Marie,' Annie sniffed. 'She's pregnant. I don't know how much, because I've no idea what an abortion costs.'
'Pregnantr Sylvia stopped dead and her mouth fell open. 'Pregnant!' she said again.
'Isn't it terrible? It makes me go all funny, thinking about it.'
'I wonder where she did it?' Sylvia shuddered.
'I didn't ask.' Annie had visions of her sister under shadowy trees or in dark back alleys with men who had no faces.
'Where will she get the abortion done?'
'I don't know that, either.'
'Come on.' Sylvia veered them towards Crosby Road. 'Let's go back to the Grand and we'll discuss it over a cup of coffee.'
Annie paced nervously up and down the pale cream carpet. The coffee had long been drunk, and it was half an hour since Sylvia had gone downstairs promising, 'I won't be long.'
Cecy might regard Annie as a bad influence when she knew what her sister had done, and refuse to let Sylvia see her again. She'd think there was bad blood in the family and Annie could do the same thing.
The longplaying record finished, but she couldn't be bothered to turn it over. Anyroad, the music, the jazzy score of Guys and Dolls, had begun to get on her nerves.
Suddenly, Sylvia burst into the room. 'It's all settled,' she said breathlessly. 'Marie's booked into a nursing home in Southport this coming Saturday. She'll have to stay overnight.'
Annie sat down, overcome with relief. 'I can't thank
Cecy enough,' she began, but Sylvia interrupted with a horrified, 'Don't mention a word of this to Cecy! She'd never approve. It's ail Bruno's doing, with the help of the bloody Marxists.'
'I'll pay him back as soon as I can,' Annie vowed.
Sylvia shook her head. 'Bruno's only too pleased to help. It makes him feel good, doing something for the proletariat.'
Bruno Delgado picked Annie and Marie up from the corner of Orlando Street on Saturday morning. Sylvia was in the front of the big black Mercedes car.
Marie was subdued throughout the journey to South-port, overawed by the handsome, garrulous Bruno, who lectured them on politics the whole way. The law should be changed, he declared, so women could have an abortion legally. 'A woman's right to choose,' he called it.
'Your Parliament makes me sick,' he exploded at one point. 'All those middle-aged, middle-class men pontificating on what should happen to a woman's body. What the hell do they know about it? It's even worse in Italy, where the church makes all the rules.'
They were nearly there when he enquired, 'What excuse did you give at home to explain Marie's night
away
'We didn't need an excuse,' Annie said carelessly. 'They won't notice she's gone.' She could have bitten off her tongue when she saw in the rear mirror Bruno's dark eyebrows draw together in astonishment. Marie stiffened at her side. 'I feel invisible,' she'd said once. In a moment of awareness, Annie knew why she'd let the men make use of her body. They'd made her feel wanted, though for all the wrong reasons. She pressed her sister's hand. 'It'll be over soon,' she whispered.
Sylvia's attitude didn't help. She completely ignored Marie, not once even glancing in her direction. Annie had known she disapproved since Christmas Eve, but she didn't realise the dislike was so intense.
'She's led a charmed life,' Annie thought wryly. 'She doesn't know the half of it.' Marie had only been trying to survive as best she could.
Bruno and Sylvia remained in the car when the sisters went into the nursing home, a gracious detached ivy-covered house in a wide tree-lined avenue. 'They're expecting you,' Bruno said. 'It's all arranged.'
A woman in a white starched overall came towards them, her face expressionless. 'Miss Harrison.-'' She looked from one to the other. Annie pushed Marie forward. 'Come with me, please.'
Marie turned, and Annie felt a fierce stab of pity at the sight of her stricken face. 'Do you want me to stay?' she said.
The woman in the overall said coldly, 'That's not allowed. You can pick her up at the same
'Pregnantr Sylvia stopped dead and her mouth fell open. 'Pregnant!' she said again.
'Isn't it terrible? It makes me go all funny, thinking about it.'
'I wonder where she did it?' Sylvia shuddered.
'I didn't ask.' Annie had visions of her sister under shadowy trees or in dark back alleys with men who had no faces.
'Where will she get the abortion done?'
'I don't know that, either.'
'Come on.' Sylvia veered them towards Crosby Road. 'Let's go back to the Grand and we'll discuss it over a cup of coffee.'
Annie paced nervously up and down the pale cream carpet. The coffee had long been drunk, and it was half an hour since Sylvia had gone downstairs promising, 'I won't be long.'
Cecy might regard Annie as a bad influence when she knew what her sister had done, and refuse to let Sylvia see her again. She'd think there was bad blood in the family and Annie could do the same thing.
The longplaying record finished, but she couldn't be bothered to turn it over. Anyroad, the music, the jazzy score of Guys and Dolls, had begun to get on her nerves.
Suddenly, Sylvia burst into the room. 'It's all settled,' she said breathlessly. 'Marie's booked into a nursing home in Southport this coming Saturday. She'll have to stay overnight.'
Annie sat down, overcome with relief. 'I can't thank
Cecy enough,' she began, but Sylvia interrupted with a horrified, 'Don't mention a word of this to Cecy! She'd never approve. It's ail Bruno's doing, with the help of the bloody Marxists.'
'I'll pay him back as soon as I can,' Annie vowed.
Sylvia shook her head. 'Bruno's only too pleased to help. It makes him feel good, doing something for the proletariat.'
Bruno Delgado picked Annie and Marie up from the corner of Orlando Street on Saturday morning. Sylvia was in the front of the big black Mercedes car.
Marie was subdued throughout the journey to South-port, overawed by the handsome, garrulous Bruno, who lectured them on politics the whole way. The law should be changed, he declared, so women could have an abortion legally. 'A woman's right to choose,' he called it.
'Your Parliament makes me sick,' he exploded at one point. 'All those middle-aged, middle-class men pontificating on what should happen to a woman's body. What the hell do they know about it? It's even worse in Italy, where the church makes all the rules.'
They were nearly there when he enquired, 'What excuse did you give at home to explain Marie's night
away
'We didn't need an excuse,' Annie said carelessly. 'They won't notice she's gone.' She could have bitten off her tongue when she saw in the rear mirror Bruno's dark eyebrows draw together in astonishment. Marie stiffened at her side. 'I feel invisible,' she'd said once. In a moment of awareness, Annie knew why she'd let the men make use of her body. They'd made her feel wanted, though for all the wrong reasons. She pressed her sister's hand. 'It'll be over soon,' she whispered.
Sylvia's attitude didn't help. She completely ignored Marie, not once even glancing in her direction. Annie had known she disapproved since Christmas Eve, but she didn't realise the dislike was so intense.
'She's led a charmed life,' Annie thought wryly. 'She doesn't know the half of it.' Marie had only been trying to survive as best she could.
Bruno and Sylvia remained in the car when the sisters went into the nursing home, a gracious detached ivy-covered house in a wide tree-lined avenue. 'They're expecting you,' Bruno said. 'It's all arranged.'
A woman in a white starched overall came towards them, her face expressionless. 'Miss Harrison.-'' She looked from one to the other. Annie pushed Marie forward. 'Come with me, please.'
Marie turned, and Annie felt a fierce stab of pity at the sight of her stricken face. 'Do you want me to stay?' she said.
The woman in the overall said coldly, 'That's not allowed. You can pick her up at the same
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