Authors: Ellie Dean
Kitty began to make her way down the garden path and was overtaken by Rita, who was loaded up with pillows and blankets, and Harvey, who preferred the shelter to the sound of the sirens.
His cardboard ruff was too wide for the doorway, and he scrabbled frantically about until Rita squashed it so he could get inside. He tried to shoot beneath the bench, but again the ruff hindered him, so he wriggled his backside under it as far as it would go, and then lay there shivering and howling piteously as the sirens reached their ear-splitting, full-blooded wail.
Kitty sat on the bench and tried to soothe him as Rita rushed back into the house for the box of essentials. But Harvey was not to be soothed as long as those sirens were going, so Kitty lit the lamp and stacked the pillows and blankets more neatly.
‘Well, this is a fine how do you do,’ muttered Cordelia crossly as she entered the Anderson shelter and plumped down. ‘I was right in the middle of listening to the “Play for the Week”. It was a jolly good story and now I’ll never know the ending.’
‘I’m sure they’ll try and air it again,’ soothed Kitty.
‘What do you mean? It’s not raining, and my hair is perfectly dry.’ She tutted and pulled her cardigan over her narrow chest. ‘I don’t know what the world’s coming to, I really don’t.’
Peggy came in, carrying a sleeping Daisy, swiftly followed by Rita, who slammed the door on the sound of approaching bombers.
It was cramped, damp and smelly in the poorly lit shelter and Harvey’s cardboard ruff was in everyone’s way as it stuck out into the narrow passage between the benches. Rita and Peggy had to squeeze past him, and then it was a bit of a job to get Cordelia round him so they could settle her into her deckchair with her pillows.
Once this was achieved and Daisy had been settled in the canvas cot, Rita adjusted the flame in the lamp so it was a mere glimmer, and Peggy lit the gas in the small camping stove so they could boil water and have tea to chase away the chill. Blankets were handed round and the box of essentials provided them with biscuits to go with the tea.
Harvey stopped whining and shivering the moment the sirens stopped screeching, and he settled down contentedly as the first of the enemy bombers could be heard crossing the Channel.
With a blanket over her knees, and her overcoat collar warding off the cold on her neck, Kitty wrapped her hands round the tin mug and shuffled to the far end of the bench to make room for Rita. ‘I suppose this means you’ll be back on duty again tonight?’ she asked above the roar of fast-approaching bombers.
‘It looks like it,’ Rita shouted back. ‘But as long as they don’t drop anything on Cliffehaven, I should be back into my bed fairly sharpish.’
Kitty propped her crutches against the door and listened to the ever-increasing drone of the bombers and their fighter escorts. Cliffe and Wayfaring Down would be on alert and scrambling to get their planes in the air before the bombers dropped their deadly cargo on the runways and hangars. Would Roger be amongst them even though he was on leave – and was Freddy already defying orders and climbing eagerly into his Spitfire to do battle?
She closed her eyes and tried to quell the awful fear that chilled her far more profoundly than this dark, dank shelter. Now she had two much-loved men to worry about, this was how it would be until the war was over, she realised. So she’d better buck up her ideas and bally well learn how to deal with it.
The all-clear went two hours later. Rita roused Cordelia from her deep sleep, while Peggy carried Daisy back indoors and settled her in her cot. Once Rita had telephoned the fire station, they drank Peggy’s warming cocoa and then went to bed, leaving Harvey lying disconsolately on the rug in front of the damped-down fire. It seemed that his vigil at Kitty’s door was at an end.
Kitty lay awake for a long while after the other girls had got in, and she listened as the household settled for the night and the old timbers creaked and sighed. She curled beneath the covers, her thoughts full of Roger and the sights, sounds and scents of their magical afternoon. And as her mind played over the years she’d known him, she could now see that she’d always been drawn to him, and that what had happened today had been inevitable.
With this happy thought, she fell into a deep, contented sleep.
Kitty slept rather later than usual, and it was almost nine o’clock by the time she was washed, dressed and ready for her day. Her stump was looking much better this morning, her freshly washed hair framed her face in soft waves, and her reflection in the bathroom mirror told her she was bright-eyed and positively radiant.
She went into the kitchen only to discover the other girls had already left for work, and Fran was having a lie-in after a long night in the hospital theatre. Cordelia was reading her newspaper as usual, and looked up briefly as she passed to wish her a cheerful good morning.
