by Cathy Sharp
‘Nah, ’course not,’ he said obligingly. ‘What can I do fer yer, Sister Rose?’
‘How do you know I’m Sister Rose?’
‘Because yer looked after me mum on the women’s ward when she was sick.’ Danny looked at her consideringly. ‘You was real kind to her and she got better that time.’
‘What was wrong with her, Danny?’
‘Me dad said she had a weak ’eart,’ Danny said and his eyes brimmed with tears, which he swiped away with the back of his hand. ‘I dunno – but she just got weaker and weaker and then one mornin’ she didn’t wake up. Dad tried to make her but he couldn’t. I saw him cryin’ – I ain’t ever seen him like that, ’ceptin’ that time.’
‘I expect you cried too, didn’t you, Danny?’
‘Yeah – she was me mum. Best mum ever. Dad was all right when she was ’ere.’
‘Did he change after your mother died, Danny?’
‘Yeah, ’e started drinking and that.’ Danny’s gaze fell away. ‘Dad would belt me fer tellin’ tales, but it’s the truth and Mum always said ter tell the truth and shame the devil.’
‘Where is your father now, Danny?’
‘Dunno,’ he replied and frowned. ‘He came home drunk about ten days ago and belted the life out of me. I blacked out and when I woke up, he was snoring on the couch so I made a run fer it while I could. I took a few bits of me grandad’s but they got pinched. I daren’t go back ’ome ’cos he’d kill me.’
‘I don’t think we could let you go back to someone who treats you like that,’ Rose said. ‘I think Matron will let you stay here until we can find a safe place for you – either an orphanage or a foster home.’
‘What’s a foster ’ome?’
‘It’s a safe place where people who like young people take children without parents in and look after them, so it’s like having a new mum and dad, sort of.’
Danny digested that in silence. ‘I suppose it would be all right. I thought I could manage on the streets, find a few jobs ter buy food – but it ain’t safe out there, Sister Rose.’
‘You’ve learned a valuable lesson then, Danny.’
‘Yeah, reckon I ’ave,’ he said and grinned at her. ‘Know what I’d like, Sister?’
‘Why don’t you tell me, Danny?’ Rose invited with an encouraging smile.
‘I reckon the best thing in the world is makin’ good food what folk like to eat,’ he said with a serious look. ‘Mum used to cook like an angel – leastways, that’s what Dad said. He was always happy when she fed him a lovely dinner or a piece of her angel cake; light and soft that was and tasted luverly.’
‘Is that what you’d like to do when you leave school – cook food for others?’
‘Yeah …’ Danny looked thoughtful. ‘Dad said it was only fer sissies when I helped me mum cook cakes, but I liked it and she said I was good at it.’
‘Well, I think it is a lovely idea,’ Rose said. ‘And your dad is wrong – there are a lot of men who cook good food – a man who cooks is called a chef.’
‘Yeah? Yer ain’t kiddin me?’ Danny looked intrigued, his eyes alight with wonder.
‘No, I wouldn’t do that.’ Rose smiled at him. ‘Perhaps if you work hard at school you will become a chef when you’re older.’
‘I’d like that and then I’d bake a special cake fer you, Sister.’
‘I shall hold you to that,’ Rose said and stood up. ‘I have other patients to see, Danny. Doctor will come and visit you soon – and then you may get a visit from Lady Rosalie. She’s a nice lady who will try to find you a suitable home with decent people.’
‘Thanks, Sister.’ Danny went back to reading his comic and Rose began her tour of the ward.
Danny was a brave boy and she hoped a good home could be found for him. She would make sure that Matron and Lady Rosalie knew of his ambition to become a chef, though she doubted he would be lucky enough to be placed with a family of cooks. Danny would be put on a list with others until an available suitable family could take him.
CHAPTER 9
Lily rushed to open the front door as the bell rang. She felt the joy of seeing her lover rush through her when she found Chris standing there and, a moment later, she was in his arms being thoroughly kissed and hugged.
‘My darling,’ he murmured huskily against her hair. ‘I missed you so much – and it was murder not being able to write or receive your letters!’
