The Forgotten Orphan: The heartbreaking and gripping World War 2 historical novel

by Glynis Peters

  He’d ruined her special evening. Why hadn’t he come over and asked her for a dance if she meant that much to him? Why had he felt the need to rant and rave with violence at the forefront of his mind? Eventually she had enough. Simon’s behaviour was beyond acceptable and she wanted him gone from her sight.

  ‘Stop it! Come here, Simon. We need to talk.’ Maisie shouted across at Simon.

  He swung a potluck punch at the soldier nearest to him and swaggered over to her.

  ‘Come to your senses, Maisie Reynolds? Realised what a real man can give you after all?’

  Simon’s words slurred into one another and Maisie looked at him with disgust.

  ‘How dare you ruin our evening. Who do you think you are coming back into my life after all these years and hurting people who mean something to me? You always have been and always will be a puffed-up bully. A fist fighter with no care for anyone but himself and I want you gone from my life. Our past is evil and gives me dark nightmares. I don’t want that dragged into my future by you or anyone else. So, as I say, go get out and stay away.’

  Simon took staggering steps closer and Ted and friends pulled him back from reaching out to Maisie. He glared at her and Maisie shivered.

  ‘Get him out of my sight,’ she said to Ted.

  Simon struggled against the restraining arms of the men hauling him across the room. His language was a disgrace and Maisie held her breath as Ted and friends dragged him through the double doors of the hall and out into the night.

  Maisie turned away from the scene. She was hurt, and very aware that her face was flushed with embarrassment as she looked at the man, still nursing his jaw, who’d brought her nothing but pleasure. She reached out to touch it and he clamped his hand over hers in such a protective way that her breath caught in her throat. He loved her and she him; this was his declaration.

  Unaware that tears had formed, Maisie felt the tickle against her skin as they dripped down her face. Cam leaned in and dabbed them dry with his handkerchief.

  ‘He’s not worth the tears, Maisie. I’ve known – I know – many men like him. Aggression is their sport. He hasn’t hurt me. He’s only angered me because he’s hurt you.’

  The few lingering women backed away and Coleen blew her a kiss.

  ‘We’ll leave you with Cam to talk in private. I’ll wait outside with the others,’ she said.

  The atmosphere in the room had changed; the evening was over. Maisie’s resentment of Simon grew. He’d ruined the evening for everyone, not just her and Cam.

  ‘I must go,’ she whispered.

  Cam pulled her closer.

  ‘I can’t bear to leave you, knowing he’s following you,’ he said, his voice raspy with desperation. ‘I’m so angry that I can’t stay and protect you.’

  Maisie put her finger on his lips.

  ‘I don’t need protecting. This is Simon and this is his way. You have to understand, we had nothing as orphans except each other. An outsider would never understand.’

  Cam reached out and stroked her shoulder, but Maisie flinched away from his touch.

  ‘That was years ago. I don’t want to be an outsider in your life. If not for the war, I never would have met you. We lived thousands of miles apart and led different lives. You need to let go, Maisie. You don’t belong to the orphanage anymore. Simon has no claim on you. You’re a nurse now with a new life and it’s time to leave the past behind.’

  Cam stroked her cheek again, and Maisie felt the fight leave her body. Cam had a stronger hold on her than she’d imagined.

  ‘I can’t give up on him. We’ve only just found each other again; he needs my help.’

  ‘You need to walk away for your own safety. Listen to me. He’ll try to drive us apart, but I’m telling you Maisie, this is meant to be – we are meant to be.’

  Cam’s lips brushed the tip of her nose, her forehead, but then, before he could reach her lips, she moved out of his reach.

  ‘No. We can’t. He’s powerful. I can’t let him hurt you again. I’ve seen his temper in full – when we were children. Maybe I don’t deserve happiness? There must have been a reason I ended up at the orphanage. You’re too good for me. Perhaps we should not see each other again. End whatever it is we are starting,’ Maisie said and burst into tears.

  Cam took her hands in his and squeezed them tight.

  ‘I’m not letting you go, Maisie. You’re safe with me.’

  Maisie drew in a breath as Cam traced a finger down the front of her neck and nestled it at the top of her breastbone. He tapped out her heartbeat on her skin and she felt it like an echo of her soul. She’d never experienced such a tender expression of desire.

  ‘I have to go or I’ll miss my ride home. I’ll write to you. Please be safe, Cam. Thank you for a wonderful evening. I am so sorry Simon—’

  Cam drew her against him and placed his lips on hers. His kiss was hard and bruising with its passion. Maisie relaxed into it and when he drew back, she sighed. But then she shook her head when he moved forward to kiss her again. She saw the hurt expression filter across his face. ‘If we carry on, we’ll never stop. As wonderful as that might be, I think I’d better go home. Come and see me before you leave again.’

