A Place to Call Home

by Tania Crosse

  Ralph’s face darkened. ‘Yes, I know. Bit of a long walk for her on her poorly legs. I’ll go and pick them up. See you later.’ And he wound up the window again, just leaving a small gap at the top, and drove on.

  ‘Right, this is it,’ Meg called, indicating the ever-open gates.

  All the voices hushed in awed excitement as they turned down the driveway, and the young faces peered to get a glimpse of their new home. It reminded Meg of that morning nearly three years previously when Ralph had driven her there. There’d been such rebellion in her heart that she’d never have dreamt that this house would come to be her home – or that the young man driving the van would come to mean the world to her.

  ‘Cor blimey, miss, what’s them?’ Leslie demanded, pointing into one of the fields that had been used as grazing after the hay had been cut and the grass allowed to grow up again.

  ‘The cows, you mean? And do call me Meg.’

  ‘Them’s cows?’ Leslie’s expression was incredulous. ‘Blimey, ain’t they whoppers? Only seen pictures of them in books, and they look about the size of dogs. And always black and white.’

  ‘Oh, they come in all sorts of different colours and shapes. These are called Jerseys, and they give wonderful creamy milk.’

  ‘Cor, that sounds good, don’t it, Cyril?’ Leslie dug his twin in the ribs once again. ‘Can you teach us to milk them, miss? I mean Meg.’

  ‘I don’t see why not. Oh, here come the dogs to say hello.’

  Meg’s own young collie, Thimble, came cavorting down the drive with Mrs C’s two mongrels and her golden Labrador following more sedately, while Patch, the elderly terrier, tottered a few yards before turning back into the house in aloof disdain. Meg noticed the two sisters squeal with delight as the dogs rushed up to them, poking their snouts into outstretched hands and licking fingers that still tasted of ham sandwiches. Cyril had put down the two suitcases and Leslie dropped their pillowcases on the ground, and both of them bent down to ruffle and stroke the animals that pranced around these interesting new arrivals. Cyril crouched down on his heels and threaded his arms about Topaz, who was probably the most docile of them all.

  ‘Always wanted a dog, I did, miss. I mean Meg,’ the quieter twin grinned up at her. ‘Only our mum and dad was having none of it.’ And then he fell over backwards, laughing as the Labrador licked his face. ‘Oh, give over. I had a wash this morning. Honest I did.’

  Well, that was someone who seemed happy, Meg thought to herself. But then she saw young Doris standing rigid, holding her clasped hands up to her face. The poor child looked petrified, and Meg hurried over.

  ‘It’s all right,’ she assured her. ‘There’s no need to be frightened. They’re all perfectly friendly.’

  ‘Are… are you sure?’ Doris stammered, wishing yet again that she was on the train back to London instead of being surrounded by furry monsters. ‘I was bitten by a dog in the park once.’

  ‘Really?’ Meg said, full of sympathy. ‘Oh, you poor thing. Well, I can understand you being afraid of dogs after that. But none of these will hurt you. They might try to lick you to death, but that’s all.’ She saw a reluctant half-smile twitch at Doris’s lips, and gave her an encouraging look. ‘Would you like me to introduce you slowly, so that you can get used to them gradually?’ And when Doris nodded cautiously, Meg clicked her tongue, calling over the Labrador. ‘Sorry, Cyril. But Doris is a bit nervous of dogs, and Topaz is the softest of them all. The other two are called Trampas and Sunny, but this is Topaz, Doris. He’s an absolute angel. Topaz, sit. See how obedient he is? Now just hold out your hand and let him sniff at it. That’s it. And give him a little stroke if you feel ready.’

  Topaz sat still, as good as gold, big brown eyes gazing steadily at Doris whose hand had trembled as she reached out. But once her fingers felt the warm hairy coat, she smiled up at Meg with triumphant relief shining in her eyes. Meg made a mental note to spend some time with Doris to help her combat her nervousness with the dogs. It would be such a shame if the girl couldn’t relish the companionship of man’s best friend as she did herself. It could bring you such comfort.

  ‘Cor blimey!’ Leslie’s amazed voice drew Meg’s attention. ‘Is all that one house?’

  ‘It certainly is. Welcome, everyone, to Robin Hill House!’

