Broken Rainbows Read Free Page A

voice even.
    â€˜And my maid never thinks of cleaning anything until I prompt her. I have to remind her to do even the most basic, routine housework. It’s been impossible to find, or keep, good staff since the beginning of the war.’
    The hinges squeaked as the door opened and Bethan’s two children peeped into the room, three-year-old Rachel leading twenty-one-month-old Eddie by the hand. Managing to ignore Mrs Llewellyn-Jones’s presence for a moment, Bethan smiled broadly and opened her arms. Neither child needed further encouragement. They rushed in, Eddie climbing straight on to her lap, Rachel standing at her knee, eyeing the visitors shyly from beneath a thick fringe of straight, dark auburn hair.
    â€˜Say hello to Mrs Llewellyn-Jones and Mr Williams.’
    Rachel managed a shy ‘How do you do?’ but Eddie buried his head in her cardigan.
    â€˜I hope you don’t mind, but as I’m on duty most days and some nights, I try to spend every minute I have at home with my children.’
    â€˜I don’t know how you manage, working the hours you do.’ Mr Williams leaned forward and tickled Rachel beneath her chin, driving her even closer to Bethan. ‘My wife told me you’re on the go from early morning until late at night. Then you’re on call -’
    â€˜Bethan has plenty of help,’ Mrs Llewellyn-Jones cut in abruptly. ‘And despite labour shortages, no mother of young children has to work.’
    Bethan took a deep breath. Mrs Llewellyn-Jones had made her opinion of working mothers known on numerous occasions, and generally in front of Andrew’s already disapproving mother.
    â€˜Surely you haven’t come to billet any more evacuees on me, Mr Williams?’ she asked in the hope of bringing the unheralded visit to a speedy conclusion.
    â€˜Not evacuees.’ Pressing his fingertips together he stared at the ceiling as he struggled to sort classified from unclassified information in his mind. Mrs Llewellyn-Jones seized the opportunity to take over the conversation.
    â€˜We’re here to lighten your load of the Clark girls.’
    â€˜We’d find it difficult to run the house without Liza’s help.’
    â€˜She has three younger sisters who must make more work than she can possibly do.’
    â€˜They are no trouble.’ Bethan helped Rachel up on to her knee next to Eddie. If she had been talking to almost anyone else she might have added, ‘unlike the boys’. The three small cockneys were in constant trouble either with the school, or the neighbouring farmers.
    â€˜Their father has been killed. In North Africa. We received the telegram yesterday morning.’
    â€˜And you haven’t come to tell them until now?’
    â€˜Time was hardly of the essence. Besides, arrangements had to be made, and I have been extremely busy with other matters.’
    Bethan gritted her teeth at the arrogant assumption that no one’s time, business or feelings were more important than Mrs Llewellyn-Jones’s own.
    â€˜I don’t know if you’re aware that the army ceases to pay dependants’ allowance from the date of death, which in this particular case was fourteen days ago. So I am legally obliged to inform you that you will have to forfeit your next payment for the girls, and you will receive nothing to cover expenses incurred during the last fortnight. You can of course appeal -’
    â€˜Where are you taking them?’ Bethan interrupted.
    â€˜The homes. I’ve arranged immediate admittance. It wasn’t easy. Between munitions factory accidents and service losses there are more orphans in the town than there’ve ever been. Strictly speaking the Clarks are the responsibility of Lambeth Council, not Pontypridd, but we can hardly send them back there. It will be a different matter once the war is over.’ She removed a file from her bag. Opening it, she shuffled through the papers it