Free Riches of the Heart by June Tate

Cohen – paid for out of her wages, naturally! She’d placed two screens around the corner of her bedroom to make it private, and with a washbasin and a mirror, she was quite self-sufficient. What more did she need at this time?
    ‘I’m going away, Lily.’
    The sudden statement sent a chill through her. ‘Going away – where?’
    ‘I’m going to Ireland, to see me mother. She hasn’t been well.’
    Lily was immediately sympathetic. ‘Oh Tom, I’m sorry. I hope it isn’t anything serious?’
    ‘She’s had pneumonia, but apparently is getting better.’
    ‘You didn’t tell me.’
    ‘I didn’t know how serious it was meself, until I got a letter this morning.’
    ‘You are coming back?’
    He hesitated. ‘That all depends.’
    She felt her stomach tighten. ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘Do I have anything to come back for, that’s what I want to know.’
    Oh God, please don’t let me lose him, she prayed fervently. ‘You have me, Tom.’
    ‘Do I, Lily? I don’t think I do.’
    She grabbed at his coat and held on. ‘Don’t say things like that, Tom. I love you.’
    ‘I’m not even sure of that any more. If you really loved me you would want to be me wife. You would have named the day. We could be planning our wedding, but you keep giving me excuse after excuse.’ His expression was cold. ‘What else can I think?’
    She was beside herself. Yes, she kept putting him off, for she wasn’t able to marry him unless she lied about her age, but she couldn’t let him go like this. She loved him too much.
    Holding his face tenderly in her hands, she kissed him. ‘I love you more than life itself. I want to be with you, for ever.’
    There was a flicker of hope in his eyes. ‘You mean that, Lily?’
    ‘I mean it, Tom. Honest I do. When you come back from Ireland, we’ll sort out a date for the wedding.’
    He clasped her to him, raining kisses on her lips, her eyes, her hair. ‘Oh Lily, darlin’, I was beginning to give up all hope. I want you so much. I want to hold you in me arms, make love to you, wake up beside you in the morning and know you’ll be there when I get home at night.’
    Lily held him tightly, overwhelmed by his words. ‘I want those things too.’
    He tilted her chin upwards, and kissed her tenderly. ‘When I come back, we’ll look for a house to rent. We’ll choose some nice second-hand stuff. One day you’ll have a place to call your own. I’ll work hard, you’ll see. It will be wonderful, being Mrs Tom McCann. You’ll never regret it.’
    They held on to each other, exchanging kisses filled with passion. ‘We’ll make wonderful babies,’ he said softly.
    Lily felt her cheeks redden. ‘Tom!’ she chided.
    His laughter echoed down the street. ‘My, but you’re a shy one, for all your cheek.’ He kissed her forehead. ‘I’ll be gentle with you, darlin’. I’ll teach you how to enjoy being loved as a wife should. I know you’re a virgin, but there’s nothing to be frightened of. Love and sex go together.’
    As he held her close Lily thought, No, Tom. Sex isn’t always about love at all.
    ‘I’ll be away a week, unless me mother’s really sick. If I’m going to be longer, I’ll write to you.’
    Her eyes lit up. ‘Will you? I’ve never had a letter in my life.’
    ‘In that case I’ll write anyway. Tell you how much I love you … and miss you.’
    It was late when Tom reluctantly left her and she let herself into the shop, locked the door and sat on her bed, alone. ‘Well, I’ve really gone and done it now,’ she said aloud. Then she had a frightening thought. What if she had to produce a birth certificate? Not only would Tom discover her real age, but her name would be different. There would be so much explaining to do – and what would have to be revealed then? Her eyes closed in despair. She had committed herself to Tom, but was frightened of the consequences.
    The next day, weighed down with her problems, she was uncharacteristically