Free Queen of the Mersey by Maureen Lee

‘Here Comes The Bride,’ Roddy leapt to his feet and kissed her, and the other diners burst into spontaneous applause.
    Everyone in the room was looking at her. Laura didn’t know whether to crawl under the table or burst into tears. ‘Who’s Mr Theo?’ she asked in a cracked voice.
    ‘The owner of Freddy’s, luv. He’s ever such a nice man. There he is, over there.’
    Just outside the entrance to the kitchen, a handsome, foreign-looking man was watching them intently. He bowed courteously in their direction. Laura gave him a little wave. ‘Tell him thank you very much. It’s a lovely gesture.’
    ‘You’re a lovely bride. Mr Theo said so himself. Someone showed him the menu with your husband’s message and he came down to take a peek at you both. Oh, and he said the meal’s on the house.’
    ‘All I asked was for the pianist to play something special,’ Roddy said later.
    ‘I wasn’t expecting wine and free food.’
    To their surprise, Vera was in the living room when they got home, reading the Silver Star, a magazine containing tawdry tales that Laura found quite fascinating when she borrowed it.
    ‘Did you enjoy yourselves?’ she asked.
    ‘It was wonderful!’ Laura cried. ‘We went to see Jezebel with Bette Davis and had lunch in Frederick & Hughes. They gave us wine and the pianist played …’
    She stopped just in time.
    ‘The pianist played what?’
    ‘“Happy Birthday”. It was someone’s birthday on the next table and they gave us a glass of wine. And Roddy bought me a ring. It was only two and elevenpence, but isn’t it pretty?’ She displayed her right hand so Vera could see the sparkling glass stone. ‘It’s not a real diamond.’
    ‘I wouldn’t have expected it to be, luv, not for two and eleven.’
    ‘After the pictures, we went for a drink,’ Laura continued, her face glowing. ‘I had a cherry brandy – I think I’m a little bit tipsy – then we strolled down to the Pier Head and watched the ferries sail in and out. We walked home along the Docky. It’s so foreign, and incredibly busy, even at this time of night.’ She collapsed on the sofa with a whoop of delight. ‘Oh, I love Liverpool! I want to stay here for the rest of my life.’
    ‘Was it you making a commotion outside the window a few minutes ago?’
    Laura giggled. ‘We were playing hopscotch in the moonlight. Can you think of anything more romantic? I’ve been dying to have a go.’
    Roddy had been watching his young wife with a mixture of amusement and total adoration while she spoke. ‘I think you could say, Vera, that today we enjoyed ourselves to the full.’
    ‘Has Hester been all right?’ Laura suddenly remembered they had a daughter.
    ‘No.’ Vera said grimly. ‘She’s been a little minx, our Mary too. They’ve been fighting for possession of Queenie the whole day long. The poor girl doesn’t know whether she’s coming or going. Don’t be surprised when you find Hester’s room empty, because she’s upstairs. All three of ’em are fast asleep in Aggie Tate’s bed.’
    ‘They’re a lovely couple,’ Vera said fondly to Albert when she got home. ‘They talk like books. “Today we enjoyed ourselves to the full,” Roddy said.’
    ‘In other words, they had a bloody good time,’ Albert remarked drily.
    ‘I think you could say that. You should’ve seen their faces! And the way they looked at each other! You’d think they had lighted candles behind their eyes.’
    ‘Who’s talking like a book now?’ Albert said, impressed. ‘You’ll be writing poetry next, girl.’
    ‘Did we ever look at each other like that, Albert?’ Vera asked wistfully.
    ‘I’m looking at you like that now, Vera. And there’s not candles behind me eyes, but two bloody bonfires. C’mon, girl. Let’s go to bed.’
    Hester woke her parents early the following morning simply by bursting into their room and throwing herself on to the bed. She shook her mother awake.
    ‘Mummy, why should Mary have Queenie for a sister?’ she demanded. ‘It’s not fair. It was me who saw her first. She should be