Luck Be a Lady Page 37

‘I’ll get it, Bessie,’ Rebecca called out as she went to answer the door.

  ‘Hello, Becks. Long time, no see.’

  Rebecca gaped in amazement at the figure standing on the doorstep, then quickly stepped out into the street.

  ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ she hissed angrily. ‘If Jimmy sees you, there’ll be hell to pay.’

  Phil’s eyes flickered, his shoulders going up in that same old characteristic shrug.

  ‘I know, Becks, I know. And I don’t blame him, but I had to see you before I left.’

  ‘Left! What are you talking about…? Oh, I see. You’re in trouble again. Well, you’ve used up every favour you ever had owing you, Phil. There’s nothing left for you here, not any more. Now, go away before Jimmy hears you.’

  ‘I’m going, Becks, but I’m not in trouble, in fact quite the opposite. Look!’ With a flourish he threw his coat open to reveal a khaki uniform. ‘I’ve joined up, Becks.’

  Rebecca’s mouth opened and closed with no sound being uttered.

  Phil laughed. ‘I thought you’d be surprised, but the way I see it, I’m always going to be in and out of trouble. I’ve got no willpower. But that last escapade… Well! It really shook me up, made me take a good look at myself, and I didn’t like what I saw. I also know I’m never going to change, so I thought the best thing to do was to put temptation out of harm’s way. I was talking to a fellow in the pub a few weeks ago, and he said he was thinking of enlisting because he couldn’t find any decent work, and as he said, at least he’d have a roof over his head and three square meals a day, plus a wage packet. And I thought, why not? It’d get me out of the East End. You never know, Becks.’ He raised an eyebrow in derision. ‘It might even make a man of me.’

  Rebecca leant back against the door. ‘Oh, Phil. You stupid sod. Talk about going from one extreme to another. You’ll never survive army life, you’ve had it too soft.’

  For an instant Phil’s face fell. ‘Cheers, Becks. It’s always nice to get a bit of encouragement,’ he said bleakly. ‘Anyway, like I said, I just wanted to see you one last time. Give my love to Amy, won’t you… And tell her… Well, tell her I love her, and I’m truly sorry about what happened. I’m glad Charlie came out of it all right, he’ll be a good husband… Bye, Becks… Love you.’

  He turned to go, and Rebecca, with a soft cry, threw her arms around his neck. ‘Look after yourself, you daft beggar. And… and I love you too, so does Amy – not that you deserve it. Write to me, Phil… Promise.’

  Phil grinned. ‘’Course I will. You never know, if there’s a war, I might even come back a hero. Wouldn’t that be a turn-up for the books. Me, Phil Bradford, a hero. Huh! You wouldn’t have got me within ten miles of any recruitment office if I thought there might really be a war. All the gossip – the headlines in the papers – is just scaremongering, to sell more newspapers. There’s been loads of talk about us going to war since last year, and nothing’s come of it yet. Nah! I’ll be back, just like a bad penny. See you, Becks.’

  Rebecca watched until the tall figure had disappeared from view, then she quietly went back indoors, her expression thoughtful. Phil hadn’t even mentioned what had happened to Richard and Maude. But then, why should he? That part of their lives was over and done with. And Phil, being Phil, had probably pushed that deeply unpleasant affair to the back of his mind.

  ‘Who was it, sweetheart?’ Jimmy was crossing the hall with James perched high on his shoulders.

  Rebecca looked lovingly into the rugged face of her husband and put her brother from her thoughts. He would be all right. Phil always landed on his feet, though the men in his regiment might find themselves a little short in their pockets come payday. A warm smile touched her lips.

  ‘No one important, Jimmy. Just some man selling his wares. I told him I already had all I needed.’

  First published in the United Kingdom in 2001 by Little, Brown

  This edition published in the United Kingdom in 2017 by

  Canelo Digital Publishing Limited

  57 Shepherds Lane

  Beaconsfield, Bucks HP9 2DU

  United Kingdom

  Copyright © Anna King, 2001

  The moral right of Anna King to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

  ISBN 9781788630061

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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