since her mother’s death, she had found herself a little job doing messages for an elderly widow down the road. This she kept quiet about because she was convinced her aunt would take the money from her if she knew about it. As it was, Betty had managed to save her shillings and had them hidden away in an old sock beneath her mattress.
Fortunately, her aunt didn’t set foot in Betty’s bedroom as she was expected to keep it clean and change the bedding herself. As soon as their evening meal was over, she planned on going up to her room and writing a reply to Emma’s letter. She decided not to mention it to Maggie, just in case she went and told her mother. This would be Betty’s secret.
Emma was hoeing the vegetable patch when she heard the squeak of the postman’s bicycle brakes and then footsteps approaching the front of the house. She dropped the hoe and raced up the garden and into the house, wondering whether it was another response to the second advertisement she had placed in the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times or if it was a reply to her letter from her half-sister.
On the mat lay a single envelope. She snatched it up, noticed the postmark and wasted no time in opening the envelope. Inside was a lined sheet of paper that looked like it had been torn from an exercise book, with handwriting that slanted to the right in bright-blue ink. A lot of words had been crammed onto the single sheet. She recognised the address on the right-hand side and her gaze went swiftly to the signature at the bottom. It was from Betty!
Dear Emma,
Thank you for your letter. It was a real thrill to get it. My mum had told me that I had a half-sister living with her grandparents, but I was only little at the time and I’d almost forgotten about you. Anyway, I’m not going to gabble on because there’ll be no paper left and I don’t want to run out of ink. I’d like to meet you and suggest that we do so outside the Forum cinema on Lime Street in Liverpool next Saturday. You can’t really miss it as it’s on a corner, and if you come out of the left-hand side of the railway station and go down towards Lime Street, it’ll be dead ahead of you. I hope one o’clock will be OK but don’t write back, just turn up. I mightn’t be as lucky in getting my hands on your letter before my aunt does next time .
Look forward to seeing you,
Betty Booth
P.S. I don’t mean this coming Saturday, but the next.
The postscript made Emma smile and convinced her that her sister really did want to make certain that she arrived at the appointed spot on the right day. A week gave her plenty of time to prepare and it was good that Betty was making allowances for her not knowing Liverpool that well. It was obvious that she hadn’t told her aunt about Emma writing to her.
The question now was whether she would have the time to meet Dougie as well as Betty. She decided to write and let him know that her half-sister had been in touch and tell him the time and the place where they were meeting. If he was not on duty, then perhaps he would suggest a rendezvous later in the day? It would be lovely if they could spend time together. Her heart that had been racing after her dash up the garden now seemed to bounce inside her chest just at the thought of seeing Dougie again. She was going to have to keep her fingers crossed that it would happen. Life had taken on a whole new and exciting direction from that which she would have envisaged a year ago. She could not wait to see both of them.
* * *
‘Where are you off to?’
Betty almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of Teddy’s voice. She had not realised he was in the house. Did she dare pretend she had not heard him and wrench open the door and go out?
‘Are you deaf, girl?’
He seized her by the shoulder and Betty stiffened. ‘Let me go! I’ve an appointment that I must keep,’ she blurted out.
He spun her around and she saw that he was wearing a towelling dressing gown but his short
Fortunately, her aunt didn’t set foot in Betty’s bedroom as she was expected to keep it clean and change the bedding herself. As soon as their evening meal was over, she planned on going up to her room and writing a reply to Emma’s letter. She decided not to mention it to Maggie, just in case she went and told her mother. This would be Betty’s secret.
Emma was hoeing the vegetable patch when she heard the squeak of the postman’s bicycle brakes and then footsteps approaching the front of the house. She dropped the hoe and raced up the garden and into the house, wondering whether it was another response to the second advertisement she had placed in the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times or if it was a reply to her letter from her half-sister.
On the mat lay a single envelope. She snatched it up, noticed the postmark and wasted no time in opening the envelope. Inside was a lined sheet of paper that looked like it had been torn from an exercise book, with handwriting that slanted to the right in bright-blue ink. A lot of words had been crammed onto the single sheet. She recognised the address on the right-hand side and her gaze went swiftly to the signature at the bottom. It was from Betty!
Dear Emma,
Thank you for your letter. It was a real thrill to get it. My mum had told me that I had a half-sister living with her grandparents, but I was only little at the time and I’d almost forgotten about you. Anyway, I’m not going to gabble on because there’ll be no paper left and I don’t want to run out of ink. I’d like to meet you and suggest that we do so outside the Forum cinema on Lime Street in Liverpool next Saturday. You can’t really miss it as it’s on a corner, and if you come out of the left-hand side of the railway station and go down towards Lime Street, it’ll be dead ahead of you. I hope one o’clock will be OK but don’t write back, just turn up. I mightn’t be as lucky in getting my hands on your letter before my aunt does next time .
Look forward to seeing you,
Betty Booth
P.S. I don’t mean this coming Saturday, but the next.
The postscript made Emma smile and convinced her that her sister really did want to make certain that she arrived at the appointed spot on the right day. A week gave her plenty of time to prepare and it was good that Betty was making allowances for her not knowing Liverpool that well. It was obvious that she hadn’t told her aunt about Emma writing to her.
The question now was whether she would have the time to meet Dougie as well as Betty. She decided to write and let him know that her half-sister had been in touch and tell him the time and the place where they were meeting. If he was not on duty, then perhaps he would suggest a rendezvous later in the day? It would be lovely if they could spend time together. Her heart that had been racing after her dash up the garden now seemed to bounce inside her chest just at the thought of seeing Dougie again. She was going to have to keep her fingers crossed that it would happen. Life had taken on a whole new and exciting direction from that which she would have envisaged a year ago. She could not wait to see both of them.
* * *
‘Where are you off to?’
Betty almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of Teddy’s voice. She had not realised he was in the house. Did she dare pretend she had not heard him and wrench open the door and go out?
‘Are you deaf, girl?’
He seized her by the shoulder and Betty stiffened. ‘Let me go! I’ve an appointment that I must keep,’ she blurted out.
He spun her around and she saw that he was wearing a towelling dressing gown but his short
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