‘Still, Tony, Lil ought to stay close to her family. She’ll need support when the baby comes. I’d hate to think of her so far from everyone she knows, with a newborn to care for and the bombs falling.’
He put a hand on her shoulder. ‘Then you can do your new brother-in-law a favour and talk to Don for me. That was what I wanted to ask you.’
She frowned. ‘Talk to Don?’
‘That’s right.’ Tony took out one of his smelly cigarettes and lit it clumsily, his ungloved fingers stiff from the cold. ‘You were always his pet. Tell him I’ve turned over a new leaf – he won’t believe it coming from me but he listens to you. Tell him about the baby if you think it’ll help. If he gives me my old job back, I promise he won’t regret it. Must admit, I have missed the old place since he hoofed me out.’
‘What, didn’t you hear? Don’s not there. He got his call-up right before Christmas. He’s going this week.’
Tony frowned. ‘Then who’s in charge?’
‘Clarky. The trustees got him out of retirement for the duration.’
Tony groaned. ‘Oh Lord. I’ll never get back in if Clarky’s editor. He always did think I was a waste of space.’
Bobby raised an eyebrow. ‘And whose fault is that?’
‘All right, all right, enough with the Sunday School homilies. I said I was going to do better, didn’t I?’ He exhaled a thoughtful stream of blue smoke, making Bobby cough. ‘Clarky might listen to Don though. If he were to put in a good word for me.’
‘So you want me to talk to Don to ask him to talk to Clarky about taking you back?’ Bobby said. ‘I don’t fancy your odds much.’
‘It’s the best I’ve got. No one else in this town wants to hire me. You might at least see if Don would write me a reference.’
Bobby sighed. ‘All right, I’ll ask. But for Lilian’s sake, not yours. If it wasn’t that my sister needed you, you’d be lucky to get me to spit on you if you were on fire. And when my dad finds out about all this…’
Tony looked worried. ‘Old soldier, isn’t he?’
‘Very much so. And he’s also a gamekeeper, which means he always keeps a loaded shotgun in the house. Thanks to his time in the trenches, he’s a crack shot.’
Bobby enjoyed watching Tony squirm, but eventually she took pity on him.
‘Oh, don’t worry,’ she said. ‘He isn’t going to shoot you. Don’t think he won’t thump you though. Honestly, when Lil told me what you’d done I almost jumped on the train so I could thump you myself.’
‘How long are you going to be like this about it? We’ll be family next week.’
‘I can still be angry with you once we’re related. Expect at least another thirty years’ worth.’ She hugged herself, shivering. ‘I’m going back inside.’
‘You won’t forget though? About asking Don?’
‘I won’t forget. I’m going round to see him later. I’ll have a word then – not that you deserve it.’
Bobby turned to go back into the guest house, but Tony put a hand on her shoulder.
‘Hey,’ he said. ‘I really am sorry, Bob.’
Bobby pushed away the hand and marched inside without looking back.
Chapter 9
Bobby sought out her sister in the public lounge, still seething. Lilian smiled when she saw the black look on her twin’s face.
‘Did you give him a going over then?’ she asked, taking Bobby’s elbow to lead her upstairs. ‘He’s been worried sick about meeting Dad, but I told him it was you he should be scared of. I hope he isn’t going to have two black eyes on our wedding photograph.’
‘How can you joke about it? Honestly, I could kill the sod!’
‘He’s trying to make it right. That’s as much as we can expect of him,’ she said as she ushered Bobby into her bedroom.
‘What I expected of him was not to do it in the first place.’
