Wartime Blues for the Harpers Girls

by Rosie Clarke

  ‘Wise as well as beautiful,’ Colin said. He made a wry face as he heard the dinner gong. ‘We’ll be late and Father will not like to keep his meal waiting.’

  ‘Then let us go down as we are,’ Maggie said. ‘If he’s cross, we’ll say I was busy helping you and I forgot the time.’

  ‘He will forgive you,’ Colin told her. ‘He wasn’t at all sure about you when I first told him, but he likes you – they all like you, Maggie. All our people. The Blakes think you’re wonderful and they’re right.’

  She smiled. ‘I know your father likes me. I think he would rather die than admit it, but he does approve of me.’

  Colin went into a peal of laughter. ‘You know him too well. We shall all be putty in your hands before long, shan’t we?’ His eyes smiled into hers. ‘Let’s go down then, my darling, and face a scolding together.’

  34

  ‘You should stop work after Christmas,’ Reggie Jackson said, looking at his wife with love. ‘I don’t want you to go on working until the last minute, love. I know you would and you wouldn’t complain – but that’s not what I want for my wife.’

  Marion nodded. Her back ached in the afternoons now and she knew Reggie was right. Mrs Harper had told her she could stop whenever she chose and she didn’t need to give notice, because they wanted her back one day. She’d worked long enough and it would give her time to help Sarah with her new project. Sarah’s skill with delicate embroidery had become known and she had been approached by several local women to make pretty garments for them. Her success had led to an idea for her own work project and she’d made contact with a small local shop. The man that owned it had been interested in stocking the range of clothes and baby things she’d shown him.

  ‘In shops like Harpers, these blouses and this underwear would be made of silk and very expensive – too much for local women to afford. These are made with cheaper materials, but in a stylish way with some pretty embroidery, so that they are affordable,’ Sarah had explained.

  Mr Baxter, the owner of the shop, had agreed and asked her to produce a range of things. He said he needed a few examples before he could stock them, so Sarah was busy embroidering the inexpensive blouses she made, as well as baby gowns and shawls. Both Kathy and Marion helped her by making up the plain garments in the evenings, but they both worked and therefore had little time. Marion could help her sister-in-law prepare a batch of garments if she stopped going into Harpers after Christmas, which was now only a few days away.

  Mr Harper had been seen about the store more since his injury and there had been an air of excitement, even though he was still wearing a sling and looked a bit strained. He was encouraging his staff to create displays on their counters for Christmas and offering a small prize to the three that were done best.

  One of the windows was dressed with snow scenes, a sleigh and intriguing parcels and the staff been promised a bonus at the end of the sales drive. Mr Marco’s touch was to have a man dress up as Santa and sit in the sleigh without moving for several minutes at a time and then he would get up and start rearranging his parcels before sitting down again. It had brought crowds rushing to see and speculation as to whether he was a real man or some kind of clever automaton and many of them came into the store to ask and then stayed to buy gifts.

  Marion had been running between the department she loved and the window-dressing consultations. However, the Christmas windows were done now and she felt she would be better off at home and decided to take the holiday still due to her. She would not return after Christmas, though she hoped she might one day. Everyone had been sorry she was leaving, telling her that she would be sorely missed. She’d thought Mr Marco looked at her a little strangely, but he’d been quiet the previous few days and she sensed there was something wrong. However, he was senior staff and Marion would not dare to ask what might be thought personal questions.

  On her last day before she left, Mr Marco gave her a small parcel. ‘For the baby,’ he told her. ‘If I don’t see you again, I hope you have an easy confinement and a lovely life.’

  ‘Oh, I’ll pop in from time to time,’ Marion told him. ‘Even if just to look. I would love to do more window dressing if I could…’

  ‘I’m sure Mrs Harper would give you a job here,’ Mr Marco said. ‘When the baby is old enough for you to leave in someone’s care…’

  Marion smiled. Sally Harper had already told her she would be welcome to return in a part-time capacity if that made things easier – but it was odd the way Mr Marco had made such a point of it. She was thoughtful as she caught the bus home that evening, Reggie was still on leave. He said his orders were about to be changed after a period of being settled in England as a trainer, but he seemed to think he might be sent back to the fighting and that made her heart sink. She couldn’t bear it if anything happened to him now.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me before?’ Sadie asked when Marco told her he was being sent to a fighting unit in a week’s time. ‘I’ve made lots of plans for Christmas and the New Year and now you won’t be here to enjoy them.’

