by Mary Wood
‘I’ve asked for the cab to pick you up at five-thirty, so enjoy it, both of you.’
‘And wrap up warm – it’s freezing out there.’
Aunt Pru’s smile made Flora blush. It came with a knowing nod. She smiled back, and then found herself in Aunt Pru’s arms. ‘Me little lass. I’m that happy for you.’
As Aunt Pru released her, Flora could see that her emotions were about to spill over, but Freddy stepped in. ‘Come on, Ma. I can’t wait to get to the Palace; we don’t want to be late.’ With this, there was a quick peck from Freddy, which she turned into a hug, much to his extreme embarrassment, and they were gone.
‘Just us two now, darling. They’ll have a wonderful time – don’t worry about them. I thought it might have given us all an awkward moment if I didn’t arrange something specific for them.’
‘It was a genius idea, Cyrus. As you say, it would have been uncomfortable, with them just having a bedroom to go to, and none of us knowing how to bring the proceedings to an end. Now they are excited to have a second event to look forward to, and we have each other.’
‘We do, Mrs Harpinham.’ With this, Cyrus stood and, taking Flora’s hand, helped her to rise. It gave her a moment when the enormity of what she had done hit her.
Mags and Ella came to her mind, and she wondered what they would think when they received the letters she’d sent to them: You know that man we met on the frontier? Well, I’m marrying him tomorrow! A giggle bubbled up in her as she imagined their faces; they’d be so shocked, and would have a thousand questions for her.
‘Something amusing you, darling?’
‘Just my thoughts about the reaction of Mags and Ella – the two other nurses with me at the frontier – when they hear about us.’
‘We’ve that to face with everyone; some will say we are mad, and I think we are a little, and others will tut and wait for us to fail, which we won’t. But who cares? Fate brought us together, at a moment that left us no time to do things the conventional way, courting for a couple of years. So, here we are.’
These words sent a tremble through her. No time! Please let there be years and years ahead of us.
‘Hey, no glum faces today. I only meant that we are destined to be apart for a time and that we—’
‘Shush! I don’t want to think of that now. We have eight days before you have to report, so let’s enjoy every minute and not talk about the war.’
Without another word, Cyrus guided her through the dining room. Once they were outside his bedroom door and he’d opened it, he bent and lifted her into the air. The shyness that had overcome her vanished with the gesture, as they both burst out laughing. ‘It’s traditional for a man to carry his bride over the threshold.’
‘I know, but through a narrow hotel-room door?’ She scrunched herself up in his arms so that they could get through. Once they were, Cyrus didn’t put her down until they reached the bed. Here, he lowered her gently onto the softest bed she’d ever lain on.
‘Champagne?’
He had thought of everything. A table under the window held two glasses, one on each side of a beautiful arrangement of flowers, and on a stand next to the table stood an ice-bucket holding a bottle of champagne.
The popping of the cork made them giggle once more. But as Cyrus brought the full glasses over to the bed and they linked arms to sip, they became quiet, each looking into the other’s eyes. ‘To our future – a long and happy one.’
As she sipped, these words of Cyrus’s sent a feeling through Flora that turned her heart as heavy as lead, and with it came a premonition that something was going to go wrong. Shaking the feeling from her, she smiled as Cyrus took her glass and lifted her to stand in front of him.
His kiss was gentle at first, but deepened to a passionate one, giving himself to her with every touch of his lips. Moving from her mouth, he kissed her eyes, her nose, her cheeks, her hair, then back to her lips, exploring her mouth with his tongue, sending thrills through her that had her wanting to beg him to take her.
He gently slid each garment from her body, until she stood naked before him. Nothing of the shyness she thought she would feel visited her. Instead, every part of her felt alive and full of love and need.
Helping him undress was as natural as if she had been doing it all her life.
