A Songbird in Wartime by Karen Dickson

Author:Karen Dickson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Published: 2021-12-09T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Some twenty minutes later, Emily and Nellie were standing in the middle of what could only be described as a shed. A cold draught blew in through the cracks in the walls and the single pane of glass rattled noisily in its frame. And the roof leaked, as evidenced by the inch of rainwater in the bucket standing in the centre of the room.

There were two camp beds, one against either wall. Each held a pillow, two army-issue blankets piled up at the end, and two metal buckets, one for washing and one to use as a toilet.

‘Oh well,’ Emily said philosophically. ‘We’ve slept in worse.’

‘Thank God it’s only two nights,’ Nellie agreed, sitting down on the camp bed. ‘I don’t think my back could cope with much more.’

‘Is it really hurting?’ Emily asked with sympathy.

‘It’s bearable. I’ll take some more aspirin before we go onstage.’

‘Take some now,’ Emily advised, taking her dress out of her kitbag and hanging it on the back of the door to get rid of the creases. She laid her hat on the bed and took off her jacket, flexing her shoulders. ‘It’s certainly not all glamour and glitz, is it?’ she laughed.

‘Ha, no!’ Nellie gave a wry smile. ‘And then there’s Lulu staying in three-star hotels every night. Where did we go wrong?’

‘Never mind. As you say, it’s only two nights.’

‘Well, I shall insist on a hotel room on our next tour,’ Nellie said, leaning back on her hands. Then, ‘Do you think Nik fancies me?’

‘Of course he does,’ Emily said. She dipped her flannel in the water bucket and wiped her face and neck, wincing as the cold water touched her skin.

‘Why hasn’t he said anything, then?’ Nellie pouted.

‘Because he’s obviously worried about hurting Dave’s feelings.’

‘Dave and I were over weeks ago,’ Nellie protested. Emily raised a quizzical eyebrow.

‘I don’t think Dave’s properly over you yet, Nellie. I’ve seen the way he watches you. He’s still besotted.’

‘I made it quite clear at the time I wasn’t looking for anything long-term or serious. We had a bit of fun and it’s over.’

‘People can’t just turn off their feelings on a whim,’ Emily said. Her tone was slightly sharper than she’d intended. She loved Nellie like a sister, but she didn’t always approve of her somewhat callous approach to romance. ‘One day, you’re going to fall really hard for someone, and I only hope they don’t break your heart.’

‘I may well break my heart over Nik,’ Nellie said with a pout. ‘We’ve only got two nights before we go back home. After that I may never see him again.’

‘I’m sure you’ll cope,’ Emily said drily, rummaging in her bag for her make-up. ‘We won’t be back in Bristol a day and you’ll have forgotten all about him.’

She propped her mirror on the windowsill, and began to apply her make-up. ‘At least we’ve got a proper stage tonight,’ she said, squeezing foundation onto her fingers and rubbing it onto her face. ‘One of the requisitioned buildings is the old community hall.

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