by Ellie Dean
‘Cissy seems determined to be awkward about everything,’ sniffed Cordelia. ‘If she was younger, and my daughter, she’d get a good smacked bottom. Put Jack upstairs on the top floor if he hasn’t made other arrangements. He’s earned a comfortable billet after what he’s been through.’
Cordelia regarded Peggy evenly. ‘But I get the feeling it’s not where to accommodate everyone that’s really troubling you.’
‘I’m worried about Ivy,’ Peggy admitted. ‘It’s been over a week since she wrote to her parents, and yet there hasn’t been a peep out of them. I’m beginning to wonder if something has happened and they’re reluctant to pass on bad news by phone or letter.’ She gave a sigh. ‘I do wish I knew what was going on up there. It’s all very frustrating.’
‘I agree it is a worry,’ said Cordelia, setting aside her morning newspaper. ‘But I do think you’re making too much of things, Peggy. By what I’ve learned about them from Ivy, they seem to be simple, poorly educated people who probably don’t find it easy to write letters, let alone know how to use a public telephone to make a reverse charge call. I’m sure that’s all it is, so there’s little point in getting into a frazzle over it. Today is going to be hectic enough, without the added worry over Ivy and whatever is going on in London. I’m sure Andy will do his best to get over to Hackney after his interview to find out for himself.’
She regarded Peggy solemnly over her half-moon spectacles. ‘If my memory serves me correctly, there’s a very good train service between the two places.’
‘How on earth do you know that?’
‘I did some voluntary nursing up there during the first war,’ Cordelia replied.
‘I never knew that.’
‘Well, that just goes to show we all have our little secrets, doesn’t it?’ Cordelia’s eyes twinkled behind her glasses. ‘I bet there are a few things you’ve never told anyone.’
Peggy smiled back, for indeed there were. Yet Cordelia’s take on the situation with Ivy was probably correct, even though she knew she’d worry over her until Andy returned home to confirm that all was well with her family in London, and that his interview had been successful. The young couple certainly needed some good news after losing their jobs.
Her thoughts automatically drifted to Kitty and Charlotte who must be going through agonies of grief over Freddy, and then on to Fran and Robert who would be leaving Ireland this weekend – perhaps were already on their way to London if things hadn’t turned out well. What the outcome of their visit to Fran’s family would be she had no idea, but she prayed that at least one of them would show some Christian feeling and understanding towards her.
‘And you can stop fretting over Fran as well,’ said Cordelia. ‘She’s an adult with a husband and has made her choice to visit that uncaring family of hers. She knows the probable outcome but has a strong enough character to overcome any further rejection, and leave them behind with her head held high. Robert will look after her. It’s what husbands are for,’ she added briskly.
Peggy chuckled. ‘My goodness, Cordy, you’re being a bit sharp this morning.’
‘Well, I have worries of my own,’ she replied with unusual tetchiness. ‘I’ve just discovered that Ruby is struggling to pay the rent on my bungalow now her friend has left, and her hours at the factory have been cut. She came round yesterday morning to tell me she’d have to leave by the end of the month.’
Cordelia sighed. ‘Of course I offered to lower the rent, but she wouldn’t accept what I suspect she saw as charity, and said she’d be moving in with Stan and the others at the station cottage until her Canadian chap came down on leave.’ She sniffed and folded her arms. ‘Which is utterly ridiculous. That cottage is bursting at the seams as it is.’
‘You should have told her she could come here. She must know she’d always be welcome, and I could easily put a third bed in with Ivy and Rita.’
‘I did take the liberty of offering that alternative, but she said she didn’t want to burden you, knowing how busy you already are.’
‘Stuff and nonsense,’ snorted Peggy. ‘I’ll go and see her tomorrow morning and talk some sense into her.’
‘Good luck with that,’ Cordelia replied dryly. ‘Ruby’s proud and will see any offers of help as a failure on her part to be able to cope. Besides, she and Mike have now got permission to get married before he’s sent back to Canada, so it will be his responsibility to see she’s comfortably housed and looked after financially until she can join him, and I’ve decided not to rent the bungalow out again, so they can move back in after the wedding.’
‘Then I really don’t understand why you’re fretting,’ said Peggy, her thoughts already delightfully occupied with wedding plans.