  ‘I’ll try. I can’t promise. We’re on a tight turnaround. Maisie, if I don’t return, please know that you are loved. Deeply.’

  Cam’s words and his kiss were more than Maisie could deal with and she let her tears flow. Unable to compose herself, she shook her head and walked away.

  ‘Just stay alive for me, Cam. Stay alive.’

  ‘I’ll keep coming back to prove I am, Maisie. I will. As long as you wait for me …’ he called out after her.

  Cam’s words lingered behind her, but Maisie didn’t dare turn around. Noises from outside indicated the scale of the aggression had risen. She sighed. All because of Simon. Some friend he turned out to be, another orphanage let-down.

  ‘Get her home. I’ll find you again,’ Ted called out to Coleen who’d raced to Maisie’s side.

  ‘I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry,’ Maisie said to her friend.

  ‘Don’t be silly. It wasn’t your fault. You did nothing wrong. The difference between man and boy was pretty obvious tonight. Let’s get you home.’

  The truck ride home was head-spinning for Maisie. The other girls wanted to know about the mysterious sailor who’d thrashed his way through a group of strapping servicemen. Maisie hated the fact that they seemed to admire Simon’s behaviour. All except Coleen – she expressed her disgust at what he’d done and how he’d treated Maisie. After all, he’d ruined the evening for everyone.

  Back home, Coleen hugged Maisie tight.

  ‘Sleep and don’t fret.’

  ‘Cam was lovely, but I’m scared I’ll lose him, too. Everything in my past is a mess and I’ll ruin what Cam and I have between us if I don’t keep Simon at bay.’

  ‘Cam is still lovely and no you won’t, unless the war takes him from you. A blind man could see he’s hooked and going nowhere. Stick to your guns and keep writing to him. It’s part of your war effort duty, don’t forget. Keeping up the spirits of the troops is important. Government’s orders.’

  Maisie raised her eyebrows.

  ‘Simon will ruin it all if he keeps turning up like that. Cam won’t like him trying to pull us apart.’

  Coleen huffed.

  ‘He’ll get bored of it all when he finds a girl willing to bend to his demands. Simon is the past, don’t let him ruin your future. As I said, focus on Cam. I can’t wait to see Ted again. Now, there’s a man. Get some sleep and remember the nicer parts of tonight. Who knows where they might take you …’ Coleen gave her a wink and Maisie pushed her towards the door.

  ‘Keep your innuendos to yourself, you. Sleep tight and I’ll see you on duty tomorrow,’ she said and clicked her door shut, turning the key in the lock. But sleep was the last thing on her mind, and she allowed her tears to flow.

  What if Cam never came back to her? Wh
at if he was killed?

  CHAPTER 20

  Weeks passed and to Maisie’s relief, she heard nothing more from Simon. She received a hastily scribbled message from Cam in which he reassured her that all was fine and he longed to hold her again. The note brought about more tears and Maisie found it incredible that she could produce so many over the simplest of things.

  Coleen would often bring up the events of that evening until Maisie asked her to stop; the painful experience of the dance was something she wanted to forget.

  Ted and Coleen’s friendship had developed into more and on occasion Maisie felt a twinge of envy. Ted was a generous man and Coleen declared her love for him at every opportunity.

  A friend of Ted’s was introduced with the very obvious intention of distracting Maisie from Cam, but she found nothing interesting about the man and eventually Coleen gave up trying.

  Life took on a pattern of work and minimal leisure activities. The warmer, lighter evenings meant she spent more time with Billy and his plants or knitting baby clothes with Joyce. Maisie often wondered if she’d ever knit for her own child. She watched as Joyce settled into pending motherhood with a calm approach and she admired her for it. Maisie had been certain she’d be a nervous wreck, given how unwell she had been feeling in the early months of the pregnancy. And then there was the news Charlie dropped in her lap.

  He’d asked for a transfer and had trained to join the bomb removal squad. Maisie and Joyce both wrote to him pleading for him to transfer back to the Engineers, but he told them both he wanted to do more than tinker with engines. He wanted to save lives.

  Joyce expressed many opinions about Simon’s behaviour whenever she had the opportunity. She told Maisie she’d written to Charlie about the party after Maisie had told her what happened, and Charlie wrote back with firm advice. Joyce spoke with her brother Eddie to warn Simon it needed to stop.

  During her time spent alone, Maisie concentrated on writing poetry and she noticed her poems were increasingly filled with angst and wishful thinking. Her limited experience of romance didn’t appear to be an obstacle when she wanted to express her inner thoughts.

