by Annie Groves
Sarah came carefully through the crowd, carrying a tray laden with a collection of mismatched glasses full of sherry. She offered one to her sister-in-law but Violet declined, pulling a face.
‘Kitty, how about you?’ Sarah cautiously turned round. ‘Some of Winnie’s ill-gotten sherry? We might as well make the most of it.’
Kitty shook her head. ‘I know what you mean, but even the thought of Winnie cursing us from wherever she is now can’t persuade me to like the stuff.’ She gave a mock shudder as Danny came up behind them.
‘Here, Sar, I’ll take that. You don’t want “Winnie’s ruin” down your best frock,’ he grinned.
Pop, passing by, made a tutting noise. ‘Now let’s not speak ill of the dead.’ But he smiled to take the sting out of his remark, before moving off to open more beer.
Sarah turned gratefully to Danny. ‘Thanks. They’re heavier than they look and you’re right, I don’t want to spoil this on its first outing.’ She was wearing a beautifully soft wool dress in a yellow so pale it was almost cream, with delicate crocheted collar and cuffs in white. It suited her slender figure and set off her colouring, but it would no doubt show every mark. Kitty smiled at her brother’s chivalry. His manners had improved since she’d left home. Not for the first time she noticed how close he seemed to Sarah, but more likely than not there was nothing in it – Sarah was still very young, and from what everyone said was following in her big sister’s footsteps and devoting herself to nursing.
‘Frank should be here at any minute,’ he went on. ‘He couldn’t get the afternoon off, they were expecting something through that only he could deal with.’ He stopped, knowing that he shouldn’t have said even that much – but Sarah had a pretty good idea of what he and Frank did, and Kitty would be utterly trustworthy. As a Wren she must have to deal with complex levels of security all the time.
‘Is he bringing Sylvia?’ Sarah asked.
‘Don’t think so, she’s on late shifts this week,’ Danny said, failing to notice the expression on his sister’s face.
Immediately Kitty forced her smile to remain in place, so that her flicker of emotion would remain unseen. So Frank had a girlfriend – that should come as no surprise. He was handsome and clever, and had always been popular with the opposite sex; of course he would have someone by now. He’d been back on Merseyside for as long as she’d been away. The only surprise was that she hadn’t heard about it before. Of course there had been a time when such news would have caused her distress, but she reminded herself that she was a different person now, after everything Elliott had taught her, and also after the experience of living and training away from home. She wasn’t a silly kid longing for the gorgeous boynext-door to notice her. So when, a moment later, she caught sight of Frank’s head of molasses-coloured wavy hair above the crowd, she simply told herself it was the excitement of the day that made her heart beat a little faster, and that standing near the fire had caused her face to flush. She looked calmly at him as he made his way steadily over to them and wondered if anyone had tipped him off that she was here.
‘Kitty. You made it, then,’ he said, and she still wasn’t sure if he’d been caught off-guard or not, but he appeared pleased to see her. The atmosphere seemed to change imperceptibly around them, but she told herself she was imagining it. She reminded herself that she was done with all of that, and that there was no room to think of any future attachments; she needed to be free to go wherever she was posted. But, much as she tried, Kitty couldn’t stop the tremble that had crept into her legs, or fail to be conscious of Frank’s larger-than-life presence as they stood so near to each other. Frank was so close she could touch him if she wanted to …
Frank schooled himself not to react to Kitty’s unexpected presence. Of course he knew she’d been asked to come, but when nobody had heard from her he, like everyone else, assumed she would be unable to make it. Now here she was, as beautiful as ever, but with something else behind those lustrous eyes: a sorrow and maturity that was new. The loss of her doctor boyfriend must have hit her hard. It had only been a couple of months ago, so she must be deep in grief still. His heart went out to her and for a moment he almost said something that would give away how he felt – but then he reminded himself that she would be unlikely to welcome it when she was so recently bereaved. Besides which, he was now seeing Sylvia as often as they could manage, and if he wasn’t quite head over heels in love, he was most definitely ‘in like’. All their lives had changed and he had to accept that.
‘Wouldn’t have missed this for anything,’ she said lightly, and her voice was still as musical as ever, although maybe her accent wasn’t quite as strong. He realised he was staring and snapped out of his reverie.
‘Of course not. It’s good to see you,’ he replied, cursing himself for being so dull, but unable to come out with anything better. Just being next to her made him as tongue-tied as a schoolboy.
