Authors: Ellie Dean
Harvey was sitting mournfully by the wire, his eyes and ears drooping with self-pity as he pawed at the broad cardboard frill round his neck.
‘He has to keep that on until I’ve taken out the stitches,’ Jack explained. ‘I don’t want him licking at the wound and pulling them out before it’s healed.’ He unlocked the gate and held it open.
‘Ach, ye poor wee man, what did I do to you, eh?’ murmured Ron as he stroked Harvey’s back.
Harvey looked at him accusingly, his tail tucked tightly beneath him as his head hung low and he pawed at the hated, shaming cuff round his neck. Then he got to his feet, walked past Ron and the vet and stalked along the narrow corridor until he reached the back door. Sitting down with a thump, he turned to look at Ron in disgust before scraping his paw down the door.
‘I’m thinking he’s not pleased with either of us,’ muttered Ron as he handed over the money for Harvey’s operation.
‘He’ll feel better once he’s home and had some food,’ said Jack cheerfully as he pocketed the money and headed back to his examination room.
Ron had never felt so guilty in his life as he tramped down to the back door and opened it. Harvey looked heartily defeated and ashamed with that thing round his neck, and it was clear that he blamed Ron for every ounce of that shame and hardship.
Harvey sniffed the air and stepped daintily outside like a maiden aunt on her way to church. He cocked his leg against the wall and then stalked off down the path.
Ron stumped after him, noting how Harvey hung his head in embarrassment as they reached the busy pavements of Camden Road and people stared and pointed and tittered.
A stupid terrier on a lead darted towards them and yapped at Harvey, who, most unusually, barked back ferociously until its owner yanked it out of the way with a sharp word to Ron about keeping his vicious animal under control.
Harvey didn’t hang about to listen to the short, sharp exchange, but broke into a lolloping gallop as if he’d had enough trouble for one day and just wanted to hide in the sanctuary of Beach View’s kitchen.
Ron left the woman in mid-rant and hurried after him, passing the Anchor on the way. He’d pick Monty up from the pub later, for he’d said nothing to anyone back home about the operation, and that damned ruff would, to be sure, take quite some explaining.
HARVEY HAD BEEN
petted and praised and thoroughly spoilt by everyone, and Peggy had even given him a spoonful of her minced meat ration to go with his dog biscuits as a special treat.
‘I knew something was up when you were so grumpy this morning,’ she said to Ron as she fed Daisy some of the vegetable and cheese bake.
‘Aye, well, I didn’t want to say anything in front of him,’ he muttered. ‘It was best he didn’t know where he was going after his walk.’
Peggy chuckled. ‘You are a soft old thing, Ronan Reilly. I know Harvey’s an intelligent dog, but I honestly don’t believe he understands everything we say.’
Ron didn’t look entirely convinced but he said nothing and continued to eat his supper.
‘Where’s Kitty?’ asked Rita. ‘Isn’t she coming down to tea?’
Peggy grinned with delight. ‘She’s upstairs resting after a rather exciting day.’ Having got everyone’s attention – and ignoring Cordelia’s glare of warning to say nothing – she went on to tell the girls about Roger and the picnic. ‘I suspect she’s dreaming about him right now,’ she finished with a happy sigh.
‘And here’s me thinking she had more sense,’ muttered Rita.
‘Sense doesn’t come into it, dear,’ Cordelia said dryly. ‘Peggy seems to think the whole world should be in love at the moment.’
‘To be sure, if it was,’ rumbled Ron, ‘we wouldn’t be in the middle of yet another war. I’m glad the wee girl has something to be happy about. She’s had more than enough sadness to contend with.’
‘Thanks, Ron,’ said Kitty from the doorway. She grinned at Peggy. ‘I knew you couldn’t keep it to yourself for long.’ Then she saw Harvey, who was lying on the rug looking very sorry for himself. ‘What’s happened?’ she asked sharply as she stroked him and regarded the strange ruff round his neck. ‘Has he been in a fight?’
Ron explained and Kitty gave a sigh of relief. ‘Poor old Harvey. It isn’t fair, is it?’
Harvey gave a whimper just to underline the fact that he’d been tortured and made to look a complete fool. Then he rolled awkwardly onto his back so she could see his terrible scar while she scratched his belly.
‘Ach, to be sure he’ll play the wounded soldier to the hilt,’ said Fran with a giggle. ‘But you really can’t blame him. It must be a terrible burden to his pride to be wearing that ruff.’
