Authors: Ellie Dean
Matron’s smile was soft in her pleasantly rounded face. ‘I wonder if you could come with me, dear,’ she said.
‘I have to be in the gym,’ she replied, ‘and I’m already late.’
‘The doctor will understand,’ she murmured as she held open the door to one of the small consulting rooms. ‘This is rather important.’
Kitty felt a stab of alarm. ‘What’s happened?’
‘Come along, dear.’ Matron gently pressed her hand into Kitty’s back. ‘There are people waiting to see you.’
The alarm was sharper now and she could feel her heart crashing against her ribs as she approached the open door. ‘Who?’ she asked fearfully.
Matron pushed the door fully open.
Kitty saw Peggy Reilly and Commander Black waiting there and knew in an instant why they’d come. ‘Freddy,’ she gasped. ‘It’s Freddy, isn’t it?’ The room seemed to sway and the floor tilted beneath her as a terrible darkness claimed her.
As her eyelids fluttered open she looked blearily up into Peggy’s concerned face, wondering what she was doing here. And then she remembered. ‘Freddy,’ she gasped as she sat up on the examination couch and clutched at Peggy’s hand. ‘Please, please don’t tell me he’s dead,’ she sobbed.
‘There’s no confirmation of that, Kitty,’ said Peggy carefully. ‘So please don’t imagine the worst.’ She dried Kitty’s tears with a clean handkerchief.
‘Drink some water, dear,’ said Matron. ‘It will help to clear your head so you can concentrate properly on what Commander Black has to say.’
As Peggy put a comforting arm round her, Kitty clutched the damp handkerchief and drank the cold water, her tearful gaze fixed on Commander Black. Waving the glass away once her head had cleared, she steeled herself to remain calm. ‘What’s happened to him?’ she rasped.
‘He was on ops over Dieppe,’ he replied. ‘His Spitfire was shot down, but there are two confirmed sightings of his parachute opening before the plane crashed.’
‘So he made it out,’ breathed Kitty. ‘Did anyone see him land?’
Commander Black shook his head. ‘As you can imagine, there was a lot of activity at the time and the navy was laying down a thick blanket of smoke to cover the raiding fleet. He’s been posted as “Missing in Action”, and it’s hoped that he was taken prisoner. I’m sorry, Kitty, but as yet I have no confirmation of that.’
Kitty had stark, terrifying images of Freddy falling from the skies, of him landing and injuring himself and being left to die in some remote corner no one thought of searching – or being killed by a stray bullet, or trigger-happy Germans. ‘How soon will you know?’ she asked fearfully.
Commander Black cleared his throat. ‘There are already reports coming in of Canadian and naval POWs – the Germans are efficient if nothing else. I hope to hear soon.’
‘And if you don’t? Will that mean he’s . . . he’s . . . dead?’
‘It could mean a number of things,’ he said carefully. ‘Freddy is resourceful, and if he survived the landing and hasn’t been captured or badly wounded, then I wouldn’t put it past him to try and make his way back to England.’
Kitty clung to that hope with every fibre of her being. ‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘That’s exactly what he’d do.’
Peggy held her hand tightly. ‘Keep faith in that thought, Kitty,’ she urged. ‘Don’t give up on him now.’
But the doubts were already crowding in. ‘How many others have been accounted for?’ Kitty asked.
Commander Black’s face was lined with weariness and grief. ‘The RAF lost one hundred and six aircraft and sixty-two brave young men. There are thirty wounded and seventeen unaccounted for. Freddy is one of the latter.’
‘Oh, God,’ she groaned in an agony of despair as the hot tears rolled down her face and she remembered the laughter and the riotous game of pirates in the Cliffe mess. ‘I can’t bear to think of it.’ A terrible suspicion made her look up at the Commander through her tears. ‘Roger Makepeace was on Freddy’s wing. Did he . . .? Was he . . .?’
‘He’s fine,’ he said quickly. ‘In fact he wanted to come with me to tell you about Freddy, but I didn’t think it was necessary as you have Peggy to lean on.’
Kitty gripped Peggy’s hand, warmed by her presence and deeply grateful for her support. ‘Have my parents been informed?’ she asked tentatively.
‘Not yet. I thought it better to wait until I had more information.’
‘And his fiancée, Charlotte?’
‘I telephoned Hamble and spoke to her CO. She will tell her as soon as she returns to the ferry pool this evening.’
