As the Sun Breaks Through

by Ellie Dean

  She stood at the turning into Ladysmith Close, and gazed at the view of Cliffehaven sprawled between the hill and the sea. The trees were in full leaf, the shadows beneath them dappled by the sun, and she could hear the distant cries of the gulls as they rode the warm air above the rooftops.

  Her gaze was drawn inevitably towards the ugly void beyond Havelock Gardens where her house had once been, and she firmly looked away. This was not a day for regrets or for looking back on what might have been. It was a day to celebrate, for not only was the war one day closer to ending with the fall of Paris, but her lovely new home was awaiting her.

  She walked along the quiet, somnolent street and down the path to her front door. Slotting in the key, she stepped inside, and the tiny bungalow – so very different to the grand detached house in Havelock Road – seemed to embrace and welcome her. The scent of roses, furniture polish and fresh paint greeted her, and as she regarded the gleaming parquet flooring and wandered slowly from room to lovely room, she knew how blessed she was to have this chance to begin again.

  Going into the kitchen, she still found it hard to believe this had once been dark, dank, dirty and dilapidated, for now it shone and was as neat as a pin with roses in a vase and the small table set for two with glasses, a bottle of wine, a single rose in a glass tumbler, and the cloth and napkins she’d made.

  She wasn’t quite sure why it had been set out in such a romantic way until she spotted the enormous Woolton pie on the hob, read Peggy’s note and chuckled. ‘You just can’t help trying to match-make, can you?’ she murmured with affection.

  Having put the pie in the oven on a low heat, she opened the back door to find a table and wooden bench had been placed beneath the kitchen window where a trellis of clambering yellow roses scented the air and pots of sweet-smelling, aromatic herbs had been gathered to make it a cosy nook. At the centre of the table was a terracotta pot brimming over with bright red and orange nasturtiums.

  Doris rarely cried; in fact she was quite proud of her ability to mask her emotions – but now there were tears in her eyes as she regarded this loving addition to her garden and wondered who could have gone to so much trouble.

  She left the door open so the warm, scented air could drift through the bungalow and went into the main bedroom to find that Peggy and Kitty had been busy making the bed and putting up the curtains. With a deep sigh of pleasure she began to unpack her few belongings.

  The knock on the front door startled her, for she’d been lost in her thoughts as she’d settled in, and she was quite shocked to find that almost two hours had passed since she’d left the office. She opened the door to find John White standing there armed with an enormous bunch of colourful dahlias and a shy smile.

  ‘I hope I’m not intruding,’ he said, whipping off his hat. ‘But I wanted to check that you’re settling in all right, and give you these.’

  ‘I’m settling in very well, thank you,’ she said, equally bashful, taking the flowers. ‘And these are really lovely.’

  ‘Jolly good,’ he replied, twisting his hat in his hands. ‘Well, I’ll leave you to it then.’

  ‘Have you had supper yet?’ she asked before she thought about it.

  ‘Well, no,’ he said hesitantly.

  She was being very forward, but she’d taken things too far to back down now – besides, she enjoyed his company. ‘Then why don’t you join me? My sister left an enormous Woolton pie, and with so much to celebrate today, it would be a pity not to share it.’

  ‘That would be most pleasant,’ he replied, the colour rising in his face. ‘I’ll fetch a bottle of wine from home to go with it.’

  Doris laughed. ‘There’s no need. My sister thought of that too.’

  He stepped into the hall and closed the door behind him. ‘Jolly good show,’ he murmured, admiring her neat figure and very shapely legs as she led the way to the kitchen.

  Danuta tucked the bulky parcel under her arm, dug her hands into the pockets of her loose cotton trousers and slowly walked home to Beach View, revelling in the warmth of the lovely day, the knowledge that the Nazis had been ousted from Paris, and the secret she could now tell everyone. She had kept it to herself for weeks, and although she hadn’t liked being evasive about her frequent disappearances from home, it had been important to her to deal with it on her own until she was absolutely certain of the outcome.

  She cheerfully acknowledged the greetings of the women she’d come to know during the long hours of waiting in the queues for Peggy’s shopping, and stopped to chat for a moment to Mrs Goldman who’d taken a special interest in her once she’d discovered she was also from Poland.