  ‘I wasn’t sure it was correct. I asked to be sent to a fighting unit at the start, but they said I was more use in another capacity, but now they want me at the Front. I questioned it, but it is official. When I asked why now, I was told they need men for another big push…’

  ‘Can’t you get out of it?’ Sadie asked him. ‘Why don’t you plead your wound – the one you got in France? It isn’t fair. You risked your life for months and months out there!’

  ‘Nearly two years,’ Marco said. ‘They killed good friends of mine. I would have liked to avenge them, but I’ll probably be sent to somewhere at the heart of the fighting…’

  ‘What makes you think that? Surely they have plenty of others?’

  Marco shrugged. ‘I was asked to volunteer for a mission and I refused – so I think someone decided I’d had it too easy and pushed for me to be sent to the Front.’

  ‘You didn’t tell me…’ Sadie frowned. ‘Why did you refuse?’

  ‘Because I’d be no good where they wanted me to go…’ he paused, smiled, then, ‘And because I didn’t want to leave you and the boy.’ He looked directly at her. ‘You’ve given me more than I ever expected to have, Sadie. I’d given up the thought of a family long ago. Not many men of my persuasion are happy in a marriage, but I have been with you and little Pierre.’

  Sadie’s eyes brimmed with tears. She moved towards him and embraced him. ‘Thank you, Marco. That makes me very happy.’ She hesitated, then, ‘Do you think we could sleep together one night before you go? Actually, in bed. If nothing happens it doesn’t matter, but I’d like you to hold me as we sleep…’

  ‘I’ve had women lovers in the past,’ Marco told her. ‘It was never very satisfactory for either partner so I decided not to try with you. I thought it might spoil what we had – but I could hold you and we could talk. If it happens…’ He shrugged eloquently and Sadie smiled.

  ‘I don’t mind about sex,’ she said. ‘I just want us to be close until you go. I do love you, Marco – perhaps not as I loved Pierre, but I shall miss you.’

  ‘Yes, I know – and I’ll miss both of you,’ he said, cursing inwardly at the fate that would tear them apart. Why did it have to happen that when he’d found peace at last, it was being wrecked by this war? He had no doubt who was behind the posting. It was vindictive and stupid, but he’d refused to volunteer for a suicide mission and now he was being punished.

  Marco rose when Sadie was sleeping. He’d given her what she wanted and although their coupling had not given him the intense pleasure of his relationship with Julien, it had felt warm and right somehow. It was as if they were a proper couple now with a child and had the kind of marriage so many had, where intimate relations were perhaps not important, but comfortable. It was the comfort and warmth that mattered and he’d certainly found that with Sadie.

  Marco knew it might never happen again. Sadie had been easily satisfied and would not demand mu
ch from him, but he was glad he’d done as she asked. She was truly his wife now and had promised she would be waiting for him when he got home. It would give him a reason to fight, to be watchful and look out for his life, because Sadie loved him in her way. Not with the passion she’d given to Pierre, but much as you might love a worn pair of slippers you particularly liked – and if that was all she asked of him, Marco could give her happiness now and then.

  He felt tears on his cheeks as he thought of his one true love, Julien, and his terrible, wasteful death would never cease to haunt him. Marco had turned full circle and felt again the sharpness of loss and the hopelessness of knowing there was nothing he could do – but now he had found a certain contentment in a way he’d never expected.

  Damn Major Bryant and his petty revenge! Marco’s mouth set in a thin line. He would do what was clearly his duty, but he would make damned sure he survived and came back to Sadie, Pierre – and Harpers.

  35

  ‘I wanted to say goodbye,’ Marco said as he entered the office, where Ben was sitting at the desk contemplating a prettily wrapped gift. ‘Sally isn’t here?’

