A tear fell from her eyes and then a second one. Rachel swiped them away and kept walking. Sally wanted to hug her but didn’t, sensing the girl was close to breaking point and she didn’t want to push her over that edge.
18
They walked along the lane in silence. Sally glanced at the blackberry bushes. She should bring the children up here at the weekend to collect the ripe berries. They could make blackberry crumble or blackberry and apple tart. She smiled, as memories of her own childhood hit, the taste of the berries squishy on her tongue, the juice running down her lips. Her mother warning her to watch out for thorns and Maggie telling her mother to leave the child be.
“You have a nice smile,” Rachel commented, breaking the silence.
“I was just thinking of my childhood; we used to pick blackberries up this lane. Me, my Mum, and Maggie.”
“Your mother lives near here?”
“She did but she died when I was twelve. We lived with my grandmother, but Maggie was the one who looked after me. She taught me how to cook and keep house and got me a job up at a big house in Virginia Water. That’s not too far away from here.”
“You couldn’t stay with your grandmother?”
“No.” Sally didn’t add her grandmother had never wanted her. She blamed Sally, for her being born on the wrong side of the blanket, as she called it.
“What was she like, your mother?”
“Mum smiled a lot, even when she had little to smile about. She worked very hard, even when she was sick. She dreamed about buying Rose Cottage, the house I live in now. That was her dream. My husband’s father was born there but his family moved away when his dad was young and the house was left empty. Mum used to keep it clean, ready for when the family wanted to come down from London, but they never did.
“So, how did you meet your husband?”
Sally’s cheeks turned red.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you shy,” Rachel apologized.
“You didn’t. I always go red when I think about it. I thought Derek was trying to break into Rose Cottage and I ran and got the village policeman.”
“Break in?” Rachel looked puzzled.
“Steal things from the house,” Sally explained. “I came back with Constable Halton. He tried to arrest Derek, who, in fairness, had broken a window trying to get in. He couldn’t find his key. It took a while to convince us he owned Rose Cottage. His father had died and left it to him in his Will.”
Rachel looked a little confused. Sally wasn’t sure how much she understood.
“It was his cottage and he wanted to see what it was like inside. He told me I had to agree to go to lunch with him to make up for thinking he was a criminal. We got engaged three months later and married three months after that.”
“He is a good-looking man. I see his photograph in your house, you are a lucky woman.”
“He is handsome, isn’t he? But Rachel, he is kind and has such a big heart. That is more important, don’t you think?”
Rachel wasn’t listening, she’d stopped walking and was staring into the distance.
“Heinz is there. In the field.” Rachel pointed to a group of boys up ahead of them. They were picking or planting something, it was too hard to tell from this angle.
They kept walking until the boys called out to Rachel. Heinz came running down to see her. He spoke rapidly to her in German.
Rachel answered in English. “Don’t be rude, Heinz. Sally came to see you today. She doesn’t understand German.”
To his credit, he apologized. In halting English, he asked her how his brother was.
“Tomas is wonderful. Such a clever young man and so good with his sister. Liesl is finding her feet but a joy to look after.” She couldn’t resist talking about Liesl even though he hadn’t asked about her. She spotted approval in Rachel’s eyes. Heinz muttered something, to which Rachel reacted by hitting him on his arm. It was a mere tap, really but Heinz flinched.
“Roll up your sleeve,” Sally demanded. When he hesitated, she glanced at Rachel who said something in German. He shook his head and went to move away but Sally stood in front of him.
“Pull up your sleeve now, or I will call the farmer.”
Heinz scowled but did as he was told. Rachel’s gasp mirrored her own feelings. Every patch of skin was covered in bruises, old and new.
“Is your whole body like this?”
Heinz refused to answer.
“I’m talking to you. Answer me,” Sally shouted, getting the attention of the two other boys. “Has someone been hitting all of you?”
Heinz glanced at the other boys, both of whom looked younger than he was, before he nodded.