  Danuta liked and admired Rachel Goldman and her husband, for they quietly went about their tireless charity work without any fanfare, and were responsible for rescuing many Jewish children from Europe, as well as helping to provide safe homes for the local orphans – but she knew they both harboured a terrible fear over what might have happened to their family in Poland, especially after the liberation of Majdanek concentration camp.

  Rachel and Danuta discussed the latest wonderful news about Paris and the progress of the uprising against the Nazis in Warsaw, then she said goodbye to Rachel and continued along Camden Road, her thoughts now troubled by memories of the things she’d seen, not only in Poland, but right across Europe.

  The liberation of Majdanek had opened the world’s eyes to the atrocities carried out there, and as the Allies pushed further into Europe they would uncover more such horrors. And they would find that it wasn’t just the Jews who’d been persecuted. She’d seen them dragged from their homes – seen the crammed trains and cattle cars of terrified women and children; the vicious dogs and sadistic guards …

  She shivered and blinked to clear the unbidden images that came to haunt her. They would stay with her for the rest of her life, and she didn’t want that for Rachel, who’d begged to know what she’d witnessed on her flight from Poland, so she hadn’t told her. It would have been too graphic and made her lose hope for her loved ones – and without hope, there was nothing to cling to.

  Danuta strode out determinedly, eager now to be home and amongst the people she’d come to love. She couldn’t change the past, and there was nothing to be gained by looking back. She was physically much stronger, and felt fully capable of taking on this new challenge. She had a great deal to be thankful for, and the future held even more promise.

  Peggy had moved back into the bedroom off the hall now Doris was safely ensconced in the bungalow. She’d liked the space of the other room, but preferred the familiarity of her old one, and knew Jim would feel the same.

  She’d just settled Daisy into bed and was finishing a cup of after-supper tea when Danuta entered the kitchen, all aglow and clearly bursting with good news. ‘Hello, love. I was beginning to wonder where you’d got to.’

  ‘I wouldn’t mind betting she’s got some bloke hidden away,’ teased Ivy. ‘She’s been sloping off quite regular these last weeks – and staying out for hours.’

  ‘Ivy,’ warned Peggy with a frown.

  ‘I do not have time for blokes as you call them,’ said Danuta, placing the bulky parcel on the table. She shot a grin at Ivy. ‘But one day it would be nice to meet someone.’

  ‘So, where you been going, then?’ Ivy persisted, getting a nudge in the ribs from Sarah and a stern look from Cordelia. ‘And what’s in that there parcel?’

  Rita placed the plate of potato, onion and cheese pie with salad in front of Danuta and grinned. ‘You’d better tell us quick before Ivy bursts her boiler. You know how nosy she is.’

  An expectant silence fell and Danuta blushed at being the centre of attention. ‘I have been receiving tuition and accompanying Sister Higgins on her district rounds,’ she said proudly.

  ‘You got your letter from London?’ gasped Peggy. ‘But why didn’t you say?’

  ‘I wanted to make sure I was good enough to be accepted for the job,’ said Danuta. ‘Doctor Sayer has been very kind
and taken me through the course. I sat the examination today at the hospital, and because I was the only candidate, they told me the result within an hour.’

  She paused and then grinned. ‘I passed, and so I will begin working as a district nurse and assistant midwife from tomorrow.’ She patted the parcel. ‘This is my uniform.’

  Peggy leapt from her chair to give Danuta a hug. ‘Oh, that’s wonderful, Danuta. Simply wonderful.’

  ‘Blimey,’ said Ivy, ‘you don’t ’ang about, do yer?’ She grinned. ‘Well done, Danuta.’

  ‘Yes,’ added Sarah, ‘jolly well done. We’ll be more than all right now we have two nurses in the house.’

  ‘It’s a shame Fran’s on nights, but I reckon this calls for a drink at the Anchor,’ said Rita, reaching for her cardigan.

  ‘Not until Danuta’s finished her tea,’ said Peggy. She regarded Danuta thoughtfully. ‘Did Fran know about all this?’

  ‘Yes,’ Danuta admitted, ‘and she has been very helpful with testing me for the examination. But I asked her not to say anything. I am very sorry, Peggy, but I didn’t want to disappoint you if I failed.’

  ‘Oh, my dear girl,’ said Cordelia, reaching across the table to pat her hand, ‘you’ll never disappoint us.’

