‘We decided not to evacuate her again. Seems unlikely there’ll be any more bombs on Bradford. We’d rather have her here with us than off with strangers.’ He looked uncharacteristically shy. ‘We might have something to announce in six months’ time as well.’
‘Oh my goodness!’ She clutched at his arm. ‘A baby? Is Joan pregnant?’
‘Keep it down, lass. We don’t want to announce ahead of time – you’re the only other who knows, apart from the doctor. We’ve tried for so many years, and Joanie’s thirty-eight now. There are a lot of risks for a mother that age.’
‘I know, but… Don, I’m so happy for you. I know how much you’ve both always wanted another.’
‘Aye, well.’ He looked bashful, and a little proud. ‘We’ll see what comes. But if anyone can do it, it’s my Joanie. She’s a hardy mare.’
Bobby laughed. ‘You say that so proudly.’
‘Greatest compliment I can pay her, trust me. She’d say the same.’ He took a swallow of beer. ‘How about you then? Do I get to hear the crisis?’
She sighed. ‘I’m not sure I even know where to begin.’
‘If it’s man trouble, you should know you’re talking to the wrong person.’
‘Why? You are a man, aren’t you?’
‘Last time I checked. That doesn’t mean I’m equipped to counsel young women about their love lives. You’d be far better off confiding in your sister or some girlfriend. Even Tony would probably do a better job than me. It’s nigh on fifteen year since Joan and me were courting, and there wasn’t much to that except I asked and she said yes.’
‘My sister doesn’t understand. No one does, really. It’s ingrained in people that women ought to want a husband first and foremost. They stare at me like the world’s most unnatural creature when I say there are other things I want out of life.’
‘All right, tell me what it’s all about then.’
Bobby sipped her half-pint of beer meditatively. ‘The thing is, it isn’t really about my love life. I mean, it is, but… it’s about everything. My life, my job, the war. All those things go together, and they’ve become so tangled up in my mind that I don’t even know where to begin unravelling them.’
‘Start from the beginning, Bobby. If I’ve got any advice worth a damn you’re welcome to it, but I’m not promising anything.’
‘I’ve been walking out with a young man in the village. Reg’s brother Charlie.’
‘The vet you mentioned?’
She nodded. ‘Although he’s leaving to start training as a fighter pilot the day after tomorrow.’
‘Well? Is he serious about you, this boyfriend?’
‘Very. He’s asked me to marry him countless times, but I’ve always put him off.’
‘Why’s that then? Not keen?’ Don asked, sipping his beer.
‘As keen as I’m ever likely to be on someone.’
‘What’s so special about this lad? Not like you to have your head turned by young men.’
‘Charlie’s… different,’ she said with a slight smile. ‘He doesn’t brag and bully like a lot of them. He respects me and my work. He treats me like an equal, and he never patronises or dismisses me the way so many men do. And he’s fun – stops me taking myself too seriously.’
‘No mean feat, eh?’ Don said with a laugh.
‘That’s what Lil always says. But if I say yes, I’ll have to give up my job, won’t I?’
‘That’s the usual way. Still, there are married women journalists.’
‘Whose bairns have grown, maybe, or can afford a nanny for them. And even then… Reg spelt it out plainly to me when I asked if there was any chance he’d consider keeping me on. He won’t employ a married woman reporter atThe Tyke– still less one who’s married to his brother.’
‘I’d have a job for you at theCourier.’
She stared at him. ‘You’d have me back?’