‘Poor Charlotte,’ she sobbed. ‘She was so excited about their wedding – making plans – talking about dresses and cakes and . . . and . . .’
He put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. ‘I’m so sorry I have to be the bearer of such tidings, Kitty, but the moment I have any news of Freddy, I will see you’re informed immediately.’
She nodded as he picked up his gold-braided peaked cap and tucked it under his arm. ‘Thank you,’ she murmured. ‘It can’t have been easy.’
His smile was wan. ‘Unfortunately it’s something I’ve had to learn to do,’ he sighed, ‘and you’re right, it never gets any easier.’
He softly kissed Peggy’s cheek. ‘I have to get back to Cliffe, but there will be a car and driver waiting for you when you’re ready to go home, Peggy.’ With that, he nodded to Matron and they both left the room.
As the door closed behind them Kitty sank into Peggy’s embrace and clung to her as the fears for Freddy multiplied and her sobs reflected the awful pain that was squeezing her heart. Freddy mustn’t be dead. He simply couldn’t be, for she would have known, would have felt something – for a light as bright as Freddy couldn’t just be snuffed out.
Yet it was as if the light in her world had grown suddenly dim as the doubts and terrors closed in, and she held Peggy even tighter as if, by doing so, she could will that light to shine brighter and give her hope.
PEGGY HELD FIERCELY
to the slender, sobbing girl and prayed with all her heart that the delightful young man she’d met once and spoken to several times on the telephone had survived. Such a bright and lively force of energy surely couldn’t be wiped out so cruelly – could it?
And yet, as she continued to comfort Kitty and blink back her own tears, she knew all too well how swiftly this war could snatch loved ones away. Her two nephews had been on the same minesweeper when it had struck that fatal mine – and they too had been young and vital, with so much more life to live. Frank and Pauline treasured their only surviving son and prayed he would be spared now that he’d been assigned to a safer posting in London, but Peggy knew they still mourned the two who would never come home again.
She looked out of the window to the garden. There were men and women gathered on the broad, sunlit terrace, or playing croquet, hampered by walking sticks, crutches, plaster of Paris and false limbs. But despite these handicaps there was much laughter.
The human spirit was amazing, she thought, for regardless of what people went through, there was a spark of determination to overcome and survive, and to make the best of things. These youngsters like Kitty had risked their lives for their country and were paying the price, just as almost an entire generation of young men had paid with their lives in the first war.
We never learn
, she thought sadly.
That war was supposed to be the one to end all wars, but here we are again, and it’s the young who are making the sacrifices to keep us safe
.
‘I’m sorry, Peggy,’ sniffed Kitty as she eased from the embrace. ‘I’ve made your cardigan all damp and creased your lovely frock.’
‘Good heavens, that doesn’t matter a jot,’ she replied warmly. Digging into her handbag, she pulled out another clean handkerchief from the wad she’d shoved in there before leaving the house. ‘Here we are, dear,’ she said softly. ‘You dry your eyes while I pour out the tea.’
Kitty looked puzzled as she eyed the tray on the desk. ‘Where did that come from?’
‘Matron brought it in a few minutes ago.’ She poured out the rather stewed tea and added a generous amount of sugar to both cups before topping up with milk and giving it a good stir. ‘Here we are, dear,’ she said with a gentle smile. ‘There’s nothing like a good cuppa to fortify you.’
Kitty put the cup and saucer on the examination couch and wriggled down until her foot touched the floor. ‘I’m getting a bit stiff sitting up there,’ she explained as she looked round for her crutches, which had been put on the far side of the room. ‘Can you help me into one of those chairs?’
Peggy held onto her arm as she hopped the few steps to the nearest chair and sat down. Then she fetched the crutches and the tea and put them both where Kitty could reach them. She settled into the other chair, feeling rather stiff herself after holding such an awkward position for so long on that examination couch, and it was nice to be able to relax a bit and gather her wits.
‘Matron’s nice, isn’t she?’ she said after a long, soothing drink of tea. ‘A far cry from the last one.’
‘She could only have arrived a few hours ago,’ said Kitty. ‘I’ve never seen her before.’
‘Well, she came last night on the late train, and the hospital sent a staff car to pick her up,’ said Peggy. ‘She’s from some unpronounceable village in Wales and before she retired from nursing was Matron at the Cardiff General. She’s been widowed for many years and has no children to worry about, so when the call went out for a replacement here, she rented her little house out and jumped on the first train.’
