Coronation Wives by Lizzie Lane Read Free Book Online Page B

would meet at three o’clock. There was just one thing worrying her. Edna propped herself up on one elbow. ‘I want to ask you something.’
    He kept his eyes tightly closed and pretended not to notice. ‘I’m so sleepy,’ he said in the sort of voice one of the children might use.
    Edna smiled to herself. Colin
was
a child at times.
    Just as she expected, he opened one eye. ‘What is it?’
    She traced circles across his chest with her finger. ‘What do you think about secrets?’
    ‘You should keep them,’ he said with a yawn. His eyes snapped open. ‘What have you done?’
    Edna laughed. ‘Nothing. It’s not me.’ She tried to think of the best way to put it. ‘If something happened to a member of a friend’s family and they wanted you to keep it secret, even though you thought that friend could help that person, would you still keep the secret?’
    ‘Yes,’ said Colin. Then he yawned again and closed his eyes.
    Edna lay back on the pillow and did the same. Sleep would be a long time coming, she thought, and opened them again. Keeping Janet’s secret from Charlotte had been worrying her for days. But a secret was a secret. As far as Edna knew, she was the only person Janet had confided in. For Charlotte’s as well as Janet’s sake, she resolved to give her full support.
    In no time at all Colin was snoring. Edna nudged him in the ribs.
    ‘Sorry,’ he said sleepily, reached out and gripped the side of the mattress. Edna obliged, got one hand into his shoulder, one under his hip and moved him onto his side. Despite having overdeveloped arm muscles, turning over wasn’t easy.
    She lay awake for what seemed like hours then finally gave up trying. Being careful not to disturb Colin, she pushed back the bedclothes, swung her legs out of bed and tucked her feet into her slippers.
    Light fell through the round window at the top of the stairs and lay in a distorted oval like a maladjusted mat.
    She stepped into the girls’ room first. Susan was sound asleep, pink lips intermittently sucking on an equally pink thumb. Pamela was in her cot. She too was sucking on her thumb and had kicked her bedclothes down to her ankles.
    Edna pulled the bedding up over her warm little body. If anyone had ever told her she’d have such adorable children she’d never have believed it. And three of them! And another on the way – hopefully. So far she’d told no one – not even Colin. She wanted to be sure.
    On entering Peter’s room she found that he too had kicked off his bedclothes.
    She lingered after covering him up and gently pushed his sandy hair back from his forehead. Being brought up with two girls wasn’t always easy for him. He’d asked her if she could buy him a brother. ‘Not a baby one,’ he’d ordered. ‘I’d like one that’s big enough to play football.’
    Remembering what he’d said brought a lump to her throat. How could she tell him that he already had a brother who was older than him and might very well play football?
    She hugged herself and stifled a sob. Even though he had a good home, well-off adoptive parents and a better life in Brazil than she could have offered in Bristol, it had never been easy to forget Sherman, her firstborn, illegitimate and given up for adoption during the war. At times like these she imagined her brown-skinned, brown-eyed little boy waking, having breakfast, going to school and saying goodbye to the people who had raised him.
    Never mind, she told herself as she brushed away a tear, it’s all in the past. There’s a new age dawning and a bright future to look forward to, new houses, new jobs, new outlooks. A young queen is about to be crowned. The past is dead.

Chapter Five
    The tea lady was pushing her trolley around the office and duly arrived at Charlotte’s desk.
    ‘With or without?’ she asked, as the piping hot liquid poured from the urn.
    Charlotte was halfway through the details of a man called Lech Rostok from Danzig when something about the two