‘I’m glad to see you’ve made up your mind about you and Roger,’ said Peggy, wielding a metal spatula between two sizzling frying pans.
Kitty laughed. ‘How on earth do you know that?’
‘It’s in your eyes and in your smile,’ she replied with a knowing grin. ‘And in the fact you had a really good night’s sleep. Now, eat your breakfast.’ She slid a glistening fried egg onto a slice of toast and added a patty of golden fried potato. ‘That should set you up for the day,’ she said as she put the plate in front of her.
‘It’s a good thing our hens are laying so well,’ said Ron. ‘Most people are lucky to get one egg a week.’ He fed Harvey a sliver of eggy toast which went down in a single gulp. ‘Ach, to be sure, the auld fella’s on the mend, so he is,’ he declared, patting the brindled head.
Monty put his paws on Ron’s knee, and he was similarly rewarded. Then he made the mistake of getting over-confident and tried to nibble at Harvey’s hated ruff.
Harvey growled deep in his throat and Monty decided retreat was in order, so went to find something to chew instead. He found one of Daisy’s rubber ducks and set about destroying it with his needle-sharp teeth as Daisy clapped and gurgled in encouragement.
‘Um, well now, Peggy,’ Ron dithered. ‘How would you feel if Monty went to live with Rosie?’
Peggy sat down with a thump and stared at him. ‘But I’ve got used to having him around the place now.’ She picked up the wriggling puppy and kissed his soft head. ‘He’s become part of the family.’
‘Aye, I know. But Rosie gets lonely in the pub, and he’d be good company for when I’m not there.’
Peggy put the squirming Monty back on the floor and he scampered about until he found one of Peggy’s slippers to chew. ‘Well, I suppose it would be all right,’ she said hesitantly as she quickly rescued her slipper. ‘Rosie would certainly look after him better than I can with so much else to do.’
‘That’s settled then,’ said Ron as he grabbed the pup and clipped on his lead.
Peggy gasped in horror. ‘You’re not taking him today, are you?’
Ron shook his head. ‘He’s due to go to the vet next week to be neutered, and once he’s fighting fit again, he’ll move into the Anchor.’
‘But he’s still so very young,’ said Peggy dolefully.
‘He’s old enough, and it’s the ideal solution,’ he replied. ‘Monty will grow to be as big as Harvey, and he’ll be Rosie’s companion and guard dog. Me and Harvey will get to see him every day, and to be sure, he’ll only be round the corner.’
‘That’s all very well,’ said Peggy, ‘but I’m going to miss him, and so is Daisy.’
‘Ach, Peggy, you’ll still have Harvey to watch over you, and I’m sure Rosie would love you to call in and visit with Daisy. She was only saying the other day that she missed seeing our wee wain.’
Peggy gave a sigh of acceptance. ‘Then I hope Rosie knows what she’s letting herself in for. Monty chews everything in sight and still isn’t fully house-trained.’
‘He’ll be trained to a treat by next week. You’ll see.’ With that, Ron stomped down the steps with Monty on his lead and Harvey at his heels, and was soon tramping along the alleyway for his daily walk on the hills.
‘Well, that was a bit of a surprise,’ said Peggy as she lifted Daisy out of her high chair and let her crawl about the floor. ‘But I can’t say I’m too sorry, Kitty. Monty’s very sweet, but I have enough to do without him getting under my feet all the time.’
Kitty nodded as she finished her lovely breakfast. ‘I think you both made the right decision,’ she said. ‘Puppies are adorable, but they take a lot of looking after. It isn’t as if you’re living on a farm where he can run free all the time.’
‘Hello, there. Anyone at home?’
‘Roger,’ breathed Kitty in delight. ‘We’re in the kitchen,’ she called back as she hastily patted her hair and tested for any stray crumbs around her lips.
He came up the steps with a beaming smile, his gaze immediately finding her. ‘Good morning, my dearest girl,’ he said. ‘You’re looking as marvellous as ever.’
‘Hello, Roger,’ she replied almost shyly. They held one another’s gaze until Cordelia cleared her throat to remind them they were not alone.
‘I do apologise, Peggy, Cordelia,’ said a rather flustered Roger. ‘Jolly bad manners, what? And how are you both this beautiful morning?’
‘We’re both very well, thank you,’ said Peggy, trying not to giggle.