Sally almost vomited. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“I’m not having it. That’s not any way to treat a child.” Sally marched off in the direction of the farmhouse. She called to Rachel to stay with Heinz until she got back. She’d seen the way he looked at Rachel. He wouldn’t let any harm come to her.
Chickens shrieked and fled from her path as she stormed toward the house. A couple of horses stared at her from their pen, but the pigs didn’t look up from their trough. She could smell the cows, the unpleasant tang of dung in the air but she couldn’t see them.
She didn’t want a witness when she caught up with Farmer Dalton and his wife. Rage surged through her as she marched into the farmyard and up to the back door. Knocking, she didn’t wait for a reply but stormed into the kitchen. The farmer jumped up from a table almost covered in plates of food. The smell of just-baked bread mingled with fried liver and onions.
“What on earth, woman! You’ve put the fear of God into the missus. Are the Germans chasing you?”
“Do you think that’s funny Mr. Dalton? As funny as leaving bruises all over those boys out there in that field of yours? You wouldn’t treat an animal the way you’ve treated them children.”
Dalton sat back down, picking up a slice of bread to mop up the gravy on his plate. He took a large bite, speaking with his mouth full, spraying her with bits of food as he spoke.
“Germans. Those boys are nearly grown-up. You stay out of it.”
“I won’t stand by and let you treat anyone like that, you miserable old windbag. And as for you Aggie Dalton, you should be ashamed of yourself. You heard what Reverend Collins asked for. A warm house, good decent food, and shelter, for victims of war. Victims, not enemy agents. And the two of you sitting in church, as if butter wouldn’t melt.”
Dalton stood up and growled. “Who the heck do you think you are, marching into my house and attacking my wife? Get out before I throw you out.”
“You can huff and puff as much as you like Dalton, but you’ll not lay a hand on me. My Derek would have you in a box before you knew what hit you.”
He took a step toward her, his hand slightly raised. Sally felt the first trickle of fear. What was she doing? She should have gone for the constable and the Reverend, not let her temper get the better of her and try and tackle this pair of bullies alone. She resisted the urge to flee, holding his gaze. His eyes narrowed.
“He isn’t here, though, is he? Takes a while to get back from France. Anything could happen.”
His words chilled her, more because he’d spoken in such a normal voice. She’d expected him to rant and roar, but this was more frightening. Seconds ticked by.
“Get out of my house and go home where you belong, while you still can.”
Sally’s heart hammered, thunder ringing in her ears. He wouldn’t hit her, would he? He knew she’d have the Reverend and the Constable back at the farm before he could sing God Save the King.
“Aunt Sally, are you fine?”
Sally’s heart beat faster at the sound of Heinz’s voice next to her, his heavy shoes making a funny sound on the stone floor. She almost sagged in relief, as he gripped her hand. Rachel slipped in silently, standing behind Heinz. She glimpsed the other boys but they stayed outside.
The farmer’s attention
swung to the young man.
“Aunt Sally. What are you calling her that for? She’s no aunt of yours.”
Heinz stayed silent, his eyes never leaving the brute of a man.
Sally found her voice. Pushing aside her fear, she spoke quickly. “Actually I am. Well, more of a cousin, than an aunt but you know what family relations are like. His mother, God rest her soul and my mother shared… great grandparents.”
At the disbelief on the couple’s faces, Sally wasn’t sure what to say next. Where had that lie come from? They’d know she was lying, wouldn’t they?
“You come to take me home. I pack.”
Heinz’s declaration was as much a surprise to her as it was to the Daltons. Mr. Dalton glanced between them but Mrs. Dalton was faster to recover.
“You’re not going anywhere. We signed papers for you to stay here and that’s where you will stay.”
Sally saw the doubt in her eyes, despite her aggressive tone. She took a step closer to the woman, speaking directly to her.