  ‘Blooming heck! Our whole tenement block’s not as big as that! Me and Cyril and our mum and dad, we only have two rooms for all of us. Bedroom and kitchen. And we share an outside lav with three other flats. Don’t suppose you have an indoor lav here, do you, by any chance?’

  ‘Actually, we have five—’

  ‘Five! Bloody hell—’

  Meg was about to explain to him – quietly – that bad language wasn’t acceptable here, but thought better of it. Best to let them all settle into their new surroundings first. It was like the first day at school, except that in the middle of the afternoon, they wouldn’t be returning to their families. This was going to be for the duration. Meg’s heart went out to them. Even though they would be well cared for, it would be a massive wrench for them all.

  Doris was still looking a little apprehensive, so Meg stayed by her side as they continued down the drive towards the house. Five pairs of eyes opened wide in wonderment as the children surveyed the large building that was going to be their new home, the twins making no effort to conceal their dropping jaws. Meg sensed that she’d need to take Doris under her wing, but all the others looked as if they’d soon settle in. So, for now, it was quite a happy scene – except that across each and every shoulder was slung a cord, and hanging from that cord was a horrible cardboard box that smelt of rubber and disinfectant.

  Six

  ‘Right, I’m going to bed,’ Nana May announced, snapping closed her spectacle case and putting her book to one side. ‘Our first full day with our young guests and it’s been a long one.’

  ‘Certainly has, but a successful one, I think.’ Clarrie watched the old lady haul herself to her feet. ‘I’m going to turn in, too. Goodnight, Wig, love. Don’t stay up too long.’

  She stood up, and bending to give her husband an affectionate peck on the cheek, followed Nana May out of the drawing room. She might have stayed up a little longer, but it was a good excuse to see the former nanny safely up the main staircase of the house. Nana May wasn’t as strong on her pins as she used to be, and Clarrie dreaded to think what might happen if she slipped on the stairs.

  ‘I think it’s all going to work out rather well,’ Clarrie predicted with enthusiasm as they made their way slowly up the turning flights of steps, ‘even if they do all come from differing backgrounds. The twins might be a bit rough round the edges, but they’re good lads. And the girls aren’t going to be an ounce of bother.’

  ‘It’s all quite new and exciting for them at the moment, mind,’ Nana May warned. ‘They might just be on their best behaviour to start with. And, Clarrie, you mustn’t lose sight of the reason they’re here.’

  They had reached the landing, and she turned round to hold Clarrie’s eyes steadily. She saw the little twitch at the corner of Clarrie’s mouth, and her own heart contracted, for she couldn’t bear to see the younger woman hurt.

  ‘I know,’ Clarrie muttered, meeting her gaze. ‘They’re here because we’re about to go to war. Not to be substitutes for the children Wig and I never had.’

  Nana May nodded, and then raised a wise eyebrow. ‘Just like Meg.’

  This time, Clarrie lowered her eyes. ‘I know,’ she repeated. ‘I’ll be taking my responsibilities very seriously. Their safety, their happiness, their education, it’s all down to me now. I’m going to be the best guardian ever, and enjoy it. But I’m going to do my utmost not to get too emotionally attached. That part won’t be easy. Especially with Doris with her red hair. Just like… Rosebud’s. But with Meg, it’s different, which is why it’s so hard for me. You know how she’s always been so close to my heart ever since we met her. Oh, Nana May, do you think she’ll stay here now because of Ralph?�
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  She’d grasped the elderly woman’s knobbly hand and was staring at her with her forehead bunched in anguish. Nana May could only shake her head with a profound sigh.

  ‘Who knows?’ she said sagely. ‘It could be that she leaves, and Ralph leaves to go with her. Or they might not stay together. And none of us can make any plans for the future as things stand at the moment.’

  ‘The war. Yes, of course.’ Clarrie’s voice was a mere whisper, and she had to drag her thoughts elsewhere. ‘Oh, well, sleep tight, Nana.’

  ‘And you, dear.’

  But somehow, Clarrie couldn’t leave it at that. ‘We must make the most of every day, mustn’t we?’ she went on. ‘And Mrs Higginbottom will cheer us all up, I’m sure. She’s quite a scream, isn’t she?’

  ‘Indeed she is. Nice woman, though. Goodnight, then, Clarrie. See you in the morning.’

