When she went to meet up with Cathie at Campfield Market, Evie heard that she’d sadly failed to discover anything.
‘Their teacher was aware those two girls were moved on a second time from Manchester to another foster home in Cumberland,’ Cathie said. ‘She did point out that some evacuees were also sent to Wales or the Fylde coast. Many were frequently moved around and were often lost track of. And as a few of her colleagues have remained in various places she promised to write to them in the hope of finding out where your daughters were possibly sent, but has found no solutions so far.’
‘Eeh, love, that’s a shame but thanks for trying. Let’s hope your friend gets a response and some news about where they are eventually. That’s summat to look forward to.’
‘It could take a while,’ Cathie commented wryly.
Evie frowned. ‘Aye, I daresay it could and with all billeting officers now gone I’ve no wish to wait for months or years. I’ve long felt the need to visit Cumberland but as well as having to work hard I’m currently occupied with caring for my invalid husband, who has no wish for me to go anywhere so I’ve kept putting it off. I feel it’s time for me to give it a go and visit various town halls, as well as the place Danny was located and ask if they have any information about Megan and Joanne.’
‘That would be worth trying, although not easy and quite time-consuming,’ Cathie warned.
‘I’ll need to ask Harold Mullins for a bit of time off work, which he’ll hopefully allow me. Would you look after your Uncle Donald while I’m away?’
‘’Course I would, Aunty, just as you occasionally look after little Heather for me.’
Harold Mullins was not at all pleased by Evie’s request for two days off. ‘Nay, lass, there’s too much work for yer to do. Why would I allow you any free time?’
‘Because I’m still trying to find my daughters, which is very important to me. And just going on a Sunday would not work as most places will be closed, so if I could have next Thursday and Friday off that would be most useful. I always have Saturday free and will return on Sunday.’
Looking completely uncaring about her troubled thoughts, he gave a snort of disapproval. ‘You can’t be serious to ask for this. Not after all I’ve done for you.’
‘Good gracious, how can you say that? What right have you to object to this simple request? I’m still in difficulty over the loss of my family.’
‘Your son and hubby have been home for some time and your daughters will no doubt turn up eventually. So as you’re settled down in domestic bliss, why would I sanction you much in the way of time off, considering it would risk me losing money. I believe in addling brass. Do be wary of where these fancies lead you.’
‘I assure you I’ll catch up with calls upon your clients as soon as I return.’
‘If I agree, I’d need evidence of approval for my generosity,’ he said, chilling the atmosphere between them still further. Then, stepping close, his mouth twisted into a sardonic smile as he slid his hands over her hips to pull her close and give her a squeeze. ‘You are an irresistible lady.’
Shoving him firmly away, Evie felt a strong desire to punch his private parts with her knee. His growing attention to her was proving to be something of a battle, the stink of beer or whisky in his breath making her want to throw up. ‘Take note, Harold, that being happily married you should take your flaming hands off me,’ she remarked coldly.
Giving a roar of laughter, he lifted them up to let her go. ‘Just be aware that when you return from this trip you’ll have to work longer hours to make up for lost time. Then come and hand over the money you’ve collected and show your appreciation for granting you this time off,’ he whispered softly.
After viewing the gleam of desire in his gaze muddled with an expression of disapproval, a sense of sickness fluttered through Evie as she hurried away. What a dreadful, intimidating man he was. Alcoholic, belligerent, aggressive and very much a bully. Oh, how she hated him and this damn job. Had she made entirely the wrong decision to work for this man? And how could she ever escape him? If only she had the time to try working for herself. The concern she was suffering from caring for her husband and son was not easy and this battle with Harold Mullins was making her feel worse. She must ensure that her life changed once her girls were found. Right now, no matter how demanding he was he’d get no so-called appreciation or thanks from her.
The moment Evie told Donald of her plan, he looked utterly staggered at such a dreadful prospect and made it clear he would not permit her to go. ‘I’m still ill and in need of your care, so you ain’t going nowhere. It would be heartless of you to leave me alone.’