  ‘Thank you, Babunia,’ she managed. ‘I will try not to.’

  ‘Hurry up with yer tea, Danuta,’ urged Ivy. ‘I’ve got a thirst on me that only a beer will satisfy, and we’ve got some celebrating to do.’ She turned to Peggy and Cordelia. ‘Fancy joining us?’

  ‘Well, I might be tempted,’ said Cordelia. ‘I haven’t had a good knees-up since that rogue of ours got engaged to Rosie.’ She glanced across at Peggy. ‘But I think I’ll stay and look after Daisy whilst you go. You deserve an evening out for a change, Peggy, and it will do you good.’

  ‘Perhaps just for a little while,’ said Peggy, whipping off her knotted headscarf and tidying her hair. ‘But I want to be back for the nine o’clock news.’

  ‘Of course you do, dear,’ said Cordelia, a knowing smile touching her lips.

  It was Saturday night and the Anchor was busy, so they had to push their way through the noisy crowd to the bar where Ron and Rosie were billing and cooing in between pulling pints.

  ‘Danuta’s passed an exam and is going to be our new district nurse and assistant midwife,’ Peggy said excitedly. ‘Isn’t that marvellous?’

  ‘Aye, ’tis a grand thing to be celebrating,’ said Ron, gently patting Danuta’s cheek with his rough hand. ‘I’m thinking this first drink will be on me.’

  It was lovely and peaceful having Beach View to herself with just the dog and cat for company, but Cordelia was finding her knitting tiresome. She gave up on what was meant to be a matinee jacket for little Faith, and stuffed it away in the bag she kept by her fireside chair. She was fed up with trying to pick up stitches and her eyesight wasn’t very reliable when it came to trying to read a pattern in this dim light. Besides, the wireless was on, and she wanted to give her full attention to the concert being given by a Polish orchestra and choir.

  The music was quite moving, and she was swept away in it, dabbing at her tears as the beautiful voices rang out with such passion. And then the telephone rang.

  ‘Who the dickens is that at this hour?’ she asked Harvey crossly.

  Struggling out of the chair, she tipped the cat unceremoniously from her lap and almost tripped over her as she darted between her feet for the sanctuary of the other chair. Tutting with annoyance at her clumsiness and the constant racket of that telephone, Cordelia grabbed her walking stick and hurried as best she could into the hall, worried that all the noise would wake Daisy.

  ‘Hello,’ she said impatiently.

  ‘It’s Kitty, Grandma Cordy. I’m really sorry to have disturbed you so late, but Charlotte went into labour this afternoon and has just delivered her twins.’

  Cordelia’s bad mood melted immediately. ‘Well, how wonderful,’ she said. ‘It’s about time. What are they?’

  ‘One of each,’ said Kitty with laughter in her voice. ‘And it’s no wonder she was so big; the boy was almost six pounds and the girl almost five.’

  ‘Goodness me. Poor little Charlotte, what a weight to be carrying around.’ She found she was crying again. ‘How is Charlotte? And have the babies got names yet? Everyone’s out, you see, and we all want to know every detail.’

  ‘Charlotte’s fast asleep in the maternity ward. She’s exhausted, but very happy that both babies are healthy. They’re in the nursery and I’ve been allowed to sneak in for a quick look. They’re beautiful, Grandma Cordy,’ she sighed. ‘Both have Freddy’s thick black hair that’s already long enough to put a brush through it.’

  ‘That explains why she’s suffered so much from heartburn these past few months,’ said Cordelia sagely. ‘A good head of hair on a baby always gives the mother heartburn.’

  Kitty giggled. ‘I’ve never heard of that one.’

  ‘It’s an old wives’ tale, dear, and there’s many who’ve rued the day by not heeding their wisdom.’

  ‘I’m sure,’ replied Kitty, clearly struggling not to laugh. ‘As for names,’ she continued, ‘Charlotte wants David in honour of Dwight David Eisenhower and the liberation of Paris, and Hope because it really does look as if this war’s coming to an end.’

  ‘Well, I suppose it’s the modern way to call your babies after virtues, but I’d advise against calling your next one Charity – that would be a step too far,’ said Cordelia rather briskly.

