THE WAR BRIDE CLUB (4 page)

      She continued to stay still, silent, as a sliver of light spilt into the room from the hallway.
 

      “Lilly!” she hissed, flinging the covers back as her sister appeared.
 

      “June,” Lilly scolded, throwing her cardigan at her. “You scared the blinkin’ life out of me.”

      “Just scoot in here, would you!”

      Lilly ignored her for a moment, pulling off her clothes and getting into her flannel nightdress. June wriggled over in the small bed so her sister could fit in beside her. They both had their own beds, but since they were little girls they had tucked in beside one another to talk, sometimes long into the night, before parting ways to sleep.
 

      “Okay, spill,” said Lilly as she snuggled beneath the covers and they wriggled together for warmth. “What do I hear about you entertaining soldiers while I’m away doing my duty?”

      June blushed, her cheeks igniting as if fire had kissed them. She was pleased the dark hid her excitement, so her sister couldn’t tease her about her naivety and inexperience with boys.
 

      “Before you say anything, don’t get any fancy ideas about your date tomorrow night.” Lilly dug her in the ribs with a sharp elbow as she teased. “Mother has appointed me your chaperone, so he had better have some nice friends.”      

      June stayed silent. It wasn’t because she was disappointed about not going alone. Her sister was older than her by two years, knew about things like boys and dances and how to impress. But she was used to being overlooked when her sister was nearby.

      “So? Come on. What was he like, how did you find him, and how did you get him to ask you out?”

The pale light in the room was making June nervous. They had black-outs over the windows and her father preferred a dim light to sit and talk in. But she wanted a bright light under which to scrutinize her appearance.
 

      “You look fine, June,” announced Lilly, gracing the room with her presence.

      She did an impromptu twirl, encouraging her calf length dress to flit out around her. Her blonde hair was pulled half-up, back from her face, eyes made up and lips pouting in a hard-to-find pink. Her sister had had enough dates for the both of them, and June guessed one of them must have been American for her to end up with such a decadent new lip shade.
 

      “Are you sure about this dress?” June had a feeling it was too much. Too girly. Too…

      Lilly grabbed her and swung her around. “You look gorgeous, little sister, just gorgeous.”

      Their father looked between them and chuckled before standing and kissing each of them on the cheek.
 

      “Lilly, beautiful as ever,” he said, reaching for his eldest. “But June, you look lovely tonight. Belle of the ball.”

      She had a feeling her father was trying to make her feel better, but her mother was nodding her head too and dabbing at her eyes. Heavens! It was as if she was off on her honeymoon, not just going out with her sister to a dance.
 

      A tap at the door made June freeze. If it hadn’t been for Lilly grabbing her hand, she’d have run to her bedroom and locked the door.
 

      “For heavens sake, you’re nineteen!” scolded her sister. “And you’ll be fine,” she added with a whisper, dragging her along. “If he liked you yesterday, then he’ll love you tonight.”

      June hoped so. Oh, she hoped so!

      She sucked back a deep breath and opened the door. Lilly stood behind her.
 

      “Hi June.” Eddie thrust a handful of daisies at her and placed a clumsy kiss on her cheek.
 

      “Ah, thank you.”

      Lilly prised the flowers from her and passed them to her mother.
 

      “They’re beautiful, Eddie, they’re…” June looked over at them then back at him.
 

      “From your neighbor’s garden.” He said it with a touch of regret, and she liked that he was at least honest.
 

      She also liked that he didn’t so much as glance at her sister.
 

      “This is Lilly. My sister,” she said, waving back in her direction.
 

      “Eddie,” he said, taking Lilly’s hand for a polite moment before touching June’s elbow.
 

      “Like a love sick puppy, this one,” she heard Lilly laugh to her mother before following them down the street.
 

      But she couldn’t have cared less. She was the luckiest girl in the world as far as she was concerned. And right now, that was all that mattered.
 

June was thankful to have her sister walking with them. Aside from his initial welcome, Eddie had seemed even shyer than her. They were walking side-by-side, arms bumping every few steps, and she felt every touch. Lost her breath every time he glanced at her and didn’t know how she could possibly cope with dancing in his arms.
 

      “So Eddie, our June tells me you live on a farm.”

      Lilly winked at June and she wished it was dark. That night would fall and conceal her face.
 

      “Country born and bred,” he answered.

      “And you’re not married or promised to a lass back home?”

      “Lilly!” June couldn’t believe she’d even thought to ask something like that.
 

      “No ma’am,” said Eddie, his voice overlapping with June’s.
 

      He stopped walking and faced her sister. Had he taken great offense to her question? Was he going to put an end to their night here and now? June bit hard on the inside of her mouth.
 

      “I wouldn’t have asked your sister out if I was promised.”

      The look on his face was so serious June might have laughed if she wasn’t so embarrassed.
 

      Lilly nodded. “Fair enough.”

      “I love her,” he blurted. “I fell in love with her from the moment she found me.”

      Heat rushed through June’s body. He loved her?

      “Love?” repeated Lily, waving her hand dismissively in the air. “Only an American would waffle on about love. You’ve only known her a day!”