‘You too.’ She was just being polite, nothing else. He mustn’t monopolise her. So now he smiled again in acknowledgement of her presence, resisting the sensation that she was still so magnetic to him, and moved across to congratulate his sister and old friend, now his brother-in-law. Kitty, for all her beauty, could form no part of his future. He had to steel himself to accept it – although every cell in his body screamed against the idea.
Jack had chosen to get married in his Fleet Air Arm uniform, and had never looked more handsome as he stood with one arm around Rita, now that the children had run off to find more treats. Rita looked simply radiant. Utilising all her finest skills from when she had worked in George Henry Lee, Nancy had ensured that her big sister was as beautiful a bride as had been seen, war or no war. She’d found the dress in Lewis’s warehouse, a silk bias-cut with softly puffed sleeves, in a subtle but elegant pattern of corals, creams and greens, which suited Rita’s Titian-red hair and blue-green eyes to perfection. Everyone had pooled their coupons for it. She’d matched the coral shade exactly for Rita’s nail polish. Rita herself had one good pair of black shoes with heels that she rarely wore, as for nursing and working in the shop she needed flat, comfortable ones – and she had rarely done anything other than nursing or working in the shop for years. Nancy had given Rita a precious pair of nylons which one of the US engineers had given her, and Rita had wisely asked no questions about what exactly Nancy had done to receive such a valuable gift. There would be time enough after the wedding to quiz her wayward sister about her behaviour. Rita had taken off the fine new coat that Nancy had lent her, joking that with that, the dress and nylons, along with the shoes, she’d got the ‘something old’, ‘something new’, and ‘something borrowed’ – at which point Kitty had stepped forward and pressed a gold chain into her friend’s hand. Attached to it was a tiny locket with a blue stone.
‘There you are. Something blue. Wear it and you’ll have all the luck in the world.’
‘Really, Kitty? This is gorgeous. It’s so delicate.’ Rita held it up to the light to admire it.
‘It will suit you much better than me, I never have anywhere to wear it,’ Kitty assured her, bending the truth a little, as Elliott had given it to her, saying the stone echoed Kitty’s own dark-blue eyes. Part of her wanted to keep it as a memento of him, but in her heart she knew he had given her gifts far more precious than jewels: confidence, self-belief, a doorway to another world. It was utterly right that Rita should have the locket.
So now Rita wore it at her throat and it gleamed in the light from the parlour gas lamps. Frank noticed it as he made his way to the happy couple, and automatically registered its fine quality, but thought no more of it. He reached to shake Jack’s hand.
‘You’re a lucky man, Jack,’ he grinned, then his face grew more solemn. ‘Make her happy, won’t you—’
Rita interrupted before Jack could reply. ‘He’s going to, I’ll see to that. How could he do anything else?’ She gazed up at the man she loved more than any other, now her husband, and the proud expression on his face almo
st took her breath away.
Frank tore his thoughts away from Kitty and smiled at his sister, delighted and hugely relieved to see her so happy at last. He’d been worried for her, as had everyone in the family, and felt guilty that he couldn’t do more to help her, especially when Charlie upped and disappeared. Now things had finally come right for her. Impulsively he leant in and gave her a swift kiss on the cheek. ‘Congratulations, Rita.’ He could tell he was surplus to requirements and, having said what he’d wanted to say, he backed away again to talk to Danny.
Jack looked down at his bride, her face slightly flushed with the heat of the room and also with the excitement of the day. ‘Fancy stepping out for some fresh air?’ he asked quietly.
‘Good idea.’ Rita smiled apologetically as they edged their way through the scrum. She picked up Nancy’s lovely coat from the hook beside the front door and they slipped outside into the street, now nearly dark with the shortest day being so close. Seeking shelter from the biting westerly wind, they tucked themselves into the entrance to the alley that separated the Feeny household from the corner shop. Jack drew her to him and breathed in the scent of her beautiful hair, which shone in the remains of the twilight. They could hear the sounds of the party from the house and voices rising from the Feeny back yard.
‘So, Mrs Callaghan.’ Jack smiled as he said the name. ‘How did you like your wedding day?’
‘Oh, Jack.’ Rita hugged him close, almost unable to believe that it was true. ‘It was better than I’d ever hoped for. Standing there before the registrar, all our family and friends looking on, made me the proudest woman in the world. I have to keep pinching myself that it really happened. It was the best day of my life – well, that and when the children were born.’