‘Your chicks have become mine as well,’ Cordelia replied. ‘I’ve come to love them all over the years, and always admired Ruby for her spirit in the way she handled things with her dreadful mother and that rotter of a husband. Of course I fret over all of them. You don’t hold the monopoly on worrying, Peggy.’
Peggy chuckled and went round the table to give the old woman a gentle hug. ‘Don’t ever change, Cordy,’ she murmured. ‘You’re perfect, just the way you are.’
The tender moment was broken by the sound of footsteps on the basement stairs, and stifled giggles outside the kitchen door. Peggy frowned and then broke into a broad smile as Sarah followed Jane into the room.
Jane dropped the large case on the floor with some relief and held out her arms. ‘Hello, Auntie Peg. Remember me?’
Peggy almost didn’t recognise the sophisticated young woman who stood there with such self-assurance in a beautifully tailored linen suit and high-heeled shoes. ‘Oh, Jane, of course I do,’ she breathed, rushing to hug her. ‘But my goodness – look how grown up and gorgeous you are! What happened to that shy little girl who loved looking after the horses at the dairy and had a pigtail hanging down her back?’
Jane laughed and patted her fair hair which had been fashionably styled and cut into a fetching bob. ‘She grew up, Auntie Peg, and learned to live in the real world. Are the horses still there?’
‘Indeed they are,’ Peggy replied. ‘And I’m sure they’d love to see you.’
‘I am here, you know,’ grumbled Cordelia. ‘How about giving your Great-Aunt Cordy a hug too?’
Jane apologised swiftly and gathered Cordelia to her. ‘You’re just the way I remember you,’ she said softly. ‘I’m so glad to see you looking so well.’
‘It’s all the love and care I get from Peggy that keeps me perky,’ Cordelia replied. ‘Living with these young things makes me forget how old I am.’ Her smile was rather smug. ‘I’m eighty now, you know.’
Jane laughed. ‘And you don’t look a day over seventy.’
Cordelia twittered and blushed. ‘I wish that were true, but I was always a sucker for a bit of flattery.’
Peggy’s heart was warmed by this loving reunion. She swiftly put the kettle on to refresh the pot for the second time, and Jane went to renew her acquaintance with Daisy who’d only been a few weeks old when she and Sarah had arrived at Beach View.
Settling back in her chair as she waited for the kettle to boil, Peggy watched Daisy chattering away to Jane, unfazed by this new arrival in her home, and perfectly at ease. If nothing else, she thought, this war has made my daughter very sociable.
‘I suppose Sarah’s kept you up to date with all the goings-on here, so I won’t go into details,’ she said. ‘Everyone’s out at the moment, but you’ll get to see them all at lunchtime. We’re celebrating Rita’s dad’s return as well as yours. Danuta is upstairs asleep, and Ivy, who you’ve yet to meet, is out at work.’
‘It was lovely to hear that Ron and Rosie have finally tied the knot,’ said Jane, easing off her suit jacket to reveal a cream silk blouse with a sweetheart bow at the neck. ‘I honestly thought they’d never manage it what with all the dramas. But you must miss Harvey now he’s living at the Anchor.’
‘He’s visiting at the moment
while they’re on honeymoon,’ Sarah told her. ‘So be prepared to get pounced upon when Cissy brings him back from his walk.’
Jane giggled. ‘Perhaps I’d better get changed and take my stockings off before they get ripped to shreds by his claws. I remember how enthusiastic he could get. Where am I sleeping?’
‘In with me,’ said Sarah cheerfully. ‘It’ll be quite like old times.’
Jane picked up her case. ‘How utterly spiffing,’ she said in delight. ‘Lead on, Sarah.’
The two girls hurried out of the kitchen. Peggy freshened the teapot and shared a knowing smile with Cordelia. ‘I wouldn’t mind betting we won’t see either of them until lunchtime,’ she said.
‘They have a lot of catching up to do,’ replied Cordelia. ‘Letters and cards and the occasional telephone call aren’t as satisfying as actually being face-to-face after such a long separation. I wonder if we’ll get to hear more about her chap, and the plans she has now she’s free of the MOD?’
