Read While We're Apart for Free Online Page A

‘I hope you’re not contemplating attacking me with your scissors again,’ he rumbled.
    Peggy, Suzy and Fran giggled, remembering the last time Fran had brought her hairdressing things into the kitchen, when she had forced him to sit still while she cut his hair and trimmed his flyaway brows.
    Fran shot him an impish grin. ‘Ach, Uncle Ron, you’re quite safe. ’Tis Peggy’s turn today.’
    â€˜I’m glad to hear it,’ he muttered.
    Jane came up the cellar steps, shivering with cold and thoroughly drenched. ‘Is autumn always like this in England, Auntie Peg?’ she asked wanly.
    â€˜I’m afraid it often is,’ Peggy replied as she helped her off with her far-from-adequate raincoat. ‘But you’ll soon get used to it.’
    Jane smoothed her hands over her fair hair and flicked the long, thick, soggy plait over her shoulder. ‘And to think I used to moan about the heat and humidity in Malaya,’ she said with a wry smile. ‘What I wouldn’t do for a bit of sunshine now.’
    Peggy watched her leave the kitchen to go and get changed. Jane worked at the dairy with the shire horses in the early mornings, and then did the books for the local uniform-factory owner each afternoon. She was a sweet, rather naïve girl and much less sophisticated than her older sister Sarah. Both girls were still homesick, even after all these months, and there was the added worry over their father and Sarah’s fiancé, neither of whom had been heard of since the fall of Singapore.
    Rita came clumping up the cellar steps, the rain slicking off her heavy-duty trousers and the old flying jacket that she wore over her fire-service uniform. ‘Whew! It’s filthy out there,’ she said as she pulled off the sheepskin-lined jacket and plumped down on a chair to untie her bootlaces. ‘At least this weather will keep the planes grounded, so there’s no danger of a raid or any fires to tackle.’ She ruffled her fingers through her mop of dark curls and grinned at everyone.
    â€˜I expect everyone at the fire station will be glad to have a night off,’ Suzy remarked, as she put the dinner plates to warm in the smaller of the two ovens.
    â€˜Oh, we are,’ Rita agreed cheerfully as she grabbed one of Fran’s clean towels and roughly dried her hair. ‘And I wouldn’t mind betting the boys up at Cliffe aerodrome are feeling just the same.’
    Fran snatched back the towel. ‘This was for Peggy,’ she said. ‘Now you’ve got it all wet.’
    â€˜Keep your hair on, Fran,’ replied Rita. ‘I’ll bring down another one after I’ve got changed.’ She shot Fran an impish grin, gave Cordelia a kiss on the cheek and ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
    â€˜My goodness,’ sighed Cordelia with a little shrug of pleasure. ‘How that girl has changed since she met Matthew.’
    â€˜It just goes to show what love can do,’ said Suzy happily.
    Fran gave a dramatic groan. ‘Honest to God, Suzy, I’ll be glad when you’re married. All this starry-eyed nonsense is getting me down.’
    Suzy laughed. ‘Jealousy will get you nowhere, Fran. You wait. It’ll happen to you one day.’
    â€˜Hmph.’ Fran folded her arms and tried hard to appear at ease with the fact she’d only recently fallen foul of a lying toerag of a married American whom she’d adored. ‘With all the hours I have to do at the hospital, chance would be a fine thing – not that I’m at all bothered.’
    â€˜When you’ve all quite finished discussing your love lives,’ grumbled Ron, ‘perhaps we could have our tea. Me stomach’s sticking to me backbone, so it is.’
    â€˜I’ll dish up when Sarah gets in,’ said Peggy. ‘She’ll need warming up after her long walk back from the Cliffe estate.’
    Peggy sat down and spooned the