‘I think your health is gradually improving so I’m afraid I must, darling. Don’t worry, I’ll only be gone three days at the end of the week and Cathie has agreed to come to cook and care for you while I’m away, so you’ll be fine.’
Thrilled as she was to have her husband back home, coping with him was not proving to be at all easy. Harold Mullins was not easy to deal with either. Evie was beginning to feel that her resilience was fading rapidly, partly out of exhaustion for all the work she was involved in, as well as anxiety over the state of her husband’s mental health. She felt very much in a sticky mess.
Evie took the train to Cumberland, the golden beauty of the trees in autumn filling her with an almost guilty sense of peace. It was good to have a day or two free from that dreadful job and she felt an excited anticipation that she might soon find her lovely girls. When she reached the station at Keswick, she left the train, walked into town and managed to find herself a room in a small guesthouse that would not cost her a fortune. Keswick looked a pleasant, quiet place, save for the occasional sound of car horns and a number of people wandering around enjoying the shops and the beautiful panoply of mountains that surrounded this town. Its highlight was the possession of a surprisingly large lake, steamers packed with passengers who were very much enjoying a sail on Derwentwater, despite the coolness of the weather.
When she’d told Danny of her plan to come here, he’d mentioned the walks and climbing he’d been involved in on Blencathra, Castlerigg, Grisedale Pike and other places. Mainly he spoke of the farm where he’d first been billeted, situated within a mile of Keswick, a place she remembered well, being most impressed with it when she’d visited him all those years ago. He went on to inform her that his sisters had been settled in a house on the outskirts of the town the second time they’d been evacuated. ‘They were happier there than they’d been at that farm they’d hated but were eventually moved elsewhere.’ Asking him why that was, he gave a shrug. ‘No idea. Mebbe they were flung out because it is quite a wealthy area so them folk ’appen didn’t care for ordinary kids or what they got up to. Joanne posted me a note to say they were being re-billeted but had no idea where they were to be sent. Then, as I told you, I too was shooed out to that bloomin’ camp for no good reason. What a nightmare that was, and I obviously lost touch with my sisters.’
‘Didn’t we all, love,’ Evie had agreed.
Now she walked around Keswick, calling in various bed and breakfast houses, hotels, schools and shops, showing them a photo of her daughters when they were young, but received no good response. She then went to call at the farm where Danny had first been billeted, driven there by a young cab driver in his Austin car, most impressed when she saw it again, as she had been the first time. Evie loved the call of the curlew and the clean tang of heather. The fast running stream, known locally as a beck, meandered behind the farmhouse and the mystical green of the pinewoods. She saw a large garden packed with fruit and vegetables. Was that where Danny was charged with stealing? Surely he’d been well fed so should never have been charged by these people, or Willie. Most of all, she appreciated the sense of wild countryside and open freedom of these Lakeland fells.
When she knocked on the door it was the farmer’s wife who answered, her husband no doubt out working out on the land. Politely thanking this lady for how they had fostered
her son at the start of the war, Evie went on to explain who she was searching for and asked if she had any notion where her girls might be.
‘Why would I have any idea where they were billeted?’
‘Oh dear, I just hoped you might know. And I’m sorry you thought it necessary to send my son to a camp for problem evacuees since he’s always been a lovely, sensible lad and said he’d enjoyed living here and helping on your farm.’
Giving a dismissive sniff, the woman said, ‘Having been accused of committing a theft why would we allow him to stay?’
Evie stoutly responded by assuring the lady of her son’s innocence. ‘He was accused by an alleged friend who could well have been the guilty party.’
‘I reckon there could have been more to it than that. Nothing I fully understood or wish to discuss,’ she snapped and slammed the door shut.
Alarmed by the suggestion Danny might have been charged with something more than pinching fruit and veg from this farm, Evie felt her heart pounding as she got back into the cab and asked to be taken back to town.