Looking at him, she found him beautiful. Never before had she thought this of a man’s body as she’d bathed men on their sickbeds, and it had never occurred to her that she ever would, but her Cyrus was beautiful. His skin wasn’t a stark white, as she’d found with many men who never exposed themselves to the sun, but a lovely tanned colour. He had just a small tuft of hair between his contoured chest, and his stomach was flat. As her eyes took in his desire of her, her own need increased to the point where she cried out as he held her and lowered them both to the bed. There Cyrus took in every part of her, with his eyes, his lips and his hands. ‘Oh, my darling. You’re beautiful. I love you.’
With these words, he lifted himself onto her.
The moment was here, and Flora was ready.
The entering of her wasn’t without pain. Cyrus helped this with his gentleness, and his words of love. But the pain didn’t last, and soon she took Cyrus fully into her and felt a joy sweep over her. And now she wanted to give to him. Holding him close, she moved with him, increasing her own feelings of deep pleasure, which grew into an urgency she couldn’t deny. When the urgency reached its peak, she heard herself holler Cyrus’s name over and over, as her very soul fragmented, then came together to make her complete.
Feeling his lips kiss her face, and his tongue lick her neck and breasts, she relaxed. This she knew instinctively was a time he needed – an abandonment to his own pleasure, his own fulfilment. When it came, he called her name in a moan that spoke of his soul releasing itself to her.
They clung together afterwards. Their sweat mingled, their bodies trembled. Life had just begun for them both.
Was it too exquisite to last? This thought trembled through Flora as she held her Cyrus. Don’t let it be . . . Please God, keep my Cyrus safe.
Chapter Eighteen
‘Hello, you.’
Flora felt a peck on her nose and opened her eyes. She came out of her dreamy state and looked up into Cyrus’s face.
‘I’ve been watching you. You have a funny little breathing pattern as you sleep. Two gentle breaths and then a snort.’
‘I don’t, do I?’
‘Yes, it goes like this: brrr…brrr!’
Laughing, she put her hands on his chest and pushed him. Sitting up, she was about to protest when she saw his expression. ‘You’re teasing me!’
He laughed out loud, before taking her in his arms. ‘I have a surprise for you. We’re going to Brighton for three days.’
‘Oh? But—’
‘No objections. Pru knows all about it and has packed a case for you. She checked with that lawyer fellow, and nothing will happen for at least three weeks regarding her court case. And she has an agent looking out for a property for you all, as Pru has put hers up for sale. There! Everything is sorted out, darling. Except, I need to make love to you again, before the breakfast that I ordered arrives.’
When she could, Flora asked how Cyrus had managed to pull off such a secret, and why keep it till this morning?
‘While you were being dressed yesterday, I popped out to the Cook’s travel shop and they arranged it all. Then I got hold of Pru, by sending Freddy for her.’
‘Oh, I remember; he popped his head round and said that he couldn’t fix his cravat and would she help him?’
‘That’s right – Freddy was in on it. They left the table earlier than they needed to, to get to the theatre, and that is when Pru packed your case. And, with my spare key, she popped it in here, under the bed. Take a look.’
When Flora leaned over the side to look, Cyrus snuggled up to her once more. ‘I’m so happy, darling. I don’t have words to express how much.’
Leaning back into
his body, Flora felt another premonition. She trembled.
‘What is it, darling? Don’t be afraid for me. I’ll be fine. I promise to take care at all times; it will take more than the Kaiser to harm me!’
‘I don’t know why I keep feeling this dread, but I suppose it’s natural. Let’s do as we said, and put the war and all it entails behind us and enjoy the three days you have planned. Thank you, thank you so much.’
As the train pulled out of the station, leaving Pru and Freddy waving them off, a tear came to Flora’s eye. Pru looked so vulnerable, so afraid and yet courageous, as she stood tall, waving as if her life depended on it.
‘Don’t worry, darling, everything will be fine, I’m sure. When I spoke to Pru, she told me how Abe had bullied her for years, and how she had others who could testify to that. And Freddy is strong; he will be a good witness for her, too.’
‘But Henry Chamberlain said that she still may have to go to jail for a short term, and how will she face that?’