“Heinz didn’t sign himself into slavery Mrs. Dalton. He is coming with me now and I suggest you make no attempt to stop us. If you do, I will return with the constable, the Reverend, and someone from the department of agriculture.”
At the mention of the last person, Aggie took a step closer to her husband, who paled. Sally pushed her point home.
“We both know the Department would be very interested to examine your books and the entire farm from top to bottom. I’m sure they will also inform the school board of the conditions in which you are keeping children, using them as slave labor.”
She knew she’d won, just from the look he gave her.
“Get out and take that dirty kraut with you. Don’t darken my door again.” He turned his back on her, but Aggie stepped forward.
“You’ll be sorry for this, Sally Matthews. I’ve seen you strutting around like you are somebody, not the result of that slapper of a mother of yours dropping her drawers for any Tom, Dick or Harry.”
Sally gasped. Her mother may have been pregnant and unmarried, but she was far from what Aggie suggested. She’d been walking out with Sally’s father for years when the Great War broke out. She’d fallen pregnant when her fiancé came home on embarkation leave in 1918. They were supposed to get married but didn’t have time to call the banns or get a license. Her dad never came back and her mother had paid a high price.
“Don’t you say another word, Aggie Dalton,” Sally hissed, her voice shaking as she clenched her palms into fists by her side. She’d love nothing better than to slap the woman across the face, but violence was never the answer.
She held Aggie’s gaze until the other woman looked away. Only then did she move toward the door.
“Just you wait,” Aggie snarled.
Sally dismissed the threat but left the kitchen and stood to wait for Heinz’s return. She wished she could take all of the boys with her but she didn’t have anywhere to put them. Shaking, she asked Rachel to reassure them she would send help up to the farm. She wouldn’t forget them. The boys turned and walked away, shoulders slumped. She bit down on her lip, determined not to lose control. Not here, when Dalton was probably watching her.
Heinz seemed to take forever but it was only a few minutes. He arrived with a similar brown suitcase to the one Tomas had, although his was more battered and worn-looking.
They walked out of the farmyard in silence. Sally took several deep breaths to slow her racing pulse.
“Where now?” Heinz asked once they got to the farm’s boundary. Sally slammed the gate shut behind her, although part of her was tempted to leave it open. So what, if Dalton lost a couple of animals?
“You are coming home with me Heinz—sorry—Harry. I want to speak to the Constable and the Reverend but regardless, I am not leaving you here.”
“There will be trouble.”
There most likely would be but she didn’t care. She couldn’t turn her back on this boy. She loved Tomas and Liesl like her own, already and he was their flesh and blood.
“Don’t you worry about trouble. I can handle the Daltons. Now come on, let’s get out of here. The place gives me the heebie-jeebies.
“The what?” Rachel queried.
“Oh, it’s just a made-up word for something that gives you the shivers or a bad feeling.”
“Heebie-Jeebies!” Rachel repeated the phrase a couple of times. “It is a good word. It gives me the heebie-jeebies too.”
19
They returned to the village without any further incident. Rachel and Heinz spoke the whole way home in German, but Sally didn’t correct them. She needed time to think. What could Dalton do to her? She wouldn’t put anything past his spiteful wife.
Sally was never happier to see the red phone box on the outskirts of the village. Almost home. They would call to the rectory first.
“Harry, there is one thing you must do for me.”
“Yes, Aunt Sally.”
She smiled but then turned serious. “If you come to live at my house, you must treat Liesl the same as you treat Tomas. Both children need a happy home. We have a nice time together and I don’t want anyone to ruin that. Do you understand?”
Harry kicked at the ground before a quick reprimand from Rachel made him speak.
“Yes, I understand. I wish to thank you for looking after my brother. Ouch!” Harry glared at Rachel. “And my sister. I will take some of the burden now. They are my family.”
“Glad to hear it. Right, let’s get inside and collect the young ones. No doubt Maggie will be dying to hear everything. Then we will go home, and you can have a bath and find new clothes. I want the doctor to examine you.”
Heinz paled.