The next day the young cab driver happily drove her to Threlkeld, Penrith, then down to Ambleside, but not the camp where her son was located, pointing out that it was now gone. Evie accepted this reality and although she spoke to many people in various hotels, schools and shops, town halls and billeting officers in surrounding villages, she sadly found no information about her daughters. She spent a fairly sleepless and anxious night worrying over why Danny had made no mention of possibly being charged with some other offence. Did he have no wish to admit his guilt?
Early the next morning after at least enjoying an excellent breakfast, she caught a bus to explore Windermere, Staveley, Burneside, and finally Kendal. Knowing she must go to the station at Oxenholme the following morning to catch the train home, this last town was surely a good port of call in case this was where Joanne and Megan had been moved to. Trailing around feeling a little lost and confused, she suddenly found the town hall in Kendal and felt the urge to pop in to ask if there were any billeting officers still around.
‘No, madam, I’m sorry, all volunteers are now gone,’ a pleasant lady secretary informed her, Evie having briefly explained who she was searching for.
‘Sadly, that seems to have been the case everywhere I’ve looked for them.’ Feeling weary and heartbroken over having achieved nothing except more dreadful news, she turned to walk away and was then startled by the lady’s next comment.
‘Of course, many children who didn’t settle here were moved on to Fleetwood, Southport and Blackpool. Have you investigated those?’
Staring at her in stunned amazement, Evie suddenly recalled that her niece had mentioned that many children had been sent to Wales and the Fylde coast. Goodness, why hadn’t she taken note of that, although how could she possibly succeed in exploring all those possible towns, let alone in Wales? Still, this piece of information might prove useful. ‘Thank you for that, dear lady. I certainly will.’
How Danny regretted his mother going off to the Lakes. Would she discover all he’d suffered back then, problems he’d managed to block out of his head having no wish to remember or discuss them. They were far too stupid and unreasonable. Left alone without his wife around to help keep him calm, his father was looking even more depressed. Feeling some sympathy for this sense of despair very prevalent in him, Danny attempted to be friendly and chat.
‘Tell me about the anguish you suffered in the war, Dad. It must have badly affected you. Did you lose any of your mates?’
Meeting his son’s curious gaze with blank despair on his face, he gave a small nod. ‘’Course I did. My best mate had his foot knocked off by shells and holes in his leg. I picked Larry up and carried him down the track. When the doctor came he amputated his leg off. The next day he died, having bled too much.’ He then fell silent.
Aware of the pain in his father’s face, Danny could think of nothing appropriate to say except, ‘How awful and so brave of you to try to help him.’
‘That’s not the only issue I suffered. There were plenty more I prefer not to remember or speak of, not least the torture and brutality as a prisoner of war. The guards loved to starve, beat and kick us. I’d lie in a crumpled mess on the floor and wish I could vanish into a different world.’
‘Thank God you didn’t,’ Danny stated quietly.
‘Don’t talk rubbish, lad. Look at the mess I’m in and don’t pretend for a moment that you give a toss about me. Nobody does. And you never do a damn thing I tell you to do. Like now. Go and buy me a paper. Make me a cup of tea. Clean this kitchen floor then wash up.’
Danny gave a sigh, wearily irritated that his father was again becoming most domineering and showing little patience or interest in him. He felt very much under his control, as if he was being treated as a servant or a low-rank soldier. Even though Cathie had called in frequently these couple of days to help do various domestic tasks and cook for them, it was never enough so far as his father was concerned.
The next morning, Evie still not around, Donald came pounding into Danny’s bedroom about six o’clock and sharply demanded that he should instantly rise and make breakfast.
‘It’s a Saturday, Dad. I’ve worked hard all week so surely I’m entitled to have a bit of a lie-in today. Can’t we wait till Cathie pops over, as I’m sure she will?’
‘No, lad, that’s a rubbish job you have on the canal, not a sensible one at all. Do as you’re told now!’