‘We will if she wants us to know,’ said Peggy, rather doubting if Jane would reveal anything much, for she wasn’t the young, naïve chatterbox who’d left Beach View all those years ago, but a self-contained young woman.
She’d just poured the rather weak tea when the telephone jangled in the hall, so she put the cosy on the pot and went to answer it, thinking it was probably yet another call from London for Cissy.
‘Hello, Peggy,’ said Miss Gardener from the exchange. ‘I have a caller on the line wishing to make a return charge call from a London call-box. She said her name wouldn’t mean anything to you, but it concerned Ivy. Do you wish to take it?’
Peggy sat down on the hall chair with a thump, and gripped the receiver. ‘Yes, thank you, Vera. I’ve been expecting it.’
‘Putting you through.’
‘Hello? Is that Ivy?’
The voice at the other end sounded rather brisk, and Peggy caught the faint hint of a foreign accent which she couldn’t place. Whoever it was definitely couldn’t be one of Ivy’s relatives. ‘I’m Mrs Reilly, Ivy’s landlady,’ she said warily. ‘Who is this?’
‘My name is Hilde De Vries. I am sorry I have taken so long to reply to Ivy’s letter, but I wanted to be sure of all the facts before I made this telephone call.’
Peggy swallowed the lump in her throat, and thanked the Lord that Ivy was out of the house, for the poor little girl had been through enough just lately. ‘It isn’t good news, is it?’ she asked fearfully.
‘I’m sorry, but no. Is Ivy there? May I speak with her?’
‘She’s at work and I think it would be best if you tell me, so I can break it gently to her instead of hearing it from a stranger over the telephone. No offence intended,’ she added hastily.
‘I understand,’ Hilde replied. ‘I take no offence.’
There was a long pause and Peggy could hear traffic sounds in the background, mingled with those of children playing with a football in the street. Her heart thudded, and she discovered her hands were shaking as she lit a cigarette.
And then the woman began to speak, more hesitantly now, her voice made unsteady by her emotions.
Peggy listened in horrified silence until the woman finally came to the end of her tragic story. She couldn’t begin to imagine how on earth she could tell Ivy – but tell her she must, and then do her very best to comfort and help her through the devastation.
‘I am sorry for such terrible news. Please pass on my condolences, and if Ivy wishes to talk to me, then she is welcome to call on me at any time.’
‘Thank you, Hilde,’ Peggy managed. ‘Thank you for taking the time to discover what happened. It can’t have been easy for you.’
‘I work with displaced persons who have many sad stories to tell, so I have learned to ask questions in the right places and keep strong.’ She fell silent for a moment. ‘Thank you, Mrs Reilly. I feel you are strong too and will help Ivy with much love and understanding. Now I must go. There is someone knocking on my door.’
Peggy heard the click at the other end and slowly replaced the receiver. Drained of energy, she found she was unable to find the strength to get up from the chair, so when the telephone rang again, she barely managed to lift the receiver.
‘I’m so sorry, Peggy,’ said Miss Gardener. ‘I overheard part of that, but you can rest assured it will go no further. The charge for the call is one shilling and sixpence. Horribly steep, I know, and I’d let you off if it was up to me, but the rules are very strict.’
‘That’s all right, Vera,’ Peggy replied with weary sadness and cut the connection.
She sat there and finished her cigarette, wondering how on earth she could get through the rest of the day without telling the girl and ruining what should be a happy homecoming for Jack and Jane. Had that been Andy knocking on the Dutch woman’s door? If so then perhaps it would be better to wait until he came home – but was that simply putting off the evil moment? And with Ivy due back from Gloria’s within the hour, could she sustain such a deception on a girl she’d come to love as a member of the family?
Unable to face the others just yet, and needing time to think, she went into her bedroom and sank onto the bed. Jim’s photograph stood on the bedside cabinet, and she kissed his handsome face. ‘It never ends, does it, Jim? Just when you think it’s all over and everyone’s safe, something like this happens and knocks you for six.’
She bit her lip, her thoughts on little Ivy who’d already faced such terrors and tragedies throughout the war with enormous courage and fortitude. It simply wasn’t fair. And then there were her younger brother and sister billeted down in Salisbury, and her two elder brothers who were with the merchant navy and due shore-leave any day soon. She should have asked Hilde if the authorities would inform them, or if that difficult task was to be left to Ivy.
