THE WAR BRIDE CLUB (14 page)

      She wished Charlie had mentioned how well off his family was. At least she would have known what to expect.
 

      A deep male voice carried up the stairs from another room. Ivy was quick to hurry her along.
 

      “You know, Master William looks just like the boys when they were babies. Spitting image.”

      Betty gave her a tight smile. She knew what Ivy was trying to do. Wanting to make her feel okay for the baby coming early, but she had no shame. This was Charlie’s baby. She’d never been with another man before, and she’d hoped to never be. And her feelings hadn’t changed.
 

      “Here we go.”

      Betty looked into the room as Ivy swung back the door.
 

      “This was to be your room to share with Charlie. We expected you both to live here for at least the first few months.”

      Betty changed her grip on William and let him face the room too, his back firm against her chest. The room was enormous. She wriggled off her shoes and felt the plush carpet beneath her toes. The drapes were heavyset and dramatic, swept back from the windows by what looked like gold claws at each side. The walls were painted a deep cream, and a door on the far wall opened into what she presumed was a nursery.
 

      Ivy waved her hand toward it.
 

      “He can sleep in here with you if you’d prefer. We can bring the bassinet in. Otherwise the nursery is all set up.”

      Betty walked toward it. Tears caught in her throat as she looked in.
 

      A tiny bassinet was set beneath the window, a cot for when he grew older against the other wall. There was a change table, shelves for his clothes and large wicker baskets that she guessed would be for toys. There was even a delicate looking wooden play pen that he would be able to use once he was bigger.

      If she’d had Charlie with her, seeing such a room would have been a joy, but alone she just felt like a fraud.
 

      “Betty?”

      She didn’t turn. Instead she placed William in the basinet, smiling through her tears and tucking the blanket over him. He whimpered, but she ignored it. She needed a moment. He’d barely left her arms, or those of her friends, since he’d been born, but she needed to put him down, just for a little while.
 

      Betty turned slowly. Ivy was still standing inside the door. Her face was like that of a mother’s, of a grandmother’s, the type of face that knew what it was to deal with heartache, to help heal someone’s wounds. Betty could see that now. It had been a long time since Betty had had her mother to hold her, to guide her, but right now, she wished for it more than ever.
 

      Ivy took a few hesitant steps toward her. When she held out her arms, Betty fled into them.
 

      Her sobs racked her entire body, tears falling like raindrops down her cheeks.
 

      “Oh, Betty. My dear, it’s going to be okay.”

      She squeezed her eyes shut. She wished she could believe her, but her life was not going to be any more okay than if she’d stayed in London.
 

      “There, there. It’s all right my dear.”

      Betty held on, tight. Her sobs were starting to ease, but the desperation in her heart was only becoming worse.
 

      Ivy pulled back slightly and wiped stray hairs back from her face.
 

      “I’m going to leave you for a moment and tell Luke that you’re not up to meeting him today. I’ll draw you a bath and then you can both have an early night.”

      Betty shook her head. She wiped at her eyes and braved a tiny smile.
 

      “I’ll be fine, I just need a moment.”

      Ivy looked unsure.
 

      “I need to thank him for allowing us into his home. I want to meet him.”

      Ivy gave her a stern look then sighed. “How about that bath though? You can take an hour to yourself, soak for a while, and I’ll look after William. Then you can have dinner with Luke.”

      She nodded her acceptance.
 

      Betty didn’t mind the compromise. A bath sounded heavenly, exactly what she needed. So long as Luke didn’t think it was rude to draw a bath first, she was grateful. But she was determined to meet him today and get it over and done with. She was going to make her brother-in-law like her, no matter what it took.
 

      She was an orphan and a widow. There was no one in her life besides William and now the boy’s uncle. She had no where else to go, no one to return home to.
 

      This was her life now. Charlie or no Charlie, America was her home, and she had to do the best she could. There was no other choice.
 

      There was a tap at the door.
 

      The driver appeared with her one large case and her duffel bag.
 

      “Thank you.”

      The man gave her a smile and touched his hat. She’d been so numb earlier that she’d hardly noticed him, but now she saw the same kindness in his face that she’d recognized in Ivy’s.

      “It’s nice to have Charlie’s wife here, Ma’am.”

      He held his cap in his hands.
 

      Betty nodded. “I just wish he was here, too.” She was proud of herself for getting the words out.
 

      “Me too, Ma’am. We all wish he’d made it home safe.”

      Betty gave him a quick smile then turned away. She wasn’t going to cry again. There was a time for grieving, and that was when she was alone. These people were all making an effort with her, and she needed to remember how lucky she was not to be turned out on the street. She’d faced that before, when her parents had died, but her friend’s family had opened their doors to her. It hadn’t been the same, but it was a kind of security for her. Only she’d never considered that it might happen to her all over again one day.
 

      She was sure not all American families would welcome foreign brides,
widows
, with as much concern.
 

      William started to fuss.
 

      “Don’t touch that baby!” She heard Ivy’s bossy command the moment she went to step toward him. “The bathroom is straight across the hall and the water is running.”

      Betty hesitated.
 

      “Off, young lady!” Ivy disappeared into William’s room. “Before I have to march you in there myself.”