‘She will. She will have a future to come out to. She’ll have you at home with her, and Freddy, and she’s talked of starting a new school. She’s making plans, and that’s good. In the meantime, the selling of her home and finding a new one will take up her time. It’s a new beginning for her.’
‘I wish that she could meet someone who would love her, like you love me. She’s been used by men all her life.’
‘Yes, that would be wonderful. I haven’t known Pru long, but she means a lot to me.’
‘You have a habit of falling for women very quickly, Mr Harpinham – it has to stop.’
The joke lightened the moment, as they made their way along the corridor of the train, searching for a carriage.
‘This one’s empty. And the train doesn’t stop, so we will have it all to ourselves.’
As she watched Cyrus lift their cases onto the rack above the seats, she marvelled at how, with everything they did, it seemed as though they’d done it together for a lifetime; as if something they couldn’t see had always joined them together.
Their time in Brighton had been magical. The sun had shone for them and, yes, the rain had rained on them, but nothing had marred their joy of each other. Whether splashing in the puddles, or walking along the stony beach, all that had mattered was the complete love they had for one another.
But now it was over, and Flora was standing on another platform, this time waving Cyrus off. If it was possible, he looked even more beautiful in his uniform.
Flora had dressed in the same outfit she’d worn on their first date, minus the coat, as this late April day was a warm, sunny one.
They’d promised that they wouldn’t cry, but would hold each other and smile, so that the last picture they had of each other, till they met again, was a happy one. Keeping that promise wasn’t possible for either of them. Their tears mingled as they kissed.
‘Goodbye, my love, stay safe. Please stay safe.’
‘I will, my darling.’
Their hands held as the train pulled slowly away, and until Flora was almost running alongside it, and then she was alone – lost and alone.
Pru stood on the doorstep of the hotel. She’d seen Freddy go happily off to school this morning, his first morning back after all that had happened, and had paced the floor of her bedroom, hoping that he and Flora would be all right. Now she was waiting for Flora’s return.
The sadness she felt was for her lovely Flora and Cyrus. Theirs was a love story of fairy tales, and now they had been forced apart. Flora would need her. However, it wasn’t Flora she saw coming towards her, but Henry Chamberlain. Her sorrow turned to fear.
‘Good afternoon, Pru. There’s no need to look so scared. I have news that I think will help your case.’
They’d just sat down in a small room off the main bar, called ‘the snug’, when the hotel manager showed Flora in, and promised that they wouldn’t be disturbed. Flora’s flushed face told of her tears. Pru’s heart went out to her. She stood up and took Flora’s shivering body in her arms, holding her close.
A cough from Henry Chamberlain brought them out of the hug. Both women dried their eyes. ‘Commiserations, Flora. Pru told me where you’ve been and why. I have a son fighting in France. We have to be strong for them.’
Flora nodded. Pru knew she was having difficulty in speaking. Guiding her to a chair, she told Flora that there was good news. ‘Let’s hope it’s so good that it cheers us both up, eh, lass?’
‘Right, I’ll get on with it. I’ve had a man digging into the ins and outs of Manning’s businesses, and what he’s come up with will make your hair curl. Abe Manning crossed a lot of people – two murders have even been laid at his door. These people feel that you have avenged them, and they are willing to testify. We have a woman who was beaten near to death because she refused to prostitute herself when she couldn’t pay her rent.’
Pru’s head drooped. Shame washed over her. She hadn’t refused, when Abe offered her a way out of her poverty. She’d given in and taken the easy life. Flora took her hand. Henry Chamberlain seemed not to notice anything amiss and carried on.
‘We have a man who will say that he saw Manning brutally murder a young girl, when she had nothing to give him after two weeks on the streets. She’d spent the money on drink. He made an example of her. But everyone kept quiet, afraid of what might happen to them.’
A tear ran down Pru’s cheek as memories of her own beatings came back to her.
‘And a neighbour who will testify to hearing you screaming on occasions, and Abe shouting vile, abusive language at you.’
