents appeared. She nodded, trying not to laugh.
 

      “What are you two whispering about?”

      That mother of his didn’t miss a thing. Betty hadn’t exactly taken a liking to the woman, but it was nice to think of Luke as a friend, or at the very least a co-conspirator.
 

“Luke was just telling me what fun he had growing up here as a boy.”

      Her face lit up and she reached across to pat her son on the hand, like he was still a little boy.
 

      “Of course he did. It’s a wonder he ever wanted to leave.”

      Betty smiled sweetly over at Luke, who glowered back at her. She could understand precisely why he’d preferred boarding school, not to mention leaving home at such a young age. She would have run a mile, too, no matter how beautiful the surrounds.
 

      He stood as his father approached and held out his hand.
 

      “Father, good to see you.”

      “And you,” his father looked less than interested, vacant.
 

      “This here is Betty,” Luke told him.      

      She received a polite nod and smile. Maybe he didn’t even know who she was?

      Betty juggled William on her knee to keep him quiet.
 

      “So, Mr. Olliver, Luke tells me you have recently retired?” Betty did her best to make conversation with him, even though talking to strangers didn’t come naturally to her.
 

      He had a kind enough face, but he looked like there was no soul behind his eyes. She guessed his wife did most of the talking and he just stayed quiet to keep the peace.
 

      Well, Betty didn’t care. It was his father who Charlie had talked about the most to her, and it was he who she wanted to get to know now. Who knew when Luke would bring her here next? The way his mother carried on she was lucky to ever see her son.
 

      Her father-in-law didn’t answer, just smiled. She was about to ask another question but a sharp kick from Luke made her gasp.

      “Betty, are you all right?” Luke’s face was the picture of concern.
 

      “Oh, Mrs. Olliver, I’m dreadfully sorry, but I’m all of a sudden not feeling so good.”

      Her mother-in-law looked alarmed.
 

      “I shall call someone over. Do you need to lie down?”

      “I, I…” She put her hand to her forehead, trying to play the part.
 

      “Mother, I think I’d best take Betty home.”

      “Nonsense! The best thing for the girl is to stay here a while. We’d love to have her.”

      Betty tried to swipe the stunned look off her face. She could almost feel her mouth drop open in horror.
 

      “No, Betty is settled at my house. Besides, she doesn’t have any of the baby’s, ah, things with her.”

      “Richard. Richard!”

      Her father-in-law woke with a start. He’d fallen asleep in his chair.
 

      “Yes?” he muttered.

      “Luke here wants to take Betty back to town. She’s feeling unwell.”

      He looked like he couldn’t care less what happened around him.

      “Mrs. Olliver, please. I do think it would best for us to just…”

      The other woman stood, hands on hips. The stance worried Betty. It looked far too, well, determined.
 

      It seemed Luke had the same feeling.
 

      “Mother, we’re off. I need to get back to town. Betty is settled already there.”

      It was clear she didn’t agree at all.
 

      “Luke! Don’t you dare boss me about. It’s Betty’s choice.”

      She didn’t want to make a choice. She was starting to wish she’d never even agreed to meeting them. They’d barely touched lunch, and now they were leaving already.

      Luke rose from his chair and moved around the table, plucking William from her and tucking him into the crook of his arm.
 

      “Come on, Betty.”

      He reached for her hand, which she placed alongside his elbow.
 

      “Oh my, yes, I do feel awfully faint again.” She was barely lying now.
Perhaps she would faint if she had to stay here.

      “I’m going to get Betty to the car. Mother? Do you care to see us off?”

      She didn’t look impressed, but she followed, clicking her fingers at her husband.
 

      Betty followed beside Luke, keeping up with his long stride. She felt naughty, pretending to be ill, but she
was
feeling peculiar now. This whole meet the family business without having Charlie with her was unsettling. Uncomfortable. But at least it had brought her closer to Luke.
 

      William stayed silent. She admired the way he looked in the arms of a man. Of his uncle.
 

      He led her around the side of the house, avoiding walking through it. She was relieved. There might have been a battle again over where she should be staying if they’d gone inside.
 

      “Honestly, Luke. I do think it’s improper, Betty staying in the home of an unmarried man.”

      “She has Ivy to care for her, and I am her brother-in-law.” He said the words through gritted teeth. “There is nothing even close to inappropriate about that.”

      He opened the car door for her with his free hand, then passed her William once she was settled.
 

      “Thank you for a lovely lunch. I’m sorry we’ve had to cut it short.”

      Mrs Olliver smiled tightly. Her husband gave a more enthusiastic wave.
 

      Luke turned and kissed his mother on the cheek. Then shook his father’s hand.
 

      “Betty, did you bring anything?” Luke asked.
 

      “Oh! My handbag. I left it in the sitting room.”

      He turned to get it, his mother hot on his heels. But it didn’t stop Betty hearing the words she said as they walked away.
 

      “She’s a nice girl, Luke. You’d make a fine couple, if I do say so. Please tell me you’ve at least considered the idea? Is that why you’re insisting on keeping her hidden away at your place?”

      Betty found it hard to breathe. Air seemed to catch in little bubbles in her throat, allowing her just enough to keep her from choking. How could she say that! Charlie was hardly cold in the grave and she was trying to marry her living son to Charlie’s widow?

      Luke appeared to ignore his mother. He stormed into the house, emerging moments later with her bag. He jumped behind the wheel, raised his hand in a wave, then hit the accelerator.
 

      But he never looked at her once. They didn’t even talk.