      Betty had thought she’d be worried about leaving her baby with a stranger. Before, she’d fought the urge to even take her arms from her child, but leaving him now didn’t feel wrong. Ivy somehow felt like family already, even if she’d hardly been able to say a word to her yet.
 

      She could only hope her feelings for Luke would be the same.
 

The water was almost cold. Betty eyed the towel, draped less than a few feet away from her hands, and could barely summon the energy to reach for it. Her body was starting to chill, but the water had been such a luxury that she hadn’t been able to resist staying in it until the end.
 

      She’d listened to William cry then whimper, and then fall silent, and he hadn’t made a noise since. Neither had Ivy. But she was missing him. And so was her body. It was time to feed her baby.

      Betty stood up in the bath and cocooned her body with the towel. She rubbed at her skin, still enjoying the luxury of being in a real bathroom. There were tiles on the floor, and the faucets were all gold plated. It was like something she’d never even dreamed of before.
 

      She wrapped the towel tighter around herself and stepped out before reaching back in to pull the plug. Water gurgled as she turned to face the mirror. Her own reflection surprised her. Last time she’d looked at herself properly, her face had been full, not to mention her belly. Now her cheeks looked less like those of a chipmunk and more like the Betty of old. The Betty she’d been when Charlie had first danced in to her life.
 

      Her fingers traced over her hair, wet from washing and fragrant from the delicate shampoo that had been resting on the edge of the bath. It was already springing into loose curls. Thanks to the days she’d spent above deck with the other girls, her skin was less pale than it usually was, a barely-there smatter of freckles tickling over the bridge of her nose.
 

      Betty sighed. She hardly had any decent clothes with her, but at least she looked okay otherwise. When she’d left London, her stomach had been huge and she’d disguised her body beneath over-size garments.
 

      Hopefully Ivy had some cotton, because she might need to get darning. Not to mention knitting some clothes for William.
 

      “You all right in there, Betty?”

      She smiled at Ivy’s voice and pulled her eyes from her reflection. Betty tightened the big fluffy towel around her body and pulled the door open.
 

      “Sorry, it was just so good in there.”

      Ivy didn’t look worried. “The wee man’s still asleep.”

      “Thank you.”

      “Let’s get you dressed and down to see Luke, then, shall we? He’s waiting for you.”

      Betty gulped. This was it.
 

      “I don’t have many good clothes to wear,” she confessed.

      Ivy patted her arm and guided her across the hall and into her room. “Let’s find something for now, and when you’re more settled I’ll take you to the dressmaker. She’ll put some nice things together for you in no time.”

      Ivy must have seen the look cross her face. She couldn’t disguise it. She hardly had a penny left, not after her cravings on board the ship for chocolate and buying some things for the baby. There was little left, let alone for new dresses. She hadn’t even had close to the £10 limit imposed on travelling brides.
 

      “My dear, you don’t need to worry. Luke is a wealthy man and you’re the mother of his only nephew.”

      She looked up and met Ivy’s eyes. There was honesty there, and compassion, but she didn’t expect charity.

      “Ivy, I…”

      “Come on, love, let’s get you dressed. We can talk about all this in the morning, once you’ve settled in.”

      Betty held her tongue. She wasn’t going to argue. This woman was her only ally right now, the only person she could trust. It could be weeks, if not longer, before she saw the other girls from the boat. What she had to do was make a good impression and take care of her son.
 

      She opened her bag and searched for something presentable to wear.
 

      “I’ll come up for you shortly.” Ivy closed the door behind her.
 

      Betty held her breath then let it out in one long sigh. She could do this. She had to do this.
 

      William began to cry. She wriggled into some undergarments, pulled out her only pre-pregnancy dress and fled to the nursery. She needed to feed William, find some way to press her clothes, and do her hair.
 

      Then it was time to meet her brother-in-law.
 

Betty let her hand glide along the polished timber of the banister. Her heart hammered in her throat. Nausea bubbled in her stomach, but she kept her teeth gritted and rehearsed words in her mind.
 

      
Thank you for having me in your home. William is fortunate to have an uncle like you. Please accept my condolences. Charlie was a wonderful man. We are so grateful that you have opened your doors to us.

      She only hoped her voice would comply.
 

      William cooed in her arms. She looked down at him. His dark eyes twinkled at her, a funny smile taking over his mouth.
 

      “We’re going to be fine, my wee man. He’s going to love us.”

      Betty almost tripped over her own feet at a deep cough. She stopped. A man stood, a glass in his hand. He was watching her. Had he cleared his throat to announce his presence? Or had he been there all along?

      There was no doubting he was Charlie’s brother. He was younger than she’d expected, but he looked years older than Charlie. Where Charlie’s hair had been longish and flopped over his forehead sometimes, Luke’s was cut closer. More businesslike. He had the same lightly tanned skin, although his was lighter than Charlie’s. Strong shoulders, tall, commanding – just like his brother.
 

      Worry ran like a shiver down her spine. Her mouth felt as if it was stuck together with glue. William’s hand fisted around a curl of her hair, but she didn’t have the energy to stop him.
 

      Luke spoke first. He placed his glass on a sideboard and walked slowly toward the foot of the stairs.