Across the Mersey - Annie Groves [40]
‘He said that if there is war then men like him will need girls like me, girls who are trained nurses … and then he gave me the dress and … oh, Mum, I can’t believe it. I was so sure that I’d gone and spoiled everything. But now…’
Jean watched her worriedly. What Grace had done was very wrong and yet, as her mother, she couldn’t help but feel relieved that she was not going to be denied her chance to do what she so desperately wanted to do, even if she also knew that Sam would not approve, and would think that Grace should endure her deserved punishment. He had such strong moral values, did her Sam, and she respected him for that, but a mother was still a mother, and now that Grace had let slip that this Seb was about to rejoin his unit and hadn’t made any attempt to suggest they meet up again, she was beginning to feel a bit less worried.
‘Well, let this be a lesson to you, Grace,’ she told her daughter sternly. ‘You’ve been very lucky to have things work out as they have, but think on in future, and don’t go letting yourself be persuaded into doing what you know isn’t right. We’ve brought you up to know better than that and, like I said, your dad would be that disappointed if he knew what you’ve done.’ Jean paused. The last thing she wanted to do was to encourage any of their children to think they should keep secrets from their father but she knew Sam, and if he were to be told the full tale she suspected he would insist on Grace owning up to what she had done, even if it meant she lost her opportunity to do her training.
‘Your dad’s got a lot on his mind at the moment, what with being in the ARP as well as having to do his own work, so there’s no need to give him any more to worry about by telling him any of this. It would only upset him and he’s that proud of you.’
Jean reached for her overall and sprinkled it with water before unrolling it and starting to iron it. The colours were beginning to fade but there was plenty of wear left in it yet.
‘Yes, Mum,’ Grace agreed meekly.
‘Now you’d better take that box upstairs and get it out of the way. We can have a look at the frock later and see if there’s anything that can be done with it.’
Grace gave a small shudder, and looked conscience-stricken. ‘I could never wear it again, Mum, not after what I did.’
‘Maybe you can’t, but some other girl might be glad of the opportunity to wear it,’ Jean told her firmly.
‘The service is to be at eleven o’clock three weeks on Saturday, after the banns have been read, and the wedding breakfast will be at the Splendide Hotel.’ Vi took a sip of her tea, and then dabbed delicately at the corners of her mouth with a snowy white starched napkin. Really, one would have thought that Alan’s mother would have made a bit more of an effort with her appearance. Vi would have been ashamed to go out wearing such a dull-looking tweed skirt, not a Jaegar by the looks of it, and what looked like a hand-knitted twinset. The colours didn’t even match. The skirt was brown and the twinset navy blue. She looked down at her own teal-blue jersey afternoon frock with its lace cuffs, and felt happily superior to Bella’s mother-in-law-to-be.
‘The vicar said he’d never known so many couples come to him wanting to be married just in case it comes to war,’ she informed her. ‘He’s actually had to turn some people away but he said that of course he could make room for us, seeing as my Edwin is a councillor, and of course your own husband as well, Mrs Parker. Now, I’m seeing the printer tomorrow about the invitations and the order of service. We’re having Evans’s to do the catering.’ Vi gave Alan’s mother an arch look as she mentioned the name of Wallasey’s most expensive catering firm. ‘Mr Firth insists. He won’t have anything less than the best, I’m afraid.’ Vi patted the