Sofia stood with her back to the fire, placed two fingers in her mouth and delivered a whistle of which any Saturday afternoon Koppite at Anfield might have been proud. ‘Dogs and children out in the garden with my mother. Daniel, sit, or you may slip. The rest – get cleaning, but not Natalie. Natalie, this family of yours is crazy.’
‘I already knew that,’ said Natalie as she cuddled her grandfather.
He stood up. ‘Come on, you. We’ll buy out every chip shop within reach.’
So they ended up with fish, chips and peas followed by what was left of Eliza’s cake. Andrew promised Eva that ‘her’ parquet would be professionally cleaned within days, and she had to be satisfied with that. Not used to satisfaction, she muttered darkly to herself for the rest of the afternoon.
There was a sing-song, of course. Anya delivered a few Polish folk tunes while Sofia tried to dance with the children. Andrew played a medley of nursery rhymes, then his ‘Liverpool Song’, which was to be released within weeks. Part of his Overture to an Overture, it celebrated the calibre of Liverpool life, Liverpool love, and the river that brought everyone home.
Despite the food disaster, it was the greatest party, and Natalie felt very much at home. Yes, it was a madhouse and yes, she was used to that, since Gran’s home was very similar, though rather emptier. She kissed everyone goodbye and dragged her complaining adoptive grandmother out of the house. The last words Andrew heard were Natalie’s. ‘Will you ever learn to behave yourself, Gran?’
‘No,’ chorused all who remained.
At last, Anya and Andrew were alone. Natalie had gone home with Gran to prepare for her move. The bungalow, usually occupied by tenants but now uninhabited, was to be Natalie’s home. She would share it with another student, one who was feeling the pinch in these grey days when education was no longer free.
Anya sighed. ‘So. Just the two of us at last, Mr Sanderson.’
He nodded gravely. ‘I noticed.’
‘What do we do now, Andrew?’
He winked at her before lifting her in his arms. ‘Do you mind?’ he asked.
‘No.’
He carried her upstairs and placed her on his brand new mattress. ‘Anya?’
‘What?’
‘I think it’s time I invaded Warsaw.’
A Liverpool Song
Ruth Hamilton is the bestselling author of numerous novels, including Mulligan’s Yard, The Judge’s Daughter, The Reading Room, Mersey View, That Liverpool Girl and Lights of Liverpool. She has become one of the north-west of England’s most popular writers. She was born in Bolton, which is the setting for many of her novels, and has spent most of her life in Lancashire. She now lives in Liverpool.
Also by Ruth Hamilton
A Whisper to the Living
With Love From Ma Maguire
Nest of Sorrows
Billy London’s Girls
Spinning Jenny
The September Starlings
A Crooked Mile
Paradise Lane
The Bells of Scotland Road
The Dream Sellers
The Corner House
Miss Honoria West
Mulligan’s Yard
Saturday’s Child
Matthew & Son
Chandlers Green
The Bell House
Dorothy’s War
A Parallel Life
Sugar and Spice
The Judge’s Daughter
The Reading Room
Mersey View
That Liverpool Girl
Lights of Liverpool
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My family, God bless them. With me as mother and grandmother, they need all the help they can get.
Billy and Gill, my stalwarts.
Carol Smith, once my agent, now a good friend and author who loves my poetry – she’s biased.
Dorothy Ramsden, researcher, always supportive and ready to listen and to help.
Brendan Doherty, who should be published.
The readership – I thank you all.
I must mention my animals, since so many ask about them. Treacle (chocolate Lab) is as good as gold. Blazer (half yellow Lab and half red mastiff de Bordeaux, ie Hooch) no discernible improvements. I refused to suffer alone, so the main character in A Liverpool Song is endowed with Blazer’s double, named Storm. Oscar, ring-necked parakeet, no comment – I can’t think till he shuts up.
Ruthie
First published 2013 by Macmillan
This electronic edition published 2013 by Pan Books
an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
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www.panmacmillan.com
ISBN 978-0-230-77200-7
Copyright © Ruth Hamilton 2013
The right of Ruth Hamilton to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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