‘I’ve never been so happy, Reet. I’ve wanted this for us since we were sixteen.’ He sighed in satisfaction. ‘I always knew we’d be together somehow, but I never guessed what you’d have to go through first.’ His voice changed, becoming charged with fierce emotion. ‘You’ll never suffer like that again, my darling. I’m going to make sure you’re safe and protect you for the rest of your life.’
Rita didn’t reply, just gazed up at him hungrily, and he brought his head down to hers and kissed her slowly and then with more passion, until they were leaning against the wall of the alley like the couple of teenagers they had been the first time they’d realised how they felt about one another. ‘Oh, I could …’ Rita shuddered in anticipation. What with her injuries when he’d last been home and him getting leave from only the day before the wedding, they had not had the chance to make love all the time they’d been engaged, with her a free woman desperate to make up for all those years they’d been apart. ‘I want you so badly, Jack Callaghan, and I’m not ashamed to say so.’
‘I should hope so too, now you’re my wife.’ He kissed her again, more gently this time. ‘But we’ve got all the time in the world now. We’ll wait a few more hours and then I can show you how much I love you in style.’
‘In style? What, have we got the room above the Sailor’s Rest?’ she asked. ‘No, it’ll be Bent-nose Jake’s, won’t it? Somewhere really classy.’ She laughed, sure that they’d be spending their first night together in Jack’s old room on Empire Street.
‘Even better.’ He couldn’t keep the delight from his voice. ‘Nothing but the best for you, Mrs Callaghan. We’re going to the Adelphi.’
‘What? Really? Jack, do you mean it?’ Rita almost let go of him in surprise. She’d never been into the hotel in all of her life. She’d heard all about it from Nancy and wondered at who would actually go to stay there in such opulence. She couldn’t believe it might be her.
‘Of course.’ He held her tightly again. ‘I love my old house, but I didn’t want us to spend our first proper night together with Tommy and Danny on the other side of the wall, or at yours with Ruby and the kids able to listen to everything. Why not treat ourselves? You’re the most beautiful woman in the world – why wouldn’t you want to spend the first night of our marriage in Liverpool’s finest? The perfect place for you, I’d say.’
‘Oh, Jack.’ She was speechless with love for this man. He would do anything for her, she’d known that for a very long time, but for him to have taken the trouble of such an extravagant gesture, such a luxurious treat – words could not describe her wonder at all she had to learn from him. ‘Jack,’ she said very quietly, ‘just stay alive, won’t you? I never, ever want to lose you.’ Suddenly she wanted to cry at the enormity of what losing him would be like.
‘You don’t get rid of me that easily,’ he said, holding her so passionately that they could barely breathe. ‘Now that I’ve got you, I’m never letting you go. The thought of you will always keep me safe and bring me home.’ He rubbed his face against her hair and then smoothed it back. ‘Come on, let’s get back to the party. We’re so lucky, you and I. There’s all those people come to wish us well and make sure we’re happy.’
Rita let him take her hand and lead her back to the front door. ‘We are lucky, Jack. We’re lucky because we found each other and we don’t have to hide it any more. Jack Callaghan, I love you to the ends of the earth and I’m the luckiest, luckiest woman alive.’
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A big thank you to Kate Bradley, editor extraordinaire, and agent Teresa Chris, for making this book possible.
Not read the other books in Annie Groves’ Empire Street series? Don’t miss out, they are available to buy now.
Click here to buy now 978-0-00-755081-4
Click here to buy now 978-0-00-755083-8
About the Author
Annie Groves was the creation of the much-loved writer, Penny Halsall, who died in 2011 and is greatly missed by her fans. Penny was born and lived in the north-west of England all of her life and the Annie Groves novels drew on her own family’s history, picked up from listening to her grandmother’s stories when she was a child.
Penny’s legacy of heart-warming and uplifting novels featuring courageous and determined heroines lives on through writers Jenny Shaw and Sheila Riley.
The Mersey Daughter continues the series of novels about the residents of Empire Street in Liverpool during the Second World War.
Also by Annie Groves
The Pride family series
Ellie Pride
Connie’s Courage
Hettie of Hope Street
The WWII series
Goodnight Sweetheart
Some Sunny Day
The Grafton Girls
As Time Goes By
The Campion series
Across the Mersey
Daughters of Liverpool
The Heart of the Family
Where the Heart Is
When the Lights Go On Again
The Article Row series
London Belles
Home for Christmas
My Sweet Valentine
Only a Mother Knows
A Christmas Promise
The Empire Street series
Child of the Mersey
Christmas on the Mersey
About the Publisher
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United Kingdom
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