  ‘No, she is treating some of the staff to a little tea party in the canteen, I think. She had some gifts to distribute and there is food and a bottle or two of sherry.’ He realised what Marco had said and frowned. ‘Where are you going? I haven’t been told anything? Is it another undercover thing?’

  ‘Not this time. They asked me to volunteer for something in Russia, but I told Bryant I wasn’t the right man this time – so I’ve been ordered to report to a fighting unit.’

  ‘Good God! That’s ridiculous. You’ve done your share and more – with the wound you had, they should have given you a desk job. I thought you might be sent back to France – but not in a fighting unit.’

  ‘I suppose I can shoot as well as the average soldier, even though I’m not a crack shot… Besides, I refused to volunteer or accept a mission to Russia, so I suppose I’m lucky. They could have had me shot for disobeying orders…’

  ‘They could not! I do have some influence and I would have had my lawyers sort it out in five minutes flat… or before it came to a court-martial anyway.’

  ‘Well, I suppose you might…’ Marco conceded with a grin.

  ‘Why on earth didn’t you come to me sooner?’ Ben Harper asked. ‘It is ridiculous, Marco. You volunteered at the beginning and you’ve more than done your duty. If you’d told me sooner, I would have spoken to someone – had the orders rescinded. I could still try—’

  ‘I leave in the morning,’ Marco said with a wry smile. ‘I did think about asking if you knew someone who might help, but then I realised that if I did that, then I should be the coward Bryant named me.’

  ‘That’s the last thing anyone could ever call you,’ Ben said, looking at him anxiously. ‘Are you sure you’re fit enough – your wound?’

  ‘Is well and truly healed.’ Marco smiled. ‘I’m as fit as the next man and I do know how to fight, Ben. Perhaps not as well as some Frenchmen I know but good enough to kill a few of the enemy. I’m sorry to leave you in the lurch, but Sally has ideas for windows and my team isn’t too bad at the practical stuff. It’s a pity that young Marion Jackson had to leave just at this time. I would advise you to get her back after the baby is born, even if she only comes in a couple of mornings…’

  ‘The war will soon be over in my opinion, maybe a few months,’ Ben replied with a frown. ‘Keep your head down and know that we need you back – on a personal as well as a business level.’

  ‘I know and I’ll do my best to get home,’ Marco said with a wry smile. ‘But if I shouldn’t – make sure Sadie is all right please. I’ve left her money, but she will need more than that – support from friends…’

  ‘Yes, of course I will,’ Ben assured him and gripped his shoulder with his good hand, his shoulder still too sore to do much. ‘There was a time when I would have envied you your posting, Marco, but I’ve had enough of this damned war. I’ll do my duty to the end – and if I can help with some of the logistics to get the men home again, I’ll do that, but after that I intend to lift some of the burden from Sally’s shoulders. She’s borne most of it all this time.’

  ‘Sally Harper is made of strong stuff,’ Marco replied with a warm smile. ‘But she does need looking after. Why don’t you see if you can find out what has happened to her mother, Ben? A private detective traced her and I know that your wife wrote to her mother but she hasn’t been to see her yet. Sally might not have said much to you about it – perhaps she doesn’t want to worry you. I know Jenni didn’t approve. She thought the woman an impostor trying to take advantage and Sally may feel you think the same.’

  Ben nodded. ‘Thank you for telling me, Marco. I appreciate your honesty – and I think you may be right. I’ll have a talk to her this evening and if she wants, I’ll go down to Cambridgeshire and investigate.’

  ‘You do that,’ Marco said. ‘Well, I must go. Sadie was preparing a special meal this evening, as it is our last together for the foreseeable future.’

  ‘Good. Enjoy it!’ Ben touched his shoulder once more. ‘Go with God, my friend, and I shall pray for your safe return.’

  Marco smiled and left.

