‘It’s a lovely place you have,’ the girl said politely.
‘Thank you. Now I wonder if you wouldn’t mind covering your ears?’
Kathleen blinked. ‘Covering my ears?’
‘Yes. I need to say a few words to our Jake that I’m afraid are going to turn the air rather blue.’ Bobby spun to face Jake, who was scuffing his feet as he awaited the earful he knew was coming his way. ‘What the hell do you think you’re playing at? I’ve barely had a line from you for months, then you turn up with a fiancée you haven’t told us about and a baby on the way? Dad’s going to play pop.’
‘Why do you think I came to your place?’ Jake said, with an attempt at a grin. ‘Look, can you save it, Bob? I’m knackered. You can tell me off when I’ve had some sleep.’
He did look tired, and haggard too. It had been some time since Bobby had seen her youngest sibling. Now she examined him properly, the change in his appearance was rather shocking. He had lost weight, she was sure. Although his face was still boyish, his eyes seemed to carry more than their twenty-one years.
It reminded her that the war on the home front could do as much damage to a man as the battlefields of Europe and Africa. Months of defusing bombs had clearly taken their toll on her little brother.
‘Come and sit down,’ she said in a softer voice. ‘How long are you both here for?’
‘Three days.’
‘As long as that?’ Bobby rubbed her head. ‘Lord knows where I’m going to put you, but we’ll make it work somehow. I’ll have to go into town again tomorrow and see what food I can get. You’d better give me your ration card.’
Jake grimaced as he sat down. ‘Forgot it. Sorry.’
‘Oh, you are hopeless. I thought they gave you one with your leave pass.’
‘They did, but I left it somewhere. It don’t matter, I don’t eat much these days.’
‘Well you ought to. You’re as skinny as a rake. I’ll have to see about fattening you up before I send you back.’
‘I’ve got my book,’ Kathleen said. She took it from her handbag and handed it to Bobby. ‘Sorry to be so much trouble to you, Miss. Jake said it would be all right if we stayed here.’
Bobby smiled as she put the ration book away. ‘It’s Bobby, not Miss. Don’t worry, love, no one’s blaming you.’ She sat down by Jake and ruffled his hair. ‘I’m blaming this one. Still, it’s good to see you, Jake, even if you are a… but I won’t go into that. You know what you are.’
‘We can stay then?’ he asked.
‘I’m not going to throw you out into the street, am I?’ She glanced at Kathleen. ‘I’ll have to think about sleeping arrangements though. What possessed you to just turn up?’
‘We needed your help.’ Jake beamed at his fiancée. ‘We’ve come to get married. I thought you and Lil could help us sort it out.’
Bobby pressed her forehead. ‘You’re wanting to arrange a wedding on this leave? In three days? Oh my word.’
‘Well, we need to do it fast, don’t we?’
Bobby glanced at Kathleen’s swollen stomach. ‘So I see.’
‘Look, we meant to do it properly. Have the wedding first and that. But the army wouldn’t let me out for it, so… things ended up sort of the wrong way round.’
Jake looked so genuinely puzzled as to how this could have happened that Bobby couldn’t help a smile.
‘I’ll make your tea,’ she said, heading to the kitchen.
Charlie was seated at the table, finishing a bowl of stew.
‘Well this is a turn-up,’ he said quietly.
‘You’re telling me,’ Bobby muttered back. ‘Honestly, I don’t know whether to hug the lad or strangle him.’
‘He looks like he needs the hug more. Poor kid.’
‘I know, he looks dreadful. I suppose you heard all that about the wedding, did you?’