  Kitty laughed. ‘I think it might be a while before there are any more babies, Grandma Cordy – three will be more than enough to cope with in that small cottage. Tell everyone that visiting hours are from two until four at the General. Charlotte will be in for at least a week, and I know she’d love to see you all.’

  ‘You can be sure we’ll be there,’ said Cordelia. ‘Give our love and best wishes to Charlotte and go and get a good night’s sleep. It sounds as if you’ve had a busy day and little Faith will no doubt have you up very early in the morning.’

  ‘Damn,’ she muttered after disconnecting the call. ‘I forgot to tell her about Danuta.’ She shook her head. ‘Silly old woman, you’re always forgetting things.’ She listened at the open door of the bedroom, and hearing only Daisy’s sleepy snuffling, she returned to the kitchen just in time to catch the end of the concert.

  It had been a day of celebration all round, so Cordelia gave Harvey one of his biscuits, put a drop of milk out for Queenie, and poured herself a glass of sherry before sitting back down to wait for the news.

  It was much the same as she’d heard at lunchtime, and although de Gaulle’s speech was quite stirring, she thought he had a bit of a cheek to infer that the French had single-handedly liberated Paris when it was clear they only rose up against the Germans because the Allies were virtually banging on the gates of the city.

  As the newsreader continued to report on some of the background to the liberation, Cordelia’s opinion remained unchanged – she was very stuck in her ways. It seemed that when the Allies, under General Eisenhower, had landed in France in June, many groups of Parisian workers went on strike as they sensed the Allied approach. As General Patton’s US Third Army approached the German garrison, an uprising by the French Resistance began on the 19th of August, and young Frenchmen began to build barricades and shoot at the German soldiers.

  ‘See, I told you,’ she said to the disinterested dog. ‘And it took the Swedish Consul General to Paris to arrange a ceasefire and persuade General Choltitz to disobey Hitler’s orders to destroy the city.’

  The newscaster continued. ‘General Eisenhower was reluctant to march on Paris and engage his forces in running street battles which could end in long-drawn-out conflicts like those in Stalingrad or the siege of Leningrad, but he finally relented when de Gaulle threatened to ignore the rules set down by SHAEF and take on the Germans with only his 2nd Armoured Division. Subsequently, Eisenhower’s force followed General Leclerc’s 2nd Armo
ured Division into the city on the 19th of August. The German surrender came six days later.

  ‘Today, General de Gaulle led a parade with General Leclerc down the Champs Elysées, all the way to Notre Dame Cathedral. He braved sporadic sniper fire inside the cathedral itself from pockets of German and Fascist resistance that remained, but the perpetrators were soon disarmed and taken prisoner.’

  Cordelia raised her glass of sherry in a toast to both the French and the Allies as the stirring French National Anthem was played.

  ‘Two down – only Berlin to go now,’ she said victoriously. ‘At least the French have a decent, rousing anthem, not like our poor dreary thing,’ she added, glancing up apologetically at the framed photograph of the King and Queen above the mantelpiece before emptying her glass and reaching for the bottle of sherry.

  Doris had swiftly removed the rose from the table before he saw it, and they’d eaten the delicious pie, chatting easily about the news and everyday things as they drank the wine. John White nipped next door to get another bottle and they took it out into the garden to enjoy the warm, still evening.

  ‘This is such a lovely spot,’ said Doris, feeling rather flushed from the heady wine. ‘Was it you who thought of it?’

  ‘I can’t take all the credit,’ he said modestly. ‘Ron found me the wood and made the bench whilst I made the table, and Stan from the station planted the rose and all the pots.’ He smiled at her in the dwindling light. ‘I’m glad you like it.’

  ‘I suspect I’ll be spending a lot of time out here as long as this weather lasts,’ she murmured. ‘You’ve done wonders with the garden, and the kitchen. I don’t know how I can possibly thank you and all the others enough.’

  ‘There’s no need,’ said John gruffly. ‘We did it because we wanted you to be happy here.’ He turned to her, his gaze direct. ‘Do you think you could be happy here, Doris?’

  She felt as if she was drowning in his eyes, but she couldn’t look away. ‘Oh, yes,’ she breathed. ‘I think I’m going to be very much at home here.’

  ‘Splendid,’ he murmured, his gaze remaining a moment longer on her face before he reached for his cigarette case. ‘A last cigarette before we say goodnight?’