Home Front Girls

things up and would have loved to share her news with them all, but she felt that Robert should be the first to know.
    ‘It’s a deal,’ Annabelle and Lucy agreed. Lucy had been very quiet, but the others had refrained from asking too many questions as she clearly didn’t want to discuss it.
    Annabelle had dared to ask, ‘How is he?’ and something about the way she said it made Lucy glance at her strangely. Annabelle had flushed and looked away, and from then on the subject had been carefully avoided.
    They had one last hug as Dotty told them, ‘I’m afraid I really must go now. If I miss the train I’ll have to wait hours for another one, and you know what a worrier Robert is. And anyway . . .’ she blushed prettily. ‘This is the first night we’ve been apart since we got married and to be honest I can’t wait to get back home to him.’
    Miranda smiled indulgently. She was no fool, and despite the fact that Dotty hadn’t said a word, she had guessed her secret the minute she arrived. She had the glow that all pregnant women have, and she prayed that all would go well for the young woman. She appeared to be truly happy for the first time in her life and Miranda felt that she thoroughly deserved it. Dotty was scarcely recognisable now from the shy retiring girl Annabelle had once brought home. She was happy and confident, not to mention quite wealthy, and Miranda was thrilled for her.
    As she looked at the girls, Miranda realised that, in fact, they had all changed. Annabelle had struggled to come to terms with the secret she had discovered about her true mother, but finally she seemed to have worked through that, although Miranda sensed that she was still sad and knew that it was because of Lucy’s brother. She clearly loved him, and if what Annabelle said was true, he loved her too – and yet he had told her that he could never leave his sister to fend for herself. It was all very strange.
    And then there was Lucy. Poor Lucy, she seemed to be wandering about like a lost soul lately with no purpose to her life and no sense of direction. But what could Miranda do about it? She decided that she would try and persuade Lucy to stay until after the other two had left. Perhaps she could get her to open up about what was wrong then? It was worth a try, she decided.
    Two hours later, after seeing Annabelle off with her kitbag and her gas mask flung across her shoulder, Miranda led Lucy into the kitchen and suggested, ‘How about a nice cuppa? I could just do with one, couldn’t you?’ Lucy looked hesitant but Miranda wasn’t about to give up that easily. Somehow she sensed that her daughter’s happiness was at stake here.
    She made the tea, then once they were both seated at the kitchen table and she had poured out two steaming cups, she asked bluntly, ‘So what’s wrong, Lucy? And don’t say “nothing” because I’ll know that you’re fibbing. You haven’t been yourself for ages and I feel it isn’t just due to losing your little sister and your mother any more, so why don’t you tell me what’s troubling you? You know the old saying, “a trouble shared is a trouble halved”.’
    For a terrible moment she thought that Lucy was going to take to her heels, but Miranda reached across the table and gripped her hand. ‘You do know that Joel and Annabelle are in love, don’t you?’ she asked, seeing no reason to beat about the bush.
    Just for a brief moment Lucy looked stricken, but then she shrugged.
    ‘Why is it that he told Annabelle he had feelings for her but that they could never come to anything because he could never leave you?’ Miranda persisted. Her question was met with another shrug and Miranda began to think that she was banging her head against a brick wall.
    And then suddenly, Lucy’s shoulders sagged and she started to cry, great heaving sobs that shook her thin frame.
    ‘Oh, darling, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was only trying to help. You just seem so unhappy all the time lately and I hate to see you like this.’ Miranda was around the table in a second, and when she gathered the sobbing girl into her arms, Lucy clung to her as if she were a lifeline. Miranda let her cry until the sobs subsided to dull hiccuping whimpers and then holding her at arm’s length she asked softly, ‘Do you feel a bit better now?’
    Lucy took a shuddering breath before mumbling, ‘I shall never feel better. Oh, everything is such a mess!’
    Miranda rocked her to