THE WAR BRIDE CLUB (21 page)

      “Why don’t we have a meal out to celebrate?”

      “Can we afford it?” She hated being the practical money counter, but finances were the one thing she couldn’t turn a blind eye to right now.

      “Just this once. I get paid tomorrow.”

      He stood up and took a hesitant step, then another, toward her. She was almost nervous.
 

      Roy stopped in front of her. Held out his hands and smiled, inviting her to stand up. She did.
 

      They stood like that, so close, staring at one another. Madeline felt an intimacy to her husband that she’d hoped for so many times.
 

      He bent down, slowly, and touched his lips over hers. Just briefly. A press of his lips that made her sigh.

      “I want to make it up to you, Madeline.”

      When he put his arms around her, all the bad memories seemed to fade away. Shivered down her spine and disappeared.
 

      She couldn’t hold it inside any longer. Couldn’t keep the secret to herself.
 

      “Roy, I think I’m pregnant.”

      She blurted it out. The words just tumbled from her mouth.
 

      He took a step back, arms still around her, then forward again. And blinked a few times in fast succession.
 

      “Pregnant?”

      “I don’t know for sure, but I’d say there’s a fairly good chance.”

      “All the more reason to celebrate,” he said with a smile on his face. “How about a steak dinner?”

      She laughed. Laughed like she hadn’t in a long time.
 

      “I’d like that.”

      He let her go and she walked toward their bedroom to get changed. Roy followed.
 

      “When will we know for sure?”

      She shrugged. “Soon as we have enough money for a doctor’s appointment.”

      He grinned at her. She grinned back.
 

      Maybe this baby was exactly what they needed to make things right between them.
 

      Now that she’d told Roy, she had to write and tell her family. They would be so excited for her.
 

      Being pregnant finally felt real.
 

      All she needed now was to find her friends and then life might start to feel like normal. Maybe seeing them again, being with them, would help her to settle. They’d hardly believe she’d fallen pregnant almost the moment they’d landed on American soil.
 

      “Will you be long?”

      She looked up to find Roy watching her as she slipped into a dress.
 

      Madeline shook her head.
 

      “Great, ‘cos I’m starving.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

THE bed was soft, luxurious. The house was silent, except the odd scratch of a bird on the roof. William hadn’t made a noise since before midnight. And still Betty couldn’t sleep.
 

      Closing her eyes made her see Charlie. Keeping them open made her think of Charlie. Everything about where she was, the house she was in, the reason she was here.
It was all Charlie.
 

      She had so many questions. How had he died? Why had he died? Would she be able to stay here long term? Would Charlie want her to stay here, to be with his family? There was still so much she didn’t know. So many questions she’d been too afraid to ask for fear of the answers. But now she needed to know.

      When she’d lost her parents, she’d thought it was the worst thing imaginable. But now… she only had to look at William to see all they had both lost.
 

      Betty rose. She padded into the adjoining nursery and watched William in the half-light as he slept. His tiny mouth was puckered, head turned slightly to the side. He looked so tiny, so vulnerable. She resisted the urge to pick him up.
 

      William was all she had now. The only reason she had for living. For staying. Would Luke have even welcomed her into his home had William not been born?
 

      She tiptoed out of the nursery and pulled her shawl around her. The house was cool as she stepped into the hall. It felt almost wrong, creeping through the house, but she couldn’t lie awake in bed any longer. She needed to do something, drink something, to calm her mind.
 

      Her mother’s chamomile tea haunted her still. The aromatic scent of it as it sat in a pot on a table. Watching as her mother sipped at it so delicately. Taking the first sip for herself and feeling how it calmed her with every tip of the tea cup. It was so long ago, yet being here had brought back so many memories of her mother.

      “Are you all right, my dear?”

      Betty’s hand flew to her chest. “Ivy!”
 

      The other woman smiled at her, standing near the foot of the stairs. Her grey hair was like a loose halo, skin pale in the half-light.
 

      “You scared me half to death,” Betty whispered. “I didn’t expect anyone to be up.”

      Ivy smiled and rubbed at her eyes. “I’m a light sleeper, always have been. I heard you.”

      “Oh, I’m sorry. I…”

      “You’ve nothing to be sorry for. I don’t sleep well either. Would you like a hot drink?”

      Betty nodded and followed Ivy.
 

      “Chocolate or coffee?”

      She tried her hardest to smile. She was in America now. The land of coffee, not tea.
 

      They both walked into the kitchen and Ivy flicked a light.
 

      “While I’m here I’ll have to teach you how to make a good cup of tea, you know,” she told Ivy.
 

      “A cup of tay,” mimicked Ivy, long hair falling over one shoulder as she laughed. She filled the jug and set it to boil.
 

      Betty laughed, too. She couldn’t help it.
 

      “Our Charlie wrote home and told me I’d have to learn to make a cup of tay, as he called it, before I’d win you over.”

      At the mention of his name Betty felt a frown tug her lips down. She fought to pull them back up. She’d been moping around here too long and it wasn’t doing anyone any good, least of all her.
 

      “Charlie liked a good sweet cup of tea. Or at least he did a good job of pretending he did when I made him one,” Betty said.
 

      Ivy placed the two cups down.
 

