It Had To Be You (31 page)

Emma stood, white-laced elbow against
white-taffeta
elbow, with Dorothy on the upper deck of the ship, gazing over the Mersey as the evening sun reflected off the surface of the water. They were taking a breather from dancing in the saloon below. She could hear the strains of ‘That’s Amore’, made famous by Dean Martin, being sung by Michelangelo Gianelli. He had a voice as seductive as the famous Hollywood star. Mr Gianelli and his wife, Nellie, were musically talented and just as friendly and caring as Betty and Maggie had insisted they were. Emma felt that it was a shame that Jared’s mother had never got round to meeting them; she felt certain
knowing them would have enriched her life.

Dorothy glanced at Emma and there was a dreamy expression in her eyes. ‘Isn’t it a perfect evening? Aren’t you glad that I persuaded you and Jared to have a double wedding and then the evening do here on the
Royal Iris
? I know it cost more than a bob or two, but what’s money for, if it isn’t to spend and get pleasure out of it?’

‘It’s been lovely,’ said Emma fervently, ‘and it’s a real pleasure sharing mine and Jared’s special day with you and Billy.’

‘I feel the same,’ said Dorothy. ‘And to think that there was a time when I wasn’t even sure I liked Billy, but eventually I realised he was one of the good guys and I could trust him. I wasn’t sure whether he had a romantic bone in his body at first, but his Valentine’s Day card persuaded me that maybe, given a push, he could make the right gestures.’

Emma chuckled, remembering Dorothy telling her that Billy had written on her Valentine card:
O my darling, do not falter, quickly lead me to the altar.
But she had made him wait, because just like Emma, Dorothy had set her heart, not only on a June wedding, but a cruise on the Mersey.

There was also the fact that their new home would not be ready until summer. Emma thought back to that day in February when she had met Jared at the art gallery. Instead of taking the bus, they had
walked down Dale Street and Water Street, passing beneath the overhead railway and eventually ending up at the Prince’s Landing Stage. On the way, he had told her that he’d gone into partnership with his boss and bought land on the outskirts of Formby village along the coast, approximately fifteen miles north of Liverpool. There they planned to build a dozen semi-detached houses and two detached ones for sale. Jared had it in mind that one of the detached ones could be for him and Emma, and the other for his sister and Billy.

‘You wouldn’t be far from the shops and a church, Emma,’ he’d said in an attempt to reassure her that it wouldn’t be that much different in its way from her own village. ‘We’d also be close to the sea and the pinewoods, and there’s a railway station with a direct line to Liverpool, so you’d be able to see Betty as often as you liked.’

She had remained silent for several minutes, thinking that she had never expected him to build them a house. Then Jared had added, in a slightly worried voice that caused her to believe that he felt he needed to throw an ace on the table, ‘You don’t have to sell your cottage, you know. We could have a damp course put in and build an extension on at the back and you could rent it out.’

So for the moment she still owned her cottage up north. Just how long she would hang on to it, she did not know. She heard footsteps behind her
and recognised them. Turning, she saw her husband standing there. Their eyes met and he stretched out his hand. ‘They’re playing our tune,’ he said.

As Jared took her in his arms and whirled her round, causing the hem of her white lace gown to brush the deck, Emma could hear the strains of ‘It Had to Be You’ and they both began to sing.

Readers often ask where I get my ideas from and I often answer that it can be from what someone has said, or something I've read, or often it can come from research and real-life experiences. What fiction writers do is ask
What if
?
and let their imagination take over.

During the past year I've been tracing my ancestry, a fascinating and addictive hobby. When I was growing up in Liverpool it was still part of Lancashire, not the separate entity known as Merseyside. I discovered that the further one goes back, the more ancestors one has, and I possess more than one set of great-great-grandparents and so on, who came from what is known as Lancashire
today. During the hard times of Queen Victoria's reign, several of my ancestors came south and settled in Liverpool. For which I am grateful. If they had not, I wouldn't be here to tell this tale.

This story is set in one of my favourite eras, the Fifties, and I thought, what if my heroine, Emma Booth, living in a village in the Clitheroe area, discovers that she has a half-sister living in Liverpool?

Some readers might recognise that village as Whalley. I have stood on the spot in the lovely old parish church where my great-great-grandparents were married and spent several hours in Clitheroe library. For those who know the area so much better than I do, I ask that you forgive me any errors I might have made, and remember that these characters bear no resemblance to anyone living or dead.

Warmest wishes,

June Francis

If you enjoyed
It Had to Be You
, read on to find out about more books by June Francis …

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place an order visit our website at
www.allisonandbusby.com
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ALSO BY JUNE FRANCIS

‘Played out with flair and passion … Terrific!’
Books Monthly

‘All the atmosphere and colour that romance fans have come to expect’
Liverpool Echo

‘Real people. Real emotions … June Francis is good at evoking the reality of life in wartime’
Historical Novels Review

J
UNE
F
RANCIS’S
maiden name was Nelson, and although she can’t lay claim to the famous Lord Admiral, she can boast of at least six mariners in her ancestry who came from far and wide. June’s mother worked in service and her tales of the old days have inspired several of June’s thirty published novels.

Flowers on the Mersey

Friends and Lovers

Step by Step

A Place to Call Home

A Dream to Share

Look for the Silver Lining

When the Clouds Go Rolling By

Tilly’s Story

Sunshine and Showers

It Had to Be You