Joyce flung her arms out joyfully. ‘This is wonderful,’ she said. ‘They lived happily ever after.’
‘I was just about to tell Stephanie about how my parents found each other again,’ Helen said. ‘Do you want to hear the story?’
‘Of course we do.’ Mr Yin looked excited. ‘Shall I put the kettle on?’
Chapter 41
Elsie
1941
Mrs Gold arranged everything. As I was packing a bag, with a few possessions, she arrived home. I heard her coming upstairs and opened the front door to let her in.
‘You look better,’ she said as she followed me back into my bedroom. ‘Are you doing all right?’
‘I feel really calm.’ I shook my head. ‘I don’t know why.’
She leaned against the doorframe and studied me. ‘Sometimes, when the worst things you can imagine have happened, you stop being frightened.’
‘I’ve got nothing left to lose.’ I felt a shiver of self-pity and Mrs Gold straightened up and came over to where my suitcase lay on the bed and began looking through what I’d packed. ‘Now, that’s not true, is it?’
I smiled. ‘I suppose not.’ I let my hand drift down to my abdomen. ‘And I have Harry.’
‘You don’t need three sweaters, Elsie. It’s April, for heaven’s sake.’
‘I feel the cold. And Ireland’s chilly – Nelly always said so.’
‘It’s rainy. You’d be better with a mackintosh.’
‘I have one. It’s hanging up behind the door.’
Mrs Gold went to get it and began folding it up. ‘There’s a boat leaving from Liverpool on Thursday, sailing to Dublin,’ she said.
‘So soon?’ Today was Monday.
‘I’d have preferred it to be sooner, but the only other ship is going from Fishguard and that’s not as straightforward to get to from London.’
She opened her handbag. ‘These are your train tickets. Albert and I will take you to the station and I’m going to travel with you.’
‘To Dublin?’
‘No, just to Liverpool, I’m afraid. But I’ll see you on to the ship.’
I threw my arms around her and hugged her and after a moment when I thought she might push me away, she hugged me back.
‘I owe you,’ I said.
‘You owe me nothing, darling. Now, what about shoes?’
*
It was a strange feeling, saying goodbye to the house I’d lived in since I was a child. I took a photograph of my parents, one of Billy in uniform, and another of Nelly and me when were student nurses, and slipped them into my bag. And then I stood for a moment in the lounge, looking round and wondering if I’d ever come back. I had no plans beyond finding Nelly’s family. I thought perhaps I could find a job at a hospital in Dublin for a while. Mrs Gold had said she would sort out tenants for my flat.
‘It’ll give you an income for when the baby’s born,’ she’d said. ‘I’m sure someone from work would move in.’
I was staggered by how kind she was being. And more than a little overwhelmed at how she was making things happen. Butshe was staying infuriatingly tight-lipped about how she had so much authority.
‘Are you ready?’ she called. ‘Albert has just pulled up in the car and the train leaves at four.’