‘Come in,’ she whispered. ‘Oh, Chris! When you left, I wondered if I would ever see you again. But why are you back? I didn’t expect you to be for ages yet.’
‘No, nor did I,’ he admitted and then his head bent and he gazed down into her eyes, touching her cheek lightly with his forefinger. ‘Oh, I adore you, Lily! All those months I wasted not knowing my own heart. I’m so sorry,’ Chris said, remembering how he’d courted Lily’s sister Jenny for months until she realised she wasn’t in love with him and only then had Lily let her own feelings show. The white-hot passion between them had flared swiftly and they’d become lovers. ‘I wasted so much time and now—’
‘Hush …’ She placed her fingers to his lips. ‘It doesn’t matter, Chris. We have each other now and that is all that matters.’ Smiling up at him, she drew him into the warmth of the cosy kitchen. ‘Jenny is on duty tonight – we have the house to ourselves …’
‘Lucky me,’ he said and drew her into a passionate embrace. ‘But can you continue to love me and trust me if I come and go with no explanations, as I must, Lily?’
‘Yes, I can and I do.’ Her eyes were soft with love and the trust he asked for. ‘You make me happy, Chris, and that’s all I need.’
‘I don’t know why you should love me,’ he murmured but the words were lost as she kissed him.
‘Let’s go to bed, darling,’ Lily whispered against his mouth. ‘We can talk later …’
Smiling, they held hands as they went up to Lily’s room. Chris looked about him at the neat plain furnishings that had their own simple charm, then smiled. ‘This looks so right for you, Lily. Now, when I lie awake at night, I’ll be able to picture you here, my love.’
Lily turned to him, letting him take her into his arms. He kissed her so sweetly with such longing that the flame was soon burning fiercely between them and they undressed each other, fumbling with buttons and zips and laughing as they tossed unwanted garments away in their haste to make love, but not before Chris had put on the protection necessary to keep his beloved safe. Then they were lying on the spotless white sheets on Lily’s bed, flesh to flesh, warm and sensual, aware of each tingling sensation as they made love with all the delight of true lovers starved of each other’s presence for too long.
Afterwards, when they lay satiated with physical pleasure, desire quenched for the moment, Chris stroked the satin softness of her back and sighed with content.
‘Only you, Lily,’ he murmured throatily. ‘Only you would take me so willingly to your bed with such love and trust after I’d been away for months with no word.’
‘I had one letter to say you would come soon …’
He looked long and deep into her eyes. ‘It’s all I can give for a while, my darling – is it enough?’
‘No, of course not,’ she admitted and moved in closer. ‘I want to sleep with you by my side every night, be your wife and have a family – but I know that isn’t possible yet.’
‘One day,’ he promised. ‘When this sordid business is over …’
‘When will it end?’ she asked and then shook her head. ‘No, I shouldn’t ask. You warned me that you couldn’t give me those things until your work was done.’
‘I was lonely and I wanted you so badly,’ he said. ‘I’m here for two days, Lily …’ He hesitated then, ‘We could marry secretly, my darling – I obtained a special licence the last time I was here, but you can’t tell anyone – not even Jenny.’
Lily’s sudden surge of excitement was stilled. ‘We could marry but I can’t tell anyone?’
‘If it was d
iscovered I’d been back to England and married I should be vulnerable. You know why …’
Of course, Lily knew why she couldn’t have a proper wedding. His work as a spy in Hitler’s Germany was dangerous and, if his true allegiance was discovered, he would be shot as a traitor. Even to be here like this could prove fatal if it were ever discovered; he ought not to have risked it but he had for her sake.
‘Then we shouldn’t marry,’ she said. ‘I should never have asked.’
Chris smiled and rolled her over so that she lay beneath him once more. ‘Of course, you should; you have the right – and I want to be your husband, Lily.’ He laughed down at her. ‘All right, tell Jenny if you wish, but she must understand it is a secret.’
Lily reached up to kiss him. ‘No, it will be just us two – and a witness you can trust, Chris. Jenny might say something without meaning to. I refuse to do anything that risks your life.’
‘No wonder I adore you!’
