Free Legacy of Greyladies by Anna Jacobs

myself.’
    ‘I’ll burn them if you do.’
    ‘While I’m wearing them or after I take them off?’
    ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
    She studied him. Her feelings for him were undergoing a change. She’d always been a little afraid of upsetting him, he was so big and strong, but after spending more time than usual with him, she now considered him a stuffed shirt with a narrow view of the world, who backed down when challenged.
    And he was rather stupid too. From the way he talked about what he would do after Britain won the war, it was clear that he expected life to go back to how it had been before.
    She too believed they’d win the war, whatever it took. But she was equally sure most people wouldn’t go back to their old ways of living and thinking. Young men who had never gone more than ten miles away from their villages had now seen big cities and travelled to foreign countries. They’d met all sorts of people, and though they’d seen some harrowing sights, they must have learnt a great deal too.
    She was sure they would have been changed by their experiences.
    And so many men had lost their lives, like her husband. The women they left behind would have to make new and different lives for themselves. It stood to reason that with so many young men being killed, there would be a lot of young women unable to find husbands at all.
    She opened the front door to see if there was any sign of Babs’s car, shivering as a cold wind sucked the warmth from her body.
    ‘Shut that door!’ yelled Donald.
    ‘Yes, your majesty,’ she muttered and chose to wait for her friend outside, where the air might be cold, but no one yelled orders at her.
    Babs turned up a few minutes later to pick Olivia up. ‘Can you get into the car without help?’
    ‘Of course I can.’ She opened the door and climbed nimbly in.
    ‘Did you sell a lot of groceries today?’ Babs asked in a teasing voice.
    ‘Yes, of course. With Christmas coming next week people are trying to buy little treats, especially those whose sons and husbands will be home on leave. Are you staying down here in the country for the holiday?’
    ‘No. I’m going up to the London flat and will be having friends round and going to a few parties. You could come with me, if you liked. It’s a big flat and I have plenty of room for guests. I doubt you’ll have much fun with dear Donald.’
    ‘Don’t tempt me. My cousin is driving me mad.’
    Babs laughed. ‘I met him a couple of times when Humfy was alive. He’s an absolute blockhead. He wouldn’t have been made a captain if the casualty rates among officers weren’t so great.’
    She scrubbed her eyes with the back of her forearm and sniffed. ‘Sorry. That reminded me that the son of a close friend was killed two days ago. Pilot. Shot down over the Channel. Only twenty-three. Such a charming young man.’
    ‘I’m sorry.’
    Babs thumped the steering wheel with one clenched fist, causing the car to swerve slightly. ‘How many lives are going to be lost before these stupid men learn to get on with one another? If we women ruled the world, we wouldn’t go to war like this.’
    ‘Wouldn’t we? Who knows? I’ve met some quarrelsome and bigoted women in my time.’
    Babs glanced quickly sideways. ‘You sound and look a bit downhearted.’
    ‘I am. It’s living with Donald that does it. I can cope with him for a day or two, but weeks of him … I shall flee for my life once Christmas is over.’
    ‘Change your mind about Christmas and join me in London.’
    ‘I can’t, Babs. Not this year. Cecily is hopeless without good help in the house and we can’t seem to find her a full-time maid.’
    ‘Offer more money.’
    ‘Donald refuses to pay any maid more than he did before the war.’
    ‘You’ll soon be able to go back to your own home.’
    ‘The trouble is, my house is full of Belgians. I’m not sure it’ll be much better there, because at least here I have my job in the shop, where I meet a lot of