“I don’t need a doctor.”
“Yes, you do. If only to give me a witness who can testify as to why I removed you from the care of the Daltons.”
Rachel hissed something at him in German. He glared at her, but she wasn’t to be dissuaded.
“What did you say, Rachel?”
“I told Heinz to shut up and do as he was told. If he’d done that from the start, he would never have ended up on the farm. Sometimes boys can be so stupid.”
Sally hid a smile, as Harry turned scarlet. He’d obviously understood every word. She sensed Rachel’s opinion of him carried more weight than anyone else, so stayed silent.
Young love was a powerful emotion and she’d bet her life on it, Heinz or Harry, as she must remember to call him now, was head over heels in love with young Rachel.
20
They didn’t get a chance to walk too far before Tomas and Ruth came running, Maggie, carrying Liesl, trailing behind them. The younger children threw themselves into their siblings’ arms. Sally saw Harry wince from the impact but he didn’t let on to Tomas. He swung the younger boy right up in the air.
Tomas spoke rapidly in German, but Harry stopped him.
“English, Tomas.”
Tomas grimaced but did as he was told. “Maggie made cake. Ruth and I helped. We had icing.”
Sally glanced at Maggie, seeing the questions in her eyes.
“Rachel, could you take the children into the rectory, please? I just want a quick word with Maggie.”
“Yes, Aunt Sally.”
Maggie gave Liesl to Rachel and then watched as the five children went back indoors, before rounding on Sally.
“What happened?”
“Maggie, we have to get the doctor, the constable, and the Reverend. You’d never believe how they are treating those poor children. Beating them and starving them by the looks of it. All the while Dalton stuffs his mouth and Aggie gets fatter.”
Maggie put her arms around her shoulder. “Sally love, calm down, you’re not making sense. Who is beating the children?”
“Dalton. And maybe his wife too. You should see those poor boys we left behind. They look worse than they did in Liverpool Street. Can’t blame them, can you? They’ve lost their families, their home, and now they are being treated wors
e than animals.”
Maggie pushed Sally toward the rectory. “You go and help yourself to tea. I’ll call in to the constable and get him to round up the troops. Can’t have the likes of that going on in Abbeydale. This is England. We treat people properly.”
Maggie bustled off in the direction of the constable’s house. Sally didn’t know why she didn’t use the telephone but maybe she felt this needed airing in private. The operator wasn’t above listening in on calls.
The doctor arrived before Maggie got back, explaining he’d had a call from the constable. Harry paled when Sally introduced them, but a quick word from Rachel and he allowed the doctor to take him away to examine him in private. Maggie arrived back as they were waiting.
“Constable Halton is calling in some reinforcements from Chertsey Station and then he will call here. Did the doctor arrive and is the Reverend back?”
Sally nodded. “Doctor King is with Harry now. Haven’t seen the Reverend.”
It wasn’t long before Harry came back downstairs looking paler but relieved. Sally resisted the urge to cuddle him. Instead, she gave him the key to her house, sensing he might need some time alone.
“Go on home, love. That’s my house over there.” She pointed to the house from the window. “I will be there soon. Don’t worry, nobody will hurt you now.”
He didn’t say anything but squeezed her hand when she gave him the key. Without looking at the doctor, he left.
Rachel took the children for a walk to the park while the adults discussed the events of the morning. Reverend Collins arrived, with the constable, just as the children were leaving. The doctor barely let the door close behind them before he burst out, “That young man has obviously been mistreated by the Daltons. It hasn’t helped his old injuries.”
“Old injuries?” Maggie asked, sending Sally a look but Sally shook her head. She didn’t know anything. The doctor continued.
“I believe he was tortured or at the very least given a savage beating, not just once but over a number of days, maybe weeks. He has a number of marks on his torso, upper arms, and legs. Cigarette burns and other things I would rather not mention in present company.”
The Road to Liberation: Trials and Triumphs of WWII Page 97