Lily frowned. ‘Are you supposed to be back here at all?’
‘No. Officially I’m in Switzerland making friends for Herr Hitler – but I had the chance of a flight home unofficially. I’m not even in the country. I didn’t go through passport control.’
‘You took such a risk!’ She looked at him in concern. ‘If you should be missed …’
‘I’m supposed to be on a trip to a mountain retreat,’ he said and hushed her with a kiss. ‘You were worth the risk, my love.’
Lily put her arms around him, holding him tightly, her eyes damp with tears. For Chris to take such a risk just to be with her made her feel humbled and loved. She wanted to hold him forever but knew that his visit could be no more than the two days he’d promised. It had to be enough, though it never could be.
Lily was sitting eating her breakfast alone when Jenny got home at eight thirty the next morning. She looked happy and relaxed, a hint of excitement in her eyes that made Jenny wonder.
‘Has something happened?’ she asked. There was a different smell in the kitchen, but she couldn’t be sure what it was. Mixed with the odour of toast was a faint scent of cedar … much like the lotion Chris had used as a shaving aid. ‘Has Chris been here?’
Lily got up to put some bread in the toaster. ‘Would you like two slices, Jenny?’
‘Yes, thank you, that would be nice,’ Jenny said. ‘I’ll eat it and then I’ll go up to bed. You’d better hurry or you’ll be late for work.’
‘I’ve got two days off …’
‘Really? You didn’t say.’ Jenny stared at her sister’s back. ‘You didn’t answer me, Lily – Chris hasn’t been here, has he?’
‘No, of course not. Why do you ask?’
‘I thought I could smell his cologne.’
‘Oh …’ Lily hesitated and then laughed. ‘It’s probably that new stuff I bought to clean the bath.’
Jenny nodded and accepted the toast her sister brought to the table, buttering it and spreading on thick-cut marmalade. She ate her toast feeling puzzled. No bath cleaner could ever smell as good as an expensive cologne: Lily wasn’t telling her the truth. Yet why should she lie? Jenny had accepted that her sister was in love with Chris and Jenny couldn’t complain. She’d given him up of her own free will and she didn’t regret it – though sometimes she missed being taken to smart restaurants and dancing. Lily didn’t do any of that and she didn’t think she had many letters either. It was all a bit secret but Jenny never asked awkward questions and although she was burning to ask now she refrained, though she felt a bit hurt. If Lily had been seeing Chris here in their house, she might have told her. They were sisters, after all. Surely they didn’t need to have secrets? And it just wasn’t like Lily to lie.
‘Well, I’m going to bed,’ Jenny said and wiped her mouth on a napkin. ‘What are you going to do with your days off?’
‘Oh, this and that,’ Lily said. ‘I might go shopping or visit a cinema.’
‘Well, enjoy yourself,’ Jenny said and went upstairs to her room, feeling a bit irritated with her sister. The door to Lily’s bedroom was open and Jenny went inside. The bed was made and the room was as neat as ever but the scent of cedar was even stronger here.
Chris had been here – here in Lily’s room! Jenny was certain of it. They must be lovers and Lily just didn’t want to tell her. It rankled a little but she couldn’t blame Lily in a way – when she’d first met Chris, she’d wanted to keep him a secret from Lily, because it had all been too new.
Shaking her head, Jenny went into her own room and started to undress. It had been a long day on the critical ward and she was tired. The last thing she wanted was for Lily to think she was jealous of her relationship with Chris, because she wasn’t. She hoped they would be happy together – but why was Lily lying to her? It left an unpleasant taste in her mouth and made her realise they were no longer as close as they had once been, and that made Jenny feel lonely. Lily was all she had, because she’d met no one she wanted to put in Chris’s place.
Had she made a mistake giving him up because he couldn’t spend as much time with her as she wanted? For a moment she considered and then shook her head. No, she hadn’t truly been in love with Chris. She just missed someone to go out with and in time she would meet someone else.
Yawning, Jenny got into bed and closed her eyes. She was far too tired to worry about such things – and when Lily was ready, Jenny was sure she would tell her the truth.