      But though she couldn’t muster the energy to look at him, was too embarrassed to even think of responding, a warmth filled June’s heart that she couldn’t describe.
 

      Eddie took her hand and squeezed it tight. She squeezed his in return. And as they walked, palms pressed together, for the first time in her life she started to believe in the idea of love at first sight. She might have despaired at finding him, when she’d first seen him, but one look into those dark hazel eyes had been all she’d needed. The realization had taken the breath from her lungs. She also knew, from that day forward, that she’d follow Eddie to the end of the earth, if it meant never having to let go of his hand.
 

CHAPTER THREE

JUNE wiped a tear as it trickled a path down her cheek. Just thinking about Eddie had her heart thumping. Would it still be the same? Would he be waiting for her as he’d promised? And her sister. Her mother. Her father.
Would she truly be able to live a happy life without them?

      “You’ll be okay, luv. It’ll all be fine.”

      She squeezed Betty’s hand and turned to face her. The other two girls had already fallen asleep in their hammocks, tired from the excitement of the day. But June had decided to stay awake with Betty, who was struggling to get comfortable and still had cramps in her stomach.
 

      “June?”

      She reached to pull a blanket over herself and made out Betty’s face in the fading light.
 

      “You’re right, it’ll all be fine.” June sighed. “It just feels like there’s a long road ahead.”

      “You never did say what happened to your sister. Did she find her own prince charming?”

      That made her laugh. “Our Lilly had plenty of suitors, but she went and fell for a Yank too.”

      Betty was suddenly upright. “Oooh, please, you
have
to tell me!”

      June shook her head. “I’ve done enough talking for today. Let’s just say that Lilly met a man that night at the dance who managed to knock the cynicism out of her. But she was never going to be manhandled off to America.”

      Betty reached out to June with one hand, the other rubbing in large circles on her belly.
 

      “Did they marry?”

      “Yes. But only once she’d made him swear that he’d never ask her to move to Big Sky Country. Once the war ended, he came back and they rented a little cottage down the road from our parents’ house.”

      “You’re going to miss her terribly. You know that, don’t you?”

      June blinked as tears filled her eyes again. “Let’s just hope these men are worth it, huh?”

      “They will be, won’t they?”
 

      June could hear the sincerity in Betty’s voice. It was a hard thing to do, leave the world you knew behind and as good as go to live on the moon. Because that’s how far away they were going to be from their families. Decent people who worked hard, but would likely never be able to afford to visit their daughters abroad.
 

      “Betty, even if they’re not, we’ve got to make the most of it.”

      She did her best to ignore the sob threatening to strangle her throat. Betty squeezed her hand harder.
 

      At least she had someone to pass the hours with. Someone who could be her friend now and in America. Or at least she hoped.
 

* * *

      “So, what do you know about New York?”

      Alice smiled and placed one hand dramatically over her forehead. “Why, it’s the place movie stars and moguls live, ain’t it?”

      Her American accent had them all giggling.
 

      “I think you’re thinking of Hollywood,” corrected June.
 

      Betty wriggled beneath the wool blanket they’d pinched from their cabin as Madeline and June sat down with a paper bag full of chocolate chip cookies.

      “Where did you get those?”
 

      Alice wiggled her fingers in delight and Betty smiled.
 

      “The canteen has food like you’ve never seen,” said June. She passed the packet around. “And stockings, and pretty writing paper and pens.”

      June rolled her eyes before taking a biscuit for herself. “I was more interested in the food, but it
was
all rather incredible.”

      “How much money do you have?”
 

      June blushed before whispering. “I tucked a little extra away in my knickers.”

      Alice put out her hand for another treat. “You’ll have to give us all another one then to stay quiet.”

      “£10 doesn’t go very far. I think that was a bit mean not letting us bring any more. I mean, what if something happened and we had to live off our own means for a while?”

      They sat and ate, nibbling the chocolate and licking at their fingers.
 

      “Do you think they let you do this in America?”

      Betty giggled at Alice. “What? Licking our fingers?”

      She nodded.
 

      June reached for her bag and pulled out a magazine. “Haven’t you girls been reading up on our new country?”

      That made them all laugh.
 

      “My mother bought this for me the week before I left. Thought it would help me, you know, prepare.”

      Madeline wiped her fingers on a napkin then sat back in the sun. “You’d better start sharing then.”

      “How about a quiz?” June waggled her eyebrows.

      “Oooh, I love a good game,” said Betty.

      June waited for the other two. They nodded, reluctantly.
 

      “Don’t make it too hard,” moaned Alice.
 

      “Let’s start with name,” June said.

      “Names?” They all answered in unison.
 

      “You know, like what the American word is for things.”

      “I thought they spoke English?” Alice groaned.

      June leaned over and placed an arm around Alice’s shoulders. “Well, they might not speak Chinese, but there are a few differences.”

      June giggled as the girls sat like school children, crowded around her. “No peeking,” she instructed. She held the magazine high against her chest. “All right, an easy one to start with. What’s the name for a sweet biscuit?”

      Betty thrust her hand into the air. “Cookie.”