  Ben frowned and then reached for the phone. Even if it was too late to stop the orders, he would ensure that Major Bryant got a rap over the knuckles for what he’d done…

  Marco glanced round his office and then turned out the lights. He knew there was a likelihood that he would not see it again and he felt a pang of regret. Perhaps he ought to have asked Ben to pull some strings for him and yet in his heart he knew he would never have done it. It was the way of the coward and he’d always expected to be sent to the fighting – wanted it. At first, he’d hoped he might be killed because his grief for Julien had still been so strong. Now it was just a deep ache that he lived with – and much of the reason for that was Sadie and her son. Yet another parting he must endure. He had found happiness with her – the kind he would never have expected. He had a wife and son and he was content – and they were worth fighting for, worth making sure he stayed alive for.

  He left Harpers, stopping to exchange a few words with all those who called out to him, wishing him good luck. He had so many friends here – it was a real community and he hoped to return when the war finally ended.

  Ben thought it couldn’t be many months, perhaps a year at most. The Americans had certainly helped to turn the tide with their money and their sheer weight of numbers. They were a powerful force and Germany had felt their hammer blows; combined with the other Allies from all over the world, Marco believed they were winning and a part of him wanted to be in at the kill.

  He smiled as he hailed a cab. It would get him home sooner. He would have a little time with Pierre and then he would eat dinner with Sadie and afterwards take her to bed. Now that he knew he could make her happy, he would not hold back. She was a lovely, generous woman and she deserved all that he could give her…

  Ben stopped in the doorway of his apartment sitting room, watching Sally as she looked through yet another catalogue. She never stopped working. He knew that she would have played with Jenny before putting her to bed and she would have prepared their supper in readiness for him. It would probably be steak with salad and chips or one of her special casseroles. She seldom cooked chops or pies. On Sundays she would roast a joint, unless he took them all out to a restaurant. Often, they dined at one of Mick’s places, because the food was wholesome and well-cooked, but Sally’s cooking was fine for the nights they just wanted to stay home. Mrs Hills sometimes cooked for them, but Ben preferred his wife’s simple meals.

  Sally looked up and smiled at him. ‘You spoke to Marco? Was there nothing you could do?’

  ‘I might have if he would let me, but he says it is his duty to go, the damned idiot. Still, I don’t think he has a death wish. He will come back if he can, Sally.’

  ‘Yes, I think he really cares for Sadie and the little bo
y. I’ve met her a couple of times. She came to the shop a while ago and Marco introduced her… seems a nice young woman. I know it seems strange to think of him married but it appears to work…’

  ‘He wanted a family. I’m not sure how much of a marriage it is – but he asked me to look out for her, so I shall if he doesn’t get back.’

  ‘I pray he will,’ Sally said. ‘He should have asked you for help sooner, Ben – but I suppose it is pride.’ She frowned. ‘I just hope he comes back to his wife and child and to us.’

  ‘Marco feels that it would be wrong to shirk his duty when so many others have no choice,’ Ben told her. ‘I understand completely, but he should never have been sent to a fighting unit. He was taken out of basic training when they needed him elsewhere and now he is being thrown back in at the deep end – although, perhaps having learned to survive in France as one of the partisans, he will find a way to survive this war.’ Ben sighed. ‘War is never easy, darling. We all have to make sacrifices and sometimes you just have to do what you think right.’

  ‘Yes, I know.’ Sally smiled at him. ‘I just feel sorry for his wife. They haven’t been married long and I don’t think she has many friends.’

  ‘Visit her yourself and see what she needs,’ Ben replied. ‘I’m sure you can think of something, Sally. You organise everyone else, so Sadie shouldn’t be any trouble.’ There was a teasing light in his eyes.

  ‘Ben! Are you saying I’m bossy?’ Sally demanded with mock indignation.

  ‘Oh very,’ he said and laughed. ‘But in a good way that we all love you for. Have her to tea or lunch and introduce her to some of your friends and acquaintances.’

  ‘Yes, I shall.’ Sally nodded. ‘I’ll give a little tea party here in the flat after Christmas. She and Beth might get on – or Rachel. I’ll ask a couple of nurses from the hospital too, because Sadie has hopes of returning to her job one day.’ Sally had made friends with several nurses at the hospital she regularly visited on her mission to help badly wounded men. ‘It will be a thank you to them for all their hard work and good company for Sadie… I only wish Maggie could have been present, but I don’t think she would come all this way.’