Danny felt a strong urge to argue with him and deny this, quite enjoying spending long busy days loading and organizing deliveries on the tug, serving an apprenticeship that was hard work but felt very worthwhile. Yet how could he convince his father that having turned fifteen he was now almost an adult, certainly not a child any more and surely had the right to do what he wished in life. But could he refuse to do what his father asked? He dragged himself out of bed and staggered downstairs, managed to find some bread and provided him with toast and jam, which didn’t go down at all well. Thankfully when Cathie arrived a little later, she set about cooking Donald some bacon and eggs.
Feeling desperate to escape, Danny said he wasn’t hungry, felt in need of a walk and hastily dashed off. When he saw Willie playing a game of football with his mates on a rough piece of spare land not far from an air raid shelter and a bombed factory, he watched with interest. They looked like they were having fun enjoying this sport, something Danny was not involved in, having lost touch with the friends he’d once known here in the Castlefield area of Manchester. Making a sudden decision that he felt badly in need of some fun in his life, he marched over to them to make a request to Willie.
‘I wondered if we could stop fighting, arguing and bullying each other and try to be mates again, as we were advised to be back at the camp. The thing is, I’m a bit bored and would like to take part in this game and get to know some of these lads.’
‘By heck, that’s an interesting suggestion to make,’ Willie said. ‘Of course, in order to take part you’d have to join our gang. Have you any idea what else we involve ourselves in, apart from playing footie?’
‘Would you care to tell me?’
‘Aye, I ’appen will, once you’ve been accepted as a member. First, to prove you’re brave and skilled you need to skim down into that damaged air raid shelter and come out the other end.’
‘Rightio.’ Danny quickly did as he was bid, which wasn’t difficult even though he encountered a few rats, mice and stinking rubbish down there. Quickly bouncing out, he asked if he was now accepted.
‘That’s your first challenge. Now tha must climb over that wall up to the top floor of that old factory, then tie a rope round yersel’ and slide down. Up to the top and back within ten minutes, OK?’
Giving a gulp, Danny sensed this challenge could be even worse than climbing that cliff in Cumberland. ‘I don’t have any rope,’ he said. Laughing, Willie gave a jerk of his head to one of the members of his gang, ordering him to hand one over. Some of the
se lads looked a bit frail and sickly while others were quite robust. Being working class and some of them having lost members of their family, they appeared to be attempting to overcome feelings of hostility over what they’d suffered in today’s world. Danny too had that attitude to life right now. How he missed his sisters, and his father was sadly a pain. Thank heaven he was fortunate enough to have a good mother.
It took every ounce of courage and strength he could find to scramble over a wall then step up the broken staircase to the top floor of the factory, which was pitted with holes. The prospect of dropping down one was a far worse concept than falling into the canal. Eventually reaching the far end, he fixed the rope onto the frame of a window, hoping it wouldn’t break. After wrapping it around himself and saying a silent prayer, he spun down at speed. It was halfway down that he realized this rope was several feet short of the ground. When he reached the end of the rope, taking a breath of strength, he skilfully managed to jump down and drop onto his feet without breaking a leg. What a relief that was.
To Danny’s surprise and delight, he was cheered and thumped with pleasure when he marched over to the lads in the gang. ‘You’re welcome to join us,’ they yelled, and even though Willie gave him a smirk of sour laughter, he too agreed.
‘Thanks for letting me join. I hope it’ll turn out to be interesting,’ he said, giving them all a grin. Wouldn’t being a member of this gang bring some excitement and fun back into his life? Danny felt very much in need of that.
Chapter Fifteen
Being a waitress, not a cleaner, Joanne was generally granted a few hours free each afternoon, once breakfasts were over, everything cleared and tidied away and tables laid in preparation for the evening meal, which she was also busily involved in. Saturdays were now classed as her day off, Joanne insisting upon this so that she could visit her sister twice a month on a school-free day.
Peace In My Heart Page 12