Peggy smiled. ‘She’s a nice little body, with a kind heart. But I suspect she won’t stand any nonsense.’
Despite her deep sorrow, Kitty eyed her in astonishment. ‘How on earth do you know all that?’
Peggy chuckled. ‘I like talking to people, and a friendly smile works wonders.’ She watched as Kitty sipped her tea. The colour was coming back into her face, she noted, and she seemed calmer now, and yet Peggy knew her heart must be aching and her thoughts in turmoil.
‘I was wondering if you’d like to come home with me for a bit,’ she began. ‘You see, I have a lovely spare room at the moment, and it would be a shame to let it go to waste.’
Kitty slowly shook her head. ‘That’s very kind of you, Peggy, but I have to get used to using my new leg, and the training is very intense. It’s probably better if I stay here.’ She shot Peggy a wan smile. ‘Besides, you have quite enough to do without me cluttering up the place.’
‘There’s always room for one more,’ said Peggy determinedly. ‘And Rita said that either she or one of the others from the fire station can bring you up here each morning and pick you up in the evening. So you’ll still get your treatments, but you’ll have the comfort of home every night.’
She could see the girl was wavering and pushed the point. ‘Cordelia is cooking her famous fish pie tonight, so you certainly don’t want to miss that,’ she said. ‘And I’ve made your room all lovely and clean, with fresh sheets and towels, and a vase of roses out of the garden. It’s on the same floor as the bathroom, so you’ll be able to manage very well.’
There were tears shining in Kitty’s eyes. ‘But I can’t expect you to take me in like that,’ she softly protested.
‘Why ever not?’ Peggy looked at her in astonishment. ‘We’re friends, aren’t we? And friends help one another in times of trouble.’ She took Kitty’s hand. ‘I know I’m not your mother and can only be a very poor substitute, but I’ll do my very best for you, Kitty, and my home is your home for as long as you need it.’
The tears were running freely again. ‘But I need help to get in and out of the bath, and it will be an awful bother getting me to the hospital and back every day – and I don’t know if I can manage stairs yet,’ she said all in a rush. ‘It’s very kind, Peggy, and I do appreciate it, but . . .’
‘When I was having my ectopic and the air raid siren was going and Daisy was screaming, I slid down the stairs on my behind,’ Peggy interrupted firmly. ‘I’m sure you could manage that. As for the bath – there are two nurses in the house as well as me, and I’m sure that between us we can cope with a little sprite like you.’
Kitty covered her face with her hands as she wept. ‘You’re so kind,’ she sobbed. ‘So very kind. But I can’t ask you to . . .’
‘Now, now,’ interrupted Peggy as she put her arm round her and held her close. ‘We’ll have none of that. You’re coming home with me, and that’s an end to it. I’ve arranged the government grant with the billeting people, and discussed it with Gwen. She agrees that a good dose of home cooking and a bit of pampering will do you the world of good.’
Kitty sniffed back her tears and regarded Peggy with a frown. ‘Who the heck is Gwen?’
‘Well, Matron, of course. Didn’t I tell you?’
Kitty shook her head and gave a sigh as she mopped her tears and blew her nose. ‘You really are the most surprising, kind-hearted and yet determined woman I’ve ever met,’ she said. ‘Are you absolutely sure about this, Peggy? Please be honest and tell me if you have even the slightest doubt.’
Peggy handed her the crutches. ‘Go and wash your face, then pack up your locker. I’ve already asked Gwen to get your cases out of storage and they should be in the staff car ready and waiting for you by now.’
Kitty stared at her and then giggled. ‘You don’t play fair,’ she murmured.
‘Playing fair doesn’t always get you where you want to be,’ replied Peggy, ‘and once I’ve set my heart on something I’m like a terrier. Now shoo. I’ll meet you out at the front after I’ve said goodbye to Gwen and fetched the schedule for your physio and your pills.’
Kitty took the crutches and gave Peggy a kiss on her soft cheek before she left the room and headed back to the pigeonholes in the hall. The card from Freddy was on the top of the pile and fresh tears gathered as she read the scrawl on the back.
See you soon, Sis. Try not to prang the crutches like you do planes.
Freddy XXX
‘Yes,’ she breathed. ‘You’ll come back. I just know you will.’ With her precious letters and cards tucked safely in her trouser pocket, she went back to the ward.
Nurse Hopkins had already emptied her locker into the small vanity case Charlotte had given her on her last visit. ‘I think that’s everything, but you’d better check,’ she said brightly.