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By Root 533 0

Edwin. Where were they? She had told Jean half-past two. Perhaps she ought to have insisted that Edwin and Charlie should drive down to the ferry terminal to pick them up, but Edwin was in one of his moods, complaining that Charlie was spending far too much time enjoying himself and not enough doing what his father paid him to do, which was to sweet-talk their customers, and she hadn’t wanted to provoke any further ill-tempered outbursts. She just hoped that Bella would remember that she had promised to help her with the tea and not linger at the tennis club. A fond maternal smile replaced Vi’s frown at the thought of her daughter, Isabelle. Privately she had always felt sorry for her twin having three daughters who were all so inferior in every way to her own Bella. Grace looked far too much like their younger sister, Francine, for Vi’s liking, and they all knew where those kind of looks had got her! Singing on a stage for her living was most certainly not what she wanted for her daughter. And as for Jean’s twins, well, they were fair enough but she doubted that they were going to grow up anything like as attractive as Bella, with her large blue eyes and her soft blonde hair, and most of all her sweetly dutiful manner. Vi’s chest swelled with maternal pride and triumph. Everyone who met Bella remarked on the sweetness of her nature and her modesty. It was no wonder that she was so popular.

She could see a familiar group of people walking down the road. Yes, it was definitely them, and her sister was wearing the same frock she had worn for their birthday tea last year. It was just as well they had only moved here to Kingsway this spring. She certainly didn’t want her new neighbours talking behind her back about the fact that her sister was coming to visit her wearing a year-old frock. You’d have thought that Jean would have had a little more thought for her new position, Vi thought crossly as she stepped back from the window and hurried downstairs.

Her husband and son were both in the front room. Edwin was reading his newspaper whilst Charlie was standing in front of the fireplace, looking bored.

‘I don’t know why you had to invite them here, Vi. You know what a busy time this is for me, with the business expanding and my duties with the ARP.’

‘I suppose you’d have preferred us to go to them, would you?’ she challenged him, continuing without waiting for him to answer, ‘I couldn’t believe it when Jean actually suggested that she should do the tea this year.’

‘Where’s Jack?’ Charlie asked, ignoring his mother’s comment.

‘I’ve just seen him outside, although he should be upstairs doing his homework.’ Vi’s mouth thinned again.

‘Here’s Bella,’ Charlie announced, as a car drew up outside.

‘Looks like Alan Parker has brought her home.’

Alan Parker was the only son of a fellow local councillor, with whom Edwin had become friendly. Councillor Parker was a very influential and well-to-do man, and although neither of them had said anything, Vi was well aware that she and Edwin were thinking that Alan Parker would make a very good husband for their daughter.

‘I hope she’s remembered about the tea and doesn’t invite Alan in.’

‘Looks like you can stop worrying, Ma,’ Charlie told her, as they watched Bella take her leave of her escort and then walk towards the house, her tennis skirt showing off the slender length of her tanned legs, her blonde hair caught back in a bandeau, and an immaculate white cardigan draped just so around her shoulders, her gas mask in the pretty matching white carrying case Vi had bought her earlier in the summer.

‘I’ll go and let her in. Charlie, run upstairs, will you, and tell Jack to come down?’

‘You’re late. Your auntie Jean will be here any minute,’ Vi warned her daughter as she opened the front door to let her in.

‘Sorry, Mummy. I would have walked home but Alan insisted on driving me and then we were later leaving than we’d planned because he wanted to get tickets for the big Tennis Club dance next weekend.’

‘He’s invited you to go with him as his partner?’

‘Yes. I’m glad Auntie Jean’s