A Sister's Duty by June Francis

Author:June Francis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ebury Publishing

Chapter Twelve

Amelia hurried Dotty and the twins off the ferry and ran with them across the landing stage. They panted up the open passenger walkway where the slap-slap of the oily waters of the Mersey could clearly be heard below. They emerged just opposite Edward VII’s statue. Although Amelia had expected to see crowds down at the Pierhead on such a fine day in August, she had not expected so many and in such high spirits.

‘I wonder what’s going on,’ said Tom, eyes bright with curiosity.

Amelia caught the arm of a passing woman. ‘Has something happened? Have the Japanese surrendered? Is the war over?’

‘Where’ve you been, luv?’ The young woman’s face was alight with happiness. ‘Didn’t you see it in the papers this morning? Didn’t you hear the ships’ hooters going off?’

‘No!’ Amelia laughed with delight. Typical! The one morning they had overslept because she had decided not to go to the shop but to take the children out for the day. Somehow the excitement had passed them by.

‘It was them atom bombs that finished them off. Killed thousands and thousands all at once. It makes you think, doesn’t it?’ said the woman.

‘It’s frightening,’ said Amelia, almost in a whisper, unable to stop smiling, though, thinking what a difference this would make to so many of her customers.

‘Yeah. But it was them or more of our men and allies getting killed.’ The woman’s face hardened. ‘My man’s out there. I reckon it’s saved his life so I’m not crying for them Japs. Nor for the Jerries, who they’re saying now are near starvation. Have you seen the pictures that were in the papers of them prisoners in the concentration camps? Beasts! That’s what they are who did that. They’re not human!’

Amelia agreed that it was truly terrible, then thanked the woman and headed for the tram stop.

‘Will there be a party?’ asked Dotty.

‘Oh, yes. There’ll be parties,’ promised Amelia.

And there were. The fighting was over now. People wanted to celebrate and look to the future again, rebuild lives that had either been on hold or shattered altogether by the war.

It would not be easy for some, thought Amelia, reading the letter from her sister which arrived in September after the twins and Dotty had gone back to school.

‘What is it?’ asked Peter, glancing across the table at her as she refolded the sheet of notepaper.

She smiled faintly. ‘How do you know it’s anything?’

Things had been easier between them over the last few weeks. She was going into the shop later and leaving earlier, which meant she was not so tired. He had taken over the garden and seeing to the vegetable patch. She had also handed the accounts book to him and all the additional paraphernalia to do with household bills, and they had had the occasional day out with the children. Even so, there were things that did not get easier. She found his masculinity disturbing still and no longer knew exactly what her feelings were towards him. She

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