  ‘I’m just going to check on the girls before I go to bed. Not the boys, though. They might think I’m fussing,’ she chuckled. ‘So, sleep well, Nana.’

  Nana May sensed that Clarrie was still so excited that she could talk all night about her new charges. But Nana May really was tired. She, too, had enjoyed the day, getting to know their young guests, but it had worn her out. As Clarrie almost skipped along the corridor, Nana May plodded to her modest room in the older, central part of the house. She shook her head as she passed the sewing room, her thoughts prompted by her conversation with Clarrie just now. Ah. Only she and Wig and Clarrie knew that it had originally been designated as the nursery. Mrs Phillips was the longest-serving member of the staff, but even she had arrived when Wig and Clarrie had long given up hope of having another child, and it had already become known as the sewing room, all the baby furniture and equipment having been removed. Gone. And the room had kept its secret ever since.

  A few minutes later as Nana May was unhooking her corset, she heard Clarrie walking back towards the master bedroom. Despite Clarrie’s reassurances, Nana May knew she would become involved to some extent, but hopefully she would be sensible about it. Nana May felt she needn’t be too worried. Not at this stage, leastways. She wasn’t going to lie awake worrying, and was soon so soundly asleep that she didn’t hear Meg and Ralph reach the top of the servants’ stairs next to her room.

  *

  Just like Mercury before her, Thimble slept with Meg in the room she shared with Jane, and had loped up the stairs behind her mistress. Being alone, Ralph swept Meg into his arms, and pleasurable waves rippled through her as his mouth found hers in a delicious kiss. She laced her arms about his neck, fingers entwining in the hair above his collar. And when the kiss was over, her body melted against his as he held her close.

  ‘We’ll get even less privacy now we’ve got a houseful,’ he complained.

  Meg pulled away to look up at him with a grin. ‘And you’re going to have your work cut out growing food to feed them all.’

  ‘Huh, fat chance of that, especially with Dad not being up to so much nowadays. And have you seen what an appetite that Mrs Higginbottom has?’

  ‘She makes me laugh, though. Ah, well, I’ll just do my duty and check on the girls before I go to bed.’

  ‘And I’ll look in on the boys, but I reckon they’re as happy as Larry here. Goodnight, then, love.’

  He kissed her again, letting her go with a deep sigh of reluctance. Together they took the few steps along the corridor to the east wing, and as Meg silently opened the door to the first bedroom that Joyce and Maureen were sharing, she saw Ralph blow her a kiss as he disappeared up the narrow staircase to the male servants’ rooms above.

  Meg popped her head round the bedroom door. The light from the corridor was just enough for her to make out the sisters sleeping peacefully in the double bed, so she quietly closed the door again, feeling happily satisfied. The two girls evidently seemed quite at home in their new surroundings.

  ‘Oo, I do think it’s lovely here,’ Joyce had declared that morning as Meg had led all the newcomers on a walk around the grounds and the farm. It was their first full day at Robin Hill House, and after all the turmoil and uncertainty of the previous day when none of the evacuees had known where they would end up, everyone was relaxed and in high spirits.

  ‘I just wish Mummy and Daddy were here to see it all,’ Joyce went on.

  ‘Well, they’re welcome to come and visit,’ Meg reminded her.

  ‘I know. Which is great. But I wish they were here so that they could be safe, too.’

  Meg saw the distress on the girl’s face, and recalled her own first day at Robin Hill House. Her parents had been dead for little over a month. Shock, and the anger of grief, had made her want to hate everything about Robin Hill House and its occupants. But Nana May, more agile then, had been so kind as she’d shown Meg around the house and estate, just as Meg was showing the evacuees now, that her anguish had eased. It wasn’t quite the same, but she could understand how the new arrivals must feel. Nervous and upset at leaving their homes and their parents behind. But Robin Hill house was such a beautiful place that you couldn’t help but be soothed by it.

  ‘Well, this evacuation lark will probably turn out to be just an unnecessary precaution,’ she said to Joyce, trying to set her mind at rest.