Pru looked up. She’d never really admitted to herself the extent of Abe’s abuse. She’d brushed it off as her own fault. Before she could say anything, Henry Chamberlain further shocked her. ‘And, best of all, we have Abe’s sister, Rifka, and his brother, Eilam. They will testify to how he has abused Rifka for years. Eilam knew and had witnessed it, but lived in fear of his brother.’
‘Naw! Naw!’
Flora’s grip on Pru tightened, but Pru didn’t speak. But then what could she say? Lass hadn’t thought ever to be involved in such degradation. Not like Freddy, poor lad. But now I’ve pulled Flora down to my level, and I never meant to – I didn’t.
‘You should be happy, Pru. All this is going to help your case tremendously. It makes what you say happened into a truth. It backs you up, until there can be no other verdict but self-defence. You’re going to go free, Pru. Do you understand?’
The word ‘free’ lifted her, as she knew it did Flora. Without knowing how it happened, they were both standing and holding each other, and then doing a little jig. ‘Oh, Aunt Pru, I’m so happy. But, Henry, why does she even have to face a court case? Surely the case can be dropped, if the prosecution sees all this new evidence?’
‘It’s not that simple. A man has died, and they have to be seen to look at all the facts and hear all the evidence. Don’t forget: the prosecution will have some evidence of their own to bring. It’s called justice, and it’s the right of every man – even vile creatures like Abe Manning. The hearing will bring closure to the matter, bring it out in the open and in a proper manner. A jury will decide after hearing all the evidence, after which the case can truly be closed and a certified reason for death issued. In this case, I am sure it will be ‘‘Died at the hand of a victim of his violence, whilst that victim was trying to defend herself”.’
Everything he said was music to Pru’s ears. She wanted to sing out in her happiness. She only wished that her joy wasn’t marred by the sadness in Flora.
Three weeks later they walked out of the court arm-in-arm: Flora, Pru and Freddy. They walked in the direction of Blackfriars station on Queen Victoria Street. They were going home.
Flora had thrown herself into finding the right place, and had found an empty house in Brixton. The area was a little posh and pricey for them, but this three-bedroomed house with its own bathroom had been standing empty for a while. The money that her father had put in the ban
k for Flora helped to speed things along, and although there was a lot that needed doing, they had moved Pru’s furniture into the house. Pru was to pay Flora half of the money back when she sold her place, but this house was to be hers: her name on the deeds, as Flora argued that her father owed Pru that money.
‘I have enough money for myself, after Henry’s fees are paid. You know that he halved them, don’t you, Aunt Pru?’ Flora said. ‘And besides that, Father had put a lot more into the account than I asked him for.’ On saying this, she had persuaded Pru to go ahead. The house was all they needed.
It had surprised Flora to find that, besides her father’s money and the back-pay she received from the Red Cross, she’d been given notification of a weekly allowance from Cyrus’s pay; that, as well as having secured a paying job in the military wards of Moorfields Hospital, through the Red Cross, meant that Flora would soon build up her funds, to enable her to look for a home for her and Cyrus.
Keeping busy had helped her to cope. As had her first days on the ward, as she was called on to assist in all manner of caring for the badly damaged soldiers. Some were affected by the gas that Germany had used – a horrific tactic that hadn’t lasted long as a weapon for enemy use in warfare, as the wind had changed and more of the Germans’ own soldiers had been injured than had the Allies’.
But one of the best happenings of late was the happiness that she saw in Freddy, which she knew today’s news would compound. For Freddy, everything in his world had come good. His ma was no longer in the clutches of the vile Abe. He had moved from an area where he was often bullied for being different, and was engrossed in his military training at school – something that gave Pru and Flora worries.
‘Let’s treat ourselves to a bun and a nice hot cup of tea on the way home, Pru. We deserve it.’
They’d walked along Pocock Street on leaving the Crown Court, and had turned towards the station. ‘Eeh, let’s get the train afore we stop. I want to be as far away from this place as I can get, lass.’
Back in Brixton, they went into the first cafe they came to, with the apt name of the Corner Cafe. The bell that rang as they opened the door had a homely sound. The tables covered in green gingham added to this, as did the fire roaring up the chimney.