Kitty sat at the table and poured herself a cup of tea while the others finished their evening meal. It had been some time since the picnic lunch, and the smell of that melted cheese made her mouth water, so when Peggy placed a bowl of it in front of her, she tucked in with gusto.
The meal continued as usual with plenty of chatter and a lot of questions from the girls about Roger. It seemed they wanted to know everything about him, and Kitty was starting to feel a bit beleaguered by the time the meal was over.
Then the table was cleared and after the dishes had been washed, Ron and the girls drifted off. Ron went to fetch Monty and have a well-earned pint at the pub while Harvey sulked and dozed on the rug. Suzy was meeting Anthony for a drink at the Three Ferrets in the next village, and Sarah and Jane were going to the pictures, whilst Fran had to get to the hospital for her night shift in theatre.
‘It’s still warm outside,’ said Rita quietly to Kitty. ‘Why don’t we sit out there and enjoy the last of the summer while you tell me all about you and Roger?’
Kitty nodded, pleased that her friend understood her need to talk quietly about what had happened today. She went out into the garden twilight, settled into one of the deckchairs, and lit a cigarette. The sky was tinged with orange and pink as the sun dipped behind the roofs, and Kitty knew that tomorrow would be another lovely day, and that she and Roger would be together again.
The silence was shattered by the sound of Mosquitoes, Spitfires and Hurricanes roaring towards the Channel, and although Kitty couldn’t see them, she could tell there were at least two squadrons. The bombing raids over Germany were obviously continuing, but at least Freddy and Roger weren’t up there tonight.
Rita appeared with two cups of tea on a tray, and a couple of blankets over her arm. ‘It’s nearly September,’ she said by way of explanation, ‘and the nights are getting colder.’
She settled into the other chair, took a sip of tea, then gave Kitty’s elbow a soft nudge. ‘So come on then, Kitty,’ she coaxed. ‘What happened to the girl who didn’t want to fall in love in the middle of the war, and who was determined not to be tied down?’
Kitty grinned ruefully. ‘She got kissed,’ she replied and then giggled. ‘Oh, Rita, I’m all at sixes and sevens. Who would have thought it?’
‘And with a man you’ve known for years,’ Rita said with a wry smile. ‘Didn’t you realise he was in love with you? It was obvious to everyone else last night.’
‘So Peggy said.’ Kitty fell silent, her thoughts and emotions in turmoil. ‘Am I doing the right thing, Rita?’ she blurted out suddenly. ‘Only I swore I wouldn’t get entangled with anyone until this war was over. And Roger’s a Spitfire pilot, for heaven’s sake, which has to be just about the most dangerous job there is.’
‘I’m not really the person to advise you,’ said Rita. ‘I’ve only had one tiny romance and he just wanted what I wasn’t prepared to give him. Fran’s American was just the same and he turned out to be married with three kids.’
‘Roger’s not like that,’ said Kitty firmly. ‘Oh, he’s had women chasing after him and he certainly appeared to enjoy the chase – but I believe he’s sincere when he says he loves me and only me.’
‘It strikes me you have no choice but to accept the fact and see how things go.’ Rita shot Kitty a warm smile. ‘After all, you can’t live your life worrying about things that might not happen.’
Kitty nodded. ‘But I couldn’t bear it if something
did
happen to him, Rita, and now I shall be on tenterhooks every time he’s on ops.’
‘Well, that’s understandable,’ said Rita. ‘Especially after Freddy’s escapade – but as I just said, don’t tempt fate by always looking on the dark side.’
Kitty gave a sharp sigh of frustration. ‘But these are dark days, Rita. And to cap it all, there’s the palaver over my leg. It could be weeks before I can get about independently, and I can’t possibly expect Roger to run about after me all the time.’
‘Did he complain about it today?’ asked Rita with the ghost of a smile.
‘Well no,’ Kitty admitted.
‘And hasn’t he arranged to take you to the clinic every morning while he’s on leave?’ At Kitty’s nod, she laughed. ‘I don’t think you have to worry about Roger. He knew you before the accident and has accepted what’s happened. He wouldn’t have declared himself this afternoon if he’d had even the slightest doubts. Just enjoy being in love, Kitty, and forget about everything else.’
