lifted out and carried to a nearby ambulance would live with her for ever: faces burned, limbs missing, dreadful injuries among the walking wounded, and dismembered body parts scattered everywhere. It was an experience she would never forget. To this day, if she heard a crash of thunder, let alone a bomb going off, she would go running for cover into the pantry or wardrobe, but then suffer terribly from claustrophobia. She’d be riveted with fear just by the sound of the siren.
Blinking away the nightmare flash of memory, she offered a cautionary smile. ‘Now that the war is over we can at last look forward to a bright future.’
‘Whatever that might be,’ Alex growled. ‘And so long as it doesn’t take too much effort to achieve.’
He sounded somewhat dismissive and scathing, not at all the calm, well-mannered young man he used to be. Perhaps the war had badly affected him, after all. Perhaps physically he was reasonably well, but not mentally. Returning to Civvy Street and the shambles all around them couldn’t be easy, as Steve had tried to explain to her.
Cathie was filled with sympathy for his anguish. She too had grown increasingly devastated by the losses allaround her, of bomb craters and fires leaping up everywhere, shops she’d once loved reduced to ashes, friends fleeing to the country to escape the city, and wounded men walking the streets. Anything even vaguely disturbing upset her greatly. Speaking of these experiences was quite beyond her, although she prayed that one day she might find the courage to share her pain with Alex. And he might share his with her. That way, they might both begin to recover.
Feeling a reluctance to make life even more difficult for him right now, since he’d been home for such a short time and this was their first evening out together, Cathie decided this was certainly not the moment to mention baby Heather.
‘So you’re this Alexander Ryman I’ve heard so much about,’ Rona said, casting her shimmering blue-eyed gaze over him with open curiosity. ‘Never expected my daughter to find someone so tall or half so good-looking.’
Cathie winced, filled yet again with that far too familiar sense of rejection. ‘Actually, Alex found me,’ she said, trying to laugh the cutting remark away.
‘And what a treat that was,’ he agreed. ‘Which is why we went dancing tonight, to relive that wonderful moment. It’s a delight to meet you too, Mrs Morgan, as you are as beautiful as your daughter.’
‘If not more so,’ Rona said with a little swivel of her shapely hips as she stood before him in her too-tight,too-short skirt and flimsy blouse through which her cleavage was clearly visible.
He seemed to find this amusing and, reaching out, gave her hand a lingering shake of apology. ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t able to accept your invitation for lunch the other day. I’m sure I would have enjoyed your cooking enormously. Perhaps another time?’
‘We call it dinner, not lunch. But you’re very welcome to come whenever you like, chuck,’ Rona said, making no mention of the fact that she did not actually do any of the cooking.
‘Thank you, I shall be delighted to accept, hopefully one day soon. Now if you’ll excuse me, I will say goodnight.’ Putting his arms about Cathie, he gave her a quick hug. ‘You will meet my parents soon, sweetie, when you come to spend Christmas with us.’
‘Oh, but …’
‘No buts. It’s long past time you did meet them, and I can think of no better occasion. After that, we can start planning the wedding.’
Stunned into silence, Cathie simply nodded and hugged him back.
Rona flickered her neatly trimmed eyebrows and gave him a teasing wink as he smiled at her from over her daughter’s shoulder. Maybe for once the girl had brought home someone of interest.
C HAPTER S IX
H ow I wish I’d followed your advice, Davina, and written to Alex before he arrived. It was a bad mistake to leave it so long, as it’s now more
Blinking away the nightmare flash of memory, she offered a cautionary smile. ‘Now that the war is over we can at last look forward to a bright future.’
‘Whatever that might be,’ Alex growled. ‘And so long as it doesn’t take too much effort to achieve.’
He sounded somewhat dismissive and scathing, not at all the calm, well-mannered young man he used to be. Perhaps the war had badly affected him, after all. Perhaps physically he was reasonably well, but not mentally. Returning to Civvy Street and the shambles all around them couldn’t be easy, as Steve had tried to explain to her.
Cathie was filled with sympathy for his anguish. She too had grown increasingly devastated by the losses allaround her, of bomb craters and fires leaping up everywhere, shops she’d once loved reduced to ashes, friends fleeing to the country to escape the city, and wounded men walking the streets. Anything even vaguely disturbing upset her greatly. Speaking of these experiences was quite beyond her, although she prayed that one day she might find the courage to share her pain with Alex. And he might share his with her. That way, they might both begin to recover.
Feeling a reluctance to make life even more difficult for him right now, since he’d been home for such a short time and this was their first evening out together, Cathie decided this was certainly not the moment to mention baby Heather.
‘So you’re this Alexander Ryman I’ve heard so much about,’ Rona said, casting her shimmering blue-eyed gaze over him with open curiosity. ‘Never expected my daughter to find someone so tall or half so good-looking.’
Cathie winced, filled yet again with that far too familiar sense of rejection. ‘Actually, Alex found me,’ she said, trying to laugh the cutting remark away.
‘And what a treat that was,’ he agreed. ‘Which is why we went dancing tonight, to relive that wonderful moment. It’s a delight to meet you too, Mrs Morgan, as you are as beautiful as your daughter.’
‘If not more so,’ Rona said with a little swivel of her shapely hips as she stood before him in her too-tight,too-short skirt and flimsy blouse through which her cleavage was clearly visible.
He seemed to find this amusing and, reaching out, gave her hand a lingering shake of apology. ‘I’m sorry I wasn’t able to accept your invitation for lunch the other day. I’m sure I would have enjoyed your cooking enormously. Perhaps another time?’
‘We call it dinner, not lunch. But you’re very welcome to come whenever you like, chuck,’ Rona said, making no mention of the fact that she did not actually do any of the cooking.
‘Thank you, I shall be delighted to accept, hopefully one day soon. Now if you’ll excuse me, I will say goodnight.’ Putting his arms about Cathie, he gave her a quick hug. ‘You will meet my parents soon, sweetie, when you come to spend Christmas with us.’
‘Oh, but …’
‘No buts. It’s long past time you did meet them, and I can think of no better occasion. After that, we can start planning the wedding.’
Stunned into silence, Cathie simply nodded and hugged him back.
Rona flickered her neatly trimmed eyebrows and gave him a teasing wink as he smiled at her from over her daughter’s shoulder. Maybe for once the girl had brought home someone of interest.
C HAPTER S IX
H ow I wish I’d followed your advice, Davina, and written to Alex before he arrived. It was a bad mistake to leave it so long, as it’s now more
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