Cordelia had no such inhibitions and twittered like an agitated robin. ‘My word,’ she managed. ‘You do look chipper this morning. I wonder what could have brought that on?’
He grinned broadly and smoothed his moustache. ‘I couldn’t possibly imagine. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to get to the clinic.’
He held out his hand to Kitty, and she felt the same charge of electricity run through her that she’d experienced when he’d kissed her. ‘We’re a bit early,’ she said as she reached for her things.
‘I’ll carry those,’ he said, sweeping up her handbag and gas-mask box. ‘I thought I’d take you on a short tour of Cliffehaven first. The sea is looking particularly lovely this morning.’
‘Will you be bringing Kitty back for her tea?’ asked Peggy.
He looked down at Kitty with such adoration in his expression that she felt quite weak. ‘I do have something planned for this evening, if that’s all right with you, Kitty,’ he said softly.
‘Of course it’s all right with Kitty,’ said Peggy with a chuckle. ‘Now, shoo, and have a wonderful day.’
They left Beach View, and once they were settled into the car, Roger reached for her hand across the broad leather seat, his expression solemn. ‘No second thoughts after yesterday?’
‘None whatsoever,’ she fibbed. ‘But if you don’t kiss me in the next second, I’ll start to doubt you meant all those . . .’
His lips smothered her words and as he crushed her to him, the last, tiny, lingering niggles of doubt fled and she was lost.
Later that night when she was once again snug in her bed at Beach View, Kitty closed her eyes and remembered every single moment of her wonderful day. Roger had shown her Cliffehaven and she’d been surprised at how big it was. Then he’d parked down by the seafront for just long enough to drink coffee from the little kiosk at the end of the promenade before taking her to the clinic.
The doctor was delighted with her progress, and so she’d left the hospital in high spirits to be whisked away in the car to a tiny hamlet set deep in a valley several miles away.
The church was ancient, with a square Norman tower and heavily studded oak door that creaked quite alarmingly when it was opened. The interior had been gloomy and chill after the heat outside, but the smells of incense, candlewax and ancient stone were familiar and comforting.
The little houses that fronted the narrow village lane were thatched, their diamond-paned windows looking out over lovingly tended cottage gardens where beans and peas jostled for space amid the ox-eye daisies and colourful lupins. Roses were rampant round every door and hung from every eave, making the slow drive down the lane a fragrant pleasure.
Apart from the houses, there was a village infant school and a sixteenth-century coaching inn called the Lamb. The pub also proved to be dark inside, but as their eyes adjusted after the bright sun, Kitty could see the heavily beamed ceiling, and the inglenook fireplace where two old men were ensconced contentedly on the benches either side of the unlit fire, with a pint of beer and their smoking pipes.
She sighed dreamily as she thought about the garden behind the inn where they’d eaten their lunch. They’d had a magnificent view of rolling hills and broad green paddocks where horses cropped peacefully or stood sleepily in the shade of trees as skylarks sang high in the cloudless sky.
There were roses clambering over the ancient, leaning walls of the inn, and the scent had been quite heavenly as they’d eaten thick hunks of cheese and bread slathered in real butter and the landlady’s homemade chutney. This had been washed down with good strong ale, and when Roger had gone in to get a second drink and pay, the landlady had smiled knowingly at him and told him they could stay in the garden as long as they liked after she’d locked the door.
So they had, and they’d spent the rest of the afternoon talking about everything and nothing. She learned more about his life as the eldest son and heir to his father’s vast estate, and she’d told him about her life in Argentina. And although they had come from different worlds and an ocean apart, they discovered they had a great deal in common, for they thought about things in the same way, and had the same sense of humour – liked the same films and music, and of course shared a passion for flying.
Kitty rolled over and sank her head into the soft pillow as she grew drowsy and ready for sleep. Their evening had been spent in a restaurant which was hidden down the narrow, cobbled back street of a large nearby town. The food had been excellent despite the restrictions, and after lingering over their coffee, Roger had driven her home.
Her eyelids were heavy now and sleep was softly enfolding her as she remembered his many kisses during their lovely day, and the sweet promise of something deep and lasting beginning to blossom between them.
‘
WELL, YOU’RE A
sly old thing,’ teased Charlotte as the four of them sat around a table in the Anchor four days later. ‘You kept that to yourself, didn’t you?’