Kitty smoked the last of her cigarette and then stubbed it out rather forcefully in the glass ashtray. ‘I don’t know that I can,’ she confessed. ‘Roger’s leave will soon be over, and I’ve got a lot of work to do if I’m going to be independent again. Then, if they’ll have me, I’m going back to the ATA. Our time together will be so limited, but while we’re apart we’ll be worried sick about each other. That’s no way to conduct a serious romance, Rita.’
‘I’ve never heard so much nonsense in my life,’ said Peggy as she came into the garden and plonked into a nearby chair. ‘There are times when I could shake you, Kitty Pargeter.’
Kitty was startled by Peggy’s fierceness. ‘But how can we possibly concentrate on each other when there are so many other things going on?’ she protested. ‘Roger and I could have got carried away in the moment, and as I’ve never been in love before, how do I know it isn’t infatuation, or that I was in need of someone to love me because of this bally leg and he happened to be there at the right time and place?’
She blinked away the tears. ‘I don’t want to be leading him up the garden path, Peggy.’
‘Ah,’ said Peggy knowingly. ‘Now we’re getting to the truth of the matter.’
Kitty frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You’re frightened that this all seems to have happened so suddenly,’ Peggy replied. ‘But if you think back, Kitty, you’ll realise you’ve loved that young man for much longer than one sunny afternoon up in the hills of Cliffehaven.’
‘Well, yes,’ she replied hesitantly. ‘I suppose I have. But we’re caught up in this war, and it’s all too easy to rush into things. I don’t want either of us to make the mistake of thinking we’re in love when it could only be the need to have someone close to cling to. It’s all very well being misty-eyed, but we could both come to regret the things we said today – and that would simply be too awful.’
‘We all go into a relationship starry-eyed and full of hope,’ said Peggy, ‘but of course there are doubts and some disappointments. There have to be; otherwise you wouldn’t be living real life. I’ve never believed that a happy marriage can be conducted without arguments and tears – it’s the making-up that matters, for it’s the glue that keeps you together.’
‘I wasn’t thinking about
marrying
Roger,’ Kitty protested. ‘Good grief, Peggy, I’m still getting used to the idea that we’ve crossed the line from friendship to something far more serious.’
Peggy sighed. ‘You’ve obviously given this a great deal of thought, Kitty, and I admire you for that. But with the way things are at the moment, I think you should grab this chance of happiness while you can. None of us knows what tomorrow might bring.’
‘That’s all very well, Peggy, but I’m not about to rush headlong into anything – and I rather hope that Roger feels the same.’
Peggy nodded and quietly smoked her cigarette for a while. ‘What you have to remember is that Roger has loved you for a long time, Kitty. This isn’t new to him at all, and I wouldn’t mind betting that he’s already thinking ahead and making plans.’
‘Well, it’s all new to me, and I need time to get used to the idea,’ Kitty replied stubbornly.
Peggy ignored her and looked dreamily into the rapidly dimming light. ‘Jim and I tied the knot when he was home on leave during the last war. We had one night’s honeymoon in a lovely little hotel down on the seafront, and then he was on the train to France and I was back living with Mum and Dad here at Beach View.’
She shot the girls a wan smile. ‘I spent my first months as a bride fretting over what was happening to him. I’d heard such terrible stories, you see, and seen too many brides become widows almost before the confetti had been swept away.’ She gave a sigh of contentment. ‘But I was lucky. He came back with his father and brother, and although it’s been stormy at times, our marriage is strong and lasting.’
‘But how could you bear all that anxiety – the not knowing?’ asked Kitty.
‘I kept faith that he’d come home, even though I was steeling myself every time the postman came to the door. When you love someone and share the most intimate moments, then you become a part of them. It was better to have had those few precious hours as his wife, than to send him back to the trenches with just a wave and a kiss from some impersonal station platform.’
She smiled at both girls. ‘We might have married in haste, but neither of us regrets a minute of it.’
Kitty sat there deep in thought, her heart in direct conflict with her head. What she’d felt today had been overwhelming, and although her common sense told her she should be wary of making any hasty decisions, her heart ached at the thought of not being a part of Roger’s life. Perhaps she
was
being over-cautious – something she’d never been before – and she should accept that she was most definitely in love and start to enjoy the experience instead of fretting about things that might never happen.
Her thoughts were shattered by the sound of the sirens beginning to moan all through the town.
Rita immediately dragged Kitty out of the deckchair and handed her the crutches. ‘Go straight into the shelter while I help Peggy,’ she ordered before she raced indoors.