‘You look beautiful, my darling,’ Chris said as they met outside the small church. ‘Did you manage to get away without Jenny suspecting anything?’
‘She was fast asleep,’ Lily said and smiled sadly. ‘I think she guessed you’d been to the house – your cologne gave it away.’
‘Oh yes,’ he said and frowned. ‘Jenny might indeed recognise it.’
‘Is it an English make?’ Lily asked.
‘Clever girl,’ Chris said softly. ‘No, it isn’t – it’s American and readily available in Germany. I made certain of that, that’s why I continued to use it – I have to be so careful.’
A little shudder went through Lily, that such a small thing could betray him made her realise how difficult his life must be when he was in Germany.
‘Oh, Chris …’ she whispered and his arm tightened about her waist.
‘Don’t look so upset,’ he said. ‘The vicar is coming now. His wife will be our witness.’
Lily nodded and took his hand as they went to meet the friendly couple.
‘Well now, Miss Lily Brown and Mr Chris Moore, I believe?’ He smiled and nodded as he shook hands with them both. ‘This isn’t the first time my wife has stood in as a witness. I understand family problems can make things difficult for young people – and I don’t ask questions. I shall ask only if you both wish to be married in the sight of God and have the necessary papers.’
‘I do,’ Chris said and patted his breast pocket. ‘It is very good of you, sir, to arrange this for us at such short notice.’
‘Say nothing of it – your donation to the church roof was much appreciated, Mr Moore.’
Lily couldn’t bring herself to speak. Inside she felt tight with tension. It had made her feel uncomfortable when she’d had to lie to Jenny at breakfast and she was wishing her sister was here now. The vicar’s wife was pleasant and friendly and she’d even brought Jenny some daffodils from her garden, but it wasn’t the same. A wedding should be a bright, open day that you were happy to tell the world about and Lily couldn’t help feeling a little sad – even though when Chris turned to smile at her, her heart jerked with love.
‘One day we’ll be able to tell her and the world,’ Chris whispered to her as they walked from the church after the ring was on her finger. ‘It’s just until I can come home for good and we don’t need to hide.’
‘It’s all right,’ Lily said and smiled up at him. ‘I love you and I’m happy to be your wife.’ And she was, even if the shadow of missing her sister on this day still hovered at the back of her mind …
CHAPTE
R 10
‘Margaret, can you come please?’ Rose asked as she entered the small room at the end of the children’s ward. ‘Danny has been sick on the floor and collapsed. I can’t wake him. I think he must be really ill.’
Margaret ran to help just as Rose wiped the child’s face. His eyes flickered open then and he looked up at her. ‘It hurts … it hurts bad, Sister …’
‘Where does it hurt, Danny?’ He gestured at his side and Rose lifted his pyjama jacket; she drew a sharp breath as she saw the dark bruise that had come out on his skin. ‘How long have you had this?’ she asked but he shook his head, obviously feeling too unwell to answer. ‘We ought to have noticed it when you came in; this must have caused you pain for a while. Why didn’t you tell us, Danny?’
Danny’s eyes focused on her. ‘It just ached there before, after me dad kicked me, then when those men beat me yesterday it got worse.’ He looked at her fearfully. ‘If the cops go after me dad, he’ll ’alf kill me!’
‘Yes, I see,’ Rose said and felt angry with the people who had made him so fearful. ‘Well, I’m going to put you to bed again, Danny. I’m going to call the doctor to you, but don’t worry, I’ll be with you all the time.’
She turned to Margaret, who had cleared up the mess on the floor. ‘Give me a hand to lift him. I’m going to ask Dr Clark to come out to him as soon as he can, but I want to give him a little wash first.’
‘Yes, Sister,’ Margaret said and moved to help lift the child into a more comfortable position. Danny groaned, even though he was clearly trying not to.
Rose looked at him and gently touched his hand. ‘I’m going to leave you for a few minutes, but the doctor will come soon and we’ll give you something to make you feel a bit better.’
Rose felt a bit worried by the dark bruising but knew that she mustn’t make snap judgements. It might just be a case of gastroenteritis or something similar. Yet she knew that the child had been beaten, by his father and then by the men who had kidnapped him.