Across the Mersey - Annie Groves [106]
She was glad to have Francine here, Jean insisted to herself after her sister had left, of course she was, but at the same time a part of her couldn’t help worrying, about what was going to happen when Vi and Francine met.
‘And where do you think you’re going, with my kitchen floor not washed and the rations not collected yet?’ Bella accosted Bettina angrily, folding her arms and standing in front of the back door.
‘I have to go to my work,’ Bettina answered her equally furiously, her dark eyes flashing with pride and temper.
Bella’s expression hardened. It was bad enough having the two of them here, what with the mother spending nearly all her time in bed claiming not to be very well, without having to put up with the daughter somehow having managed to persuade the Government into giving her some trumped-up job working as a translator, when she could have been earning her keep here doing Bella’s cleaning.
‘Well, you’d better be back in time to feed that mother of yours,’ Bella told her spitefully, ‘because I’m certainly not going to do it. Making out she’s too poorly to get out of bed.’
Once again fury flashed in Bettina’s eyes. ‘Mama is very poorly with her chest. The doctor has said so.’
‘A bit of a cough, that’s all she’s got. If she was that poorly she’d be in hospital instead of here, keeping me awake all night with her coughing.’
That much was true, and Alan was already complaining about it.
They were over six months into the war now and Hitler hadn’t invaded. Optimists were beginning to say that the BEF would soon rout the Germans if they dared try marching into France, and some were even saying that it would all be over by summer and the men would be home. Grace didn’t feel like being optimistic, though, as she got off the bus outside the hospital, not when she was still upset about what had happened with Teddy earlier in the day.
She had almost reached the entrance when she heard him calling her name, and was half minded to pretend that she hadn’t, but she wasn’t really the sort that could ignore a person just because they had caused her to be upset, so she stopped walking, turned round, and was rewarded with a relieved smile from Teddy as he caught up with her.
‘I’ve been looking out for you all afternoon, and then I nearly went and missed you.’
Grace said nothing. After all, it wasn’t her fault that they had spent the day apart.
As though he knew what she was thinking, Teddy said quietly, ‘I’m sorry, Grace, about … about what happened earlier. That’s why I’ve bin waiting for you, so that I could explain.’
‘I’ll have to be in the nurses’ home in half an hour otherwise I’ll miss supper.’
He needn’t think she was going to go and act all soft as if he could treat her any way he liked, because he couldn’t. He might not be in love with her, but she wasn’t in love with him if what Francine had said to her was true. He had hurt her, though.
‘I’ll buy you a bag of chips to make up for it.’ He was teasing her, trying to lighten the mood between them, Grace knew. It wasn’t in her nature to sulk or be difficult and so she exhaled shakily and said, ‘I was upset by what you did, Teddy, and I can’t pretend that I wasn’t, but since you’ve said you want to explain—’
‘I do.’ He reached for her hand. ‘Come on, we can go and sit in the ambulance so that we can talk properly.’
‘What if you’re called out?’
‘I’m not on duty, but if we was to be, then the lucky so-and-sos will have a nurse to look after them, as well as an ambulance, won’t they? Come on …’
That was typical of Teddy. He always had an answer to everything, Grace acknowledged, as they walked towards the ambulance.
‘So what was it you want to say?’ Grace demanded once they were inside.
Instead of answering her immediately, Teddy offered her a cigarette, lighting one for himself when she shook her head.
‘You know you was asking me earlier about you and me, and how I hadn’t said anything about us going steady or you being my girl?’
Grace nodded.
‘Well, the thing is, Grace …’ he took a deep drag on his cigarette, and then exhaled, ‘it wouldn’t be fair