      “From what he told me in his letters, there was nothing about you that he didn’t love, my dear.” Ivy spooned dark black granules into a fancy looking pot. “Now I’m going to make you a coffee just like he would have made you. Strong, with cream and sugar.”

      Betty blinked back the tears and sat down at the table. It felt good, being here with Ivy. They might not have gotten off to the best start, when Ivy had broken the news, but she’d shown herself to be a kind, caring woman. The type Betty could trust. Confide in, even. She’d been there at her side to help her with William since day one, but it was only now that her deep grieving was over, that she’d realized how impossible it would have been to cope alone, without Ivy by her side.
 

      “Ivy, I need to know how, well…” she gulped in a big breath. She’d been waiting to ask this for weeks now, trying to figure out how to bring the subject up and not wanting to at the same time. “Ivy, I need to know how Charlie died.”

      “Did Luke not tell you?”

      Betty shook her head. She’d been too scared to ask Luke, probably always would be.
 

      “Charlie always was the talker of the family.”

      Betty watched as Ivy poured the coffee as she spoke, spooned in sugar, then reached for the cream.

      “From what I gather, and I’m only going from the details I know for sure, Charlie was asked to fly for a company near where he’d been stationed.”

      Betty wrapped both hands around the mug Ivy passed her.
 

      “You see, Luke has always been the successful one, in the financial sense that is. Charlie told him that he wanted to save enough money to make a deposit on a house. Said he wanted to make you proud. Have a home for you and the baby.”

      Betty sipped at the coffee. Even though it was sweet, the taste was strong, unfamiliar to her. Nothing like the calming brews of tea she was used to.
 

      “And something went wrong?” her voice wobbled, a weak edge to it, but Ivy just continued.
 

      “He had a contract to work for a month. Said that would mean he could save money and still get back before you were due to arrive. If they let you on the boat pregnant, that was.”

      Betty nodded, it was all she could do. She didn’t trust her voice again, but she needed to hear this.
 

      “He had a week left on the job, and it seems there were complications. There was a fault, with the engine they believe, and his plane went down.” 
      “Where?” Betty was numb, empty inside.
 

      “Over the ocean. His body was never retrieved, but they received a mayday, and they found the wreckage shortly after.”

      Betty gulped, and nodded some more. She forced the burning hot coffee down her throat. It wasn’t until Ivy reached for her hand that the tears fell. Like a wave that couldn’t be stopped, falling down her cheeks like an angry beat of rain. She’d thought the worst of her grieving was over, but this was hard. Knowing was harder than wondering – it made everything so final.
 

      “I’m sorry, Betty, I truly am. I’ve known these boys since they were in diapers. Charlie was like a son to me. He would have been a great father, I just know it.”

      “He was a great husband.” Betty choked out the words. “He was the best man I’ll ever meet.” 
      “All you can do is make him proud, my dear.” Ivy scooted her chair around and placed an arm about Betty. The weight of it comforted her. Settled her. Helped ease the tears. “You need to be the best mother you can be. Honor his memory and enjoy living here. It’s what he would have wanted.”

      “Really?” Betty asked.
 

      “I’ve no doubt he loved you, Betty. And I can see why. Now come on back up to bed and let’s see if you can get some sleep before Master William starts to fuss.”

      Betty allowed Ivy to lead her back to the bedroom. She was still exhausted, drained, but at least she finally knew.
 

      Charlie had died wanting to be the best father and husband he could be. He’d died trying to please her. Being the Charlie she’d fallen in love with.
 

      When her father had died, Betty’s mother had said that it was better to have loved once and lost, than to never have loved at all.
 

      She didn’t feel it now, but she knew one day, some time in the future, she’d probably agree.
 

      But she’d never stop wishing he was still with her.
Never.
 

The morning dawned bright and sunny. Betty had slept late, much later than she’d expected. She stretched, lazily got out of bed and strolled into the nursery. William wasn’t there.
 

      She smiled. Ivy to the rescue again. She’d gone to bed feeling numb, sad, but this morning she’d woken feeling refreshed. There was a dull ache deep within her, still yearning for her Charlie, but she was almost glad that she hadn’t known the truth until now.

      She dressed quickly and ran a brush through her hair.

      Betty heard William before she saw him. He was making the little whimper that she knew so well. Hungry. Ivy looked up gratefully but kept walking him, William slung over her shoulder as she patted firmly on his back.
 

      “I wanted to let you sleep, but this little beggar wasn’t going to take a bottle!”

      Betty reached for him, cooing as his little mouth formed a smile at seeing her.
 

      “Hello, little one.” She kissed his forehead. “I’ve missed you.”

      Ivy touched the small of her back and propelled her forward.
 

      “You come and feed him in here and I’ll fix you your breakfast.”

      “Sorry I slept so long, I didn’t realize how tired I was.”

      “You had a lot to take in last night.” Ivy set about boiling the kettle and cracking eggs. “You’ve missed Luke for the morning, but you’ll be seeing him tonight.”

      Betty was almost pleased to have missed him. The last few weeks had been awkward and tense. She wasn’t really up for company, except for Ivy’s. He’d been away on business the first month or so after she’d arrived, and it had given her time to settle in.
 

      “You like them scrambled or over easy?”