by Iris Gower
‘I could have had his child.’ Hari was losing now, her lips trembled and like a tiger I went for my weakened enemy.
‘But you didn’t have his child! I did, his lawful wife, I had his son, carried him in my womb, brought him safely back home—a legitimate child of a true marriage.’
Hari retreated to the door. ‘I won’t give up, Meryl, Michael is mine, he’ll want to be with me. We can have children too, lots of them, you don’t have the monopoly on motherhood you know.’
She slammed out of the house and I sank back into my chair near the window, hating myself, hating Hari, and unwilling to feed my now-crying child until all the pain and venom had drained from my trembling body.
A week later I stood on the platform at Swansea Station and waited for the train to puff into sight. It would poke its sparking, shooting nose round the curve of the land and pull up beside me, and Michael, my beloved Michael, would step out. And then what?
I’d left the baby with Jessie, who had a few cryptic words to say to me before I left, words that did not reassure me. ‘He’ll decide where his future lies,’ she said sagely, ‘Michael is a man now and only he knows where his heart is.’
I heard the clip-clop of heels and saw Hari coming along the platform. She was wearing a red coat and new, shiny red shoes identical to those Kate had worn that day, so far away now when I’d sat under the table and stared out at the world in fear of dying under a bombers’ moon. My sister and I didn’t look at each other but she stood resolutely at my side as though asserting her rights.
The gush of steam alerted us both and the train steamed round the bend spitting sparks into the grass at the side of the rails and setting up little fires. I felt one of the sparks had ignited in me too. I longed for Michael to be in my arms, safe and well and mine. But would that happen?
People gushed out of the train, disgorged on to the platform and then drifted away to disappear like the smoke from the train. And there he was.
Michael stood for a moment, staring along the stretch of platform between us. I thought of a film I’d seen: sand, blue seas, lovers running to each other, arms wide. But it was Hari doing the running.
I was unable to move, still watching a film unwinding as Michael’s arms closed around my sister. His head bent and he was kissing her. I noticed he looked bedraggled, his hair was too long, too thick, his jacket was threadbare, his feet were shod in shabby shoes. One of the soles flapped like a tongue as he came towards me.
He was coming towards me. Hari, I saw, was standing with her head sagging on her chest and she was crying.
He held me close. His lips were warm and searching on mine. ‘My darling wife,’ he said, ‘I’m going to spend the rest of my life telling you how much I love you and I do love you, you funny little thing, so efficient, so straight, so brave. I’ve loved you since that night in the barn when I cuddled you and you slept in my arms. Then you were only a child and I didn’t acknowledge my feelings, I was afraid to confront them. I fear I made Hari a substitute for you and I’ll always regret that.’
We clung together for a long time and a great glow of happiness filled me. And then I remembered my sister. I looked at her; she was so smart in her red coat and red shoes and the thought flitted through my mind that red shoes never were lucky.
Hari came towards us, bravely forcing a smile, and I loved her so much in that moment. ‘Thank you, sis,’ I said, my eyes full.
‘Come on then you love birds.’ Hari spoke cheerfully. ‘Michael, aren’t you going to offer your sister-in-law a cup of tea before you take your wife home?’
She squeezed my arm and together we left the platform—me, my beautiful sister, and the man I loved more than life itself. My war was truly over.
Recent Titles by Iris Gower from Severn House
DESTINY’S CHILD
EMERALD
FIDDLER’S FERRY
HEART ON FIRE
HEART IN ICE
HEART OF STONE
PROUD MARY
A ROYAL AMBITION
SEA WITCH
SPINNER’S WHARF
Copyright
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
First world edition published 2009
in Great Britain and in the USA by
SEVERN HOUSE PUBLISHERS LTD of
9–15 High Street, Sutton, Surrey, England, SM1 1DF.
Copyright © 2009 by Iris Gower.
All rights reserved.
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Gower, Iris
Bombers’ Moon
1. World War, 1939–1945—Evacuation of civilians—Wales—Fiction 2. Agricultural labourers—Wales—Fiction 3. Wales—Social conditions—20th century—Fiction 4. Love stories
I. Title
823.9'14[F]
ISBN–13: 978–1–78010–241–2 (ePub)
ISBN–13: 978–0–7278–6765–0 (cased)
ISBN–13: 978–1–84751–139–3 (trade paper)
Except where actual historical events and characters are being described for the storyline of this novel, all situations in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to living persons is purely coincidental.
This ebook produced by
Palimpsest Book Production Limited,
Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland.
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