  ‘Yeah, I expect it will,’ Penelope Higginbottom puffed as she waddled along beside them. ‘But I don’t mind being ’ere one scrap. Like an ’oliday, it is. And my Archie’s eyes’ll pop out of ’is ’ead when ’e comes ter visit. ’E’s on the railways, see, and they say that’s gonna be a reserved occupation so ’e’ll be able ter visit sometimes. And I can tell yer, Nana May keeping an eye on Bella and Johnny fer us so I can come wiv yer ter see all this place proper is giving us a nice break,’ she concluded, beaming down at her eldest, Sammy, who was deep in some conversation with Ed, who never seemed to be short of something to talk about.

  Chuckling to herself, Meg turned her attention to the three girls who’d stayed by her side all the way. Apart from old Patch, all the dogs had come with them, and Doris had held Meg’s hand tightly. But Meg had noticed that the child’s confidence was already growing, and she no longer shrank against her when one of the animals bounded up to them.

  Meg had begun the tour with the walled rose garden at the eastern side of the house, and then she’d shown them the fields on that side of the estate.

  ‘Nowadays we only have the cows to graze the land,’ she explained to just Mrs Higginbottom and the older children since Ed and Sammy seemed engrossed in watching a long worm slithering among the grass, and were too young to understand anyway. ‘But we grow as much fodder as we can for them so that we have as little winter feed to buy in as possible. We rotate the fields so that we put back into the soil the nutrients we’ve taken out. You saw yesterday as we came up the drive that we keep three cows at different stages so that we’ve always got at least one of them in milk. We wean each calf as soon as possible and then sell it on, and if we’re going through a stage where we have too much milk, we sell it to the local dairy. I don’t suppose we’ll have any spare with all of you here, mind.’

  She paused, not quite sure how much they’d taken in. All five children nodded solemnly, but Mrs Higginbottom still looked baffled at her explanation.

  ‘So how come yer know so much about all this?’ Leslie wanted to know.

  Meg had mentally caught her breath. She didn’t blame him for asking, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to share her past with these young strangers just yet.

  ‘I was brought up on a farm,’ she answered, hoping that was enough to satisfy the boy’s curiosity for now, at least. And she was grateful when his brother chipped in with another question.

  ‘Are them cows the only animals, then?’

  ‘Oh, no, we’ve got a few pigs. Oh, and the hens, of course. They’re kept in the farmyard on the other side. Behind the two cottages. Come on, I’ll show you.’

  ‘Ooph, I fink I’d better stay ’ere and catch me breath,’ Mrs Higginbottom panted. ‘I’ll keep an
eye on these two little tykes. They can see the uvver animals later.’

  ‘Of course,’ Meg assured her. Mrs Higginbottom was a lovely lady but she was obviously very unfit and most definitely needed to lose some weight! But perhaps staying at Robin Hill House would do her the world of good.

  Leaving her to recover and make sure Sammy and Ed didn’t get into any trouble, Meg led the others across the wild grass at the back of the house. At the bottom of the little valley was the lake, with open fields and more rough grass petering out into the woods beyond. On the near side, the land inclined gently up towards the house and the retaining wall for the flat, lawned area below the terrace. To Meg, it was still idyllic, even if the farm was a lot smaller than she’d been brought up with.

  ‘Hey, Meg, can me and Cyril learn to swim in the lake?’

  ‘Oh, heavens, no!’ Meg was horrified. ‘It’s not a big lake, but it is quite deep. And it’s full of weeds and things. You could get tangled up in them and drown. So you must promise me you’ll never go in it.’

  ‘Yeah, OK, we promise, don’t we, Cyril? But can we play in the woods, make dens and things?’

  ‘Yes, of course,’ Meg had chuckled. ‘Only no camp fires, and be careful if you climb any trees. Some of them have dead branches that’ll snap under your weight, and I don’t suppose your parents’d be very pleased if either of you had an accident.’

  ‘Huh, don’t suppose they’d care too much. Come on, Cyril, let’s go and explore.’

  ‘Nah, I want to see the other animals first.’

  ‘Oh. Oh, OK, then.’ Leslie looked so crestfallen that Meg wanted to laugh.

  ‘Look, as we go through the orchard, pick up any apples that’ve fallen on the ground,’ she instructed, ‘and you can feed them to the pigs.’

  ‘Cor, can we?’ Cyril’s eyes shone like stars and he ran ahead, his brother and the two sisters in hot pursuit.

  Doris glanced timidly up at Meg. ‘Are they… behind a fence or something? The pigs?’