by June Francis
‘They call the base Little America,’ he murmured. ‘It’ll give you a taste of the American way of life.’
‘In Warrington?’ A chuckle escaped her. ‘Our Hilda wouldn’t fancy that.’
‘No. It wouldn’t suit Hilda.’ He smiled at her. ‘It’s too down to earth. Not a bit like the movies. What’s this about you wearing her coat?’
‘I’ll explain.’ Flora took a deep breath and began to talk.
She was still telling her story as they came to the passengerway. Mike’s expression was grim and he hugged her close. ‘You could have died in that fire. As it is, it looks like Hilda got away scot-free again,’ he said bitterly.
‘Not quite,’ she said softly, pausing and staring unseeingly out towards the estuary. ‘You didn’t see her face.’ There was a brief silence, then Flora murmured, ‘She said that she’s going to go to America with Kevin’s money.’
‘Hell!’
‘From what I’ve heard it’s a big country – big enough for us to stay out of each other’s way.’ But Flora did not believe it would be that way. Not really. Her sister had a habit …
‘Yeah! But – God help America,’ groaned Mike.
Flora laughed, and as they began to walk down the passengerway, she said, ‘Hollywood! That’s where she’ll go. It’s the place of her dreams. Now I prefer reality.’
‘A house by the ocean?’ He grinned at her.
‘One day,’ she said dreamily. ‘One day, Mike, my dream will come true.’
‘Sure it will. Didn’t I say that I’d build you that house. But now, Flora? Anywhere you want to go? Anything you want to do?
She was silent a moment, but as they came out of the passenger way she looked up at the Liver Building. Her eyes could just about make out the Liver Bird hovering in the swirling fog. For a brief second Tom flashed through her thoughts, then he was gone.
She turned and smiled at him. ‘You have a choice. Do we face my father straightaway or go to the Adelphi for food and – ?’
‘A bath? You sure need one, honey.’
Mike whirled Flora into his arms and danced her across the cobbles.
No more needed to be said.
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Epub ISBN: 9781473501355
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Ebury Press, an imprint of Ebury Publishing
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Ebury Press is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com
Copyright © June Francis, 1992
June Francis has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
This novel is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental
First published in 1992 as A Sparrow Doesn’t Fall by Bantam Books
This edition published in 2018 by Ebury Press
www.penguin.co.uk
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 9780091956394