She sat staring into space until the ticking bedside clock reminded her that time was running away with her, and if she didn’t stir her stumps, Ivy would be here and it would be too late to tell her in private.
Rising from the bed, she combed her hair, repaired her lipstick and traipsed back into the kitchen to find Cissy drinking tea while Harvey squirmed at Cordelia’s feet, begging to have his tummy rubbed.
‘I see nothing came for me in the post this morning,’ said Cissy. ‘Has Philippa telephoned, or Clarissa?’
Peggy shook her head and took off her apron. ‘I have to go out. When you’ve finished your tea, Cissy, you can make a start on doing the stuffing for the chicken, and finish peeling the last of the winter carrots.’
‘I’m too tired and grubby to start cooking,’ Cissy replied on a sigh. ‘Harvey ran off and wouldn’t come when I called, so I had to chase him for absolute miles. I need a long soak in the bath before I’ll be fit for anything.’
‘Don’t be dramatic, Cissy,’ Peggy said briskly, reaching for her coat and scarf. ‘You know very well that he always comes back to the track you started from. All you had to do was wait for him there. As for long soaks in baths, they’re a thing of the past. Two inches of tepid water at this time of the morning is all you’ll get if you’re lucky.’
Cissy raised a severely plucked eyebrow. ‘Gosh, what bit you this morning, Mother?’
‘Life in general,’ she retorted. ‘Now get off your bottom and lend a hand for once. Dinner for nine doesn’t appear like magic; someone has to cook it.’
‘All right, all right,’ Cissy sighed. ‘You’re clearly in a foul mood this morning, which doesn’t bode well for the rest of the day. And what’s so important you have to rush off anyway?’
‘Cissy, don’t talk to your mother like that,’ scolded Cordelia who was slicing green beans into a basin at the table. ‘You’ve barely lifted a finger since you came home, and it isn’t as if you have anything else to do.’
‘There’s little point in trying for some boring office job when Randy could turn up any minute,’ the girl replied sullenly. ‘And I keep my room tidy as well as walking the dog and looking after Daisy.’
> Cordelia ignored her and regarded Peggy sharply. ‘Where are you off to, Peggy? Has it got something to do with that telephone call?’
‘Yes.’ Peggy tied her scarf under her chin. ‘I don’t know how long I’ll be, Cordy, but I’d really appreciate it if you could take over here and watch Daisy. Get Jane and Sarah to help you with the lunch.’ To avoid further questions, she hurried down the cellar steps and out into the bright sunshine.
Peggy walked quickly towards the Crown, which stood halfway up the High Street, her footsteps faltering as she approached the door. Glancing in the window of the main bar, she saw Gloria standing there staring into space, her expression very solemn. There didn’t seem to be any sign of Ivy.
‘I were just about to ring you,’ said Gloria in a stage whisper, her gaze darting towards the stairs as she opened the door to Peggy. ‘I’m guessing you’ve ’eard from Andy too?’
Before Peggy could reply, Gloria rushed on. ‘He phoned about an hour ago and was being very mysterious, ordering me to keep Ivy here until he gets back. Which should be quite soon if the trains are running on time. Do you know what it’s all about?’
‘Unfortunately, yes, I do.’ Peggy took Gloria’s arm. ‘Where’s Ivy?’
‘I sent ’er back up to do one of the rooms again, though it didn’t need it. Is it her family, Peg?’
Peggy nodded and quickly gave Gloria the gist of the conversation she’d had with the Dutch woman.
‘Ow, Gawd,’ said Gloria, the ready tears threatening to smear her mascara. ‘Poor little cow. No wonder Andy were so worried about ’er. He must’ve been to the house and found out. Should we wait for ’im to get ’ere, or what?’
Ivy solved the dilemma by hurtling down the stairs into the saloon bar to stand squarely before them, arms folded, expression determined. ‘Right, you’d better tell me what’s going on, ’cos I know something’s up. You’ve had me running about like a blue-arsed fly all morning doing things what don’t need doing – and now Auntie Peg’s ’ere, it’s gotta be serious.’