  For Cam:

  Your Gift

  My world is small, but you opened a door into a

  space beyond my thoughts.

  Tender words and a fleeting glance of

  appreciation fill a void,

  I love when silence becomes the loudest word

  between us.

  My world is small, but you opened my mind to

  appreciate thoughts beyond friendship.

  For Simon:

  The Inside of Me

  A bomb explodes and intensifies the rage inside,

  I run yet find I have nowhere to hide.

  The enemy is at my gate and I fear my past,

  Troubled dreams set to last.

  For Gloria and Norah (and maybe my parents, whoever they are …):

  The Forgotten Orphan

  Your claws grate against my skin,

  You destroyed me,

  Took my strength and sapped my history.

  What use is my past without answers?

  I must let the questions wither and die,

  I am not them, I am I.

  Never Forget.

  As she read over the poem she had written with Matron in mind, Maisie thought about the mysterious key amongst Gloria’s things. What did it open? Was it significant or meaningful to Maisie? Should she just throw it away?

  Captain Bloom had come to a dead end in her search for Maisie’s birth certificate and she indicated there was nothing more that she could do. In her letter she included a few ideas of where Maisie might go next to find answers, one of which was a trustee of the orphanage.

  Maisie heeded the captain’s advice and sent a letter. As more weeks passed without a reply, she came to the conclusion that the person in question no longer lived at the address she had managed to find or wasn’t interested in her request.

  Joyce’s brother sent a message to say he had news relating to Simon and would visit the following week if Maisie agreed to meet with him.

  ‘He’s in a lot of bother,’ Eddie said as he settled into a seat.

  Maisie, not surprised by his statement, encouraged him to continue.

  ‘Simon’s always fired up – looking for trouble. Picking fights. Did you know he was on the run? Why he came back to the area and started a fight in a military camp is beyond us. The man’s a fool.’

  ‘He came to see me,’ Maisie said.

  Eddie shrugged his shoulders and shook his head in disagreement.

  ‘No. That’s just it. He didn’t know you were going to be there, right? If he’d wanted to see you, why not come here to Holly Bush House? No, he went to that dance because he knew the Canadians were there and he wanted to start some trouble. Seeing you there just gave him the excuse he needed to swing a punch. We find him hard to live with onboard ship. Argumentative should be his middle name.’

  Maisie pinched her lips together. Eddie was right; Simon wouldn’t have known she was there.

  ‘Where is he now?’ she asked.

  ‘Prison. He’s been arrested for two other offences and sent to naval detention quarters.’

  Maisie stared at him in disbelief. ‘Surely not! Where’s the prison?’

  Eddie rose to his feet and Maisie got up too and followed him to the door.

  ‘I’d better be going,’ he said. ‘I’m not sure where they’ve taken him yet but I’ll let you know when I find out. I do know this; he’ll be a changed man when he comes out. They’re dreadful places with severe punishment methods. He’s got to earn his bed and bedding which, knowing Simon, won’t be his for some time yet. He’s not allowed letters, so save your ink. Move on, Maisie. He’s bad news.’

  With a swift shake of her head, Maisie walked alongside him as they made their way along the driveway.

  ‘I remember the day he left. He was taken in a car and driven out of my life. It takes a lot to get over that sadness. He was one of the lucky ones, but for some reason he doesn’t seem happy in life. He was always a rebel – I just thought he’d grow out of it.’

  They stopped at the entrance to the road and Eddie turned to face her.

  ‘When he comes back here – and I’m sure he will – be careful. My sister loves you and I’m saying it because we care, but I repeat, Simon is bad news.’

  ‘Thanks Eddie. Thanks for coming and telling me.’

  Back home she set out more feelings on paper.

  Solitude

  Alone. Locked away, but not forgotten.

  Words to comfort are unavailable,

  But written here, on this page.

  Quiet. Locked away, sombre reflection.

  Words for life lessons must be pondered,

  Until settled mind erodes the rage.

  Twirling her pen around in her hand, she decided to write to Cam to tell him of Simon’s situation before heading over to the main house to start her shift.

  Holly Bush House

  May 31st 1942

  Dearest Cam

  Life has its strange moments and its wonderful ones. The evening at the dance had both. Thank you for taking care of me, and for making me feel special. I’m saddened by what happened but I have news which might put your mind at rest because you will know that I am safe.

  Simon is in prison. Apparently, he had another couple of charges against him, all for violent behaviour, and was on the run the night of the dance. According to Eddie, Joyce’s brother who works with Simon, he was out for a fight and hadn’t come to the dance in search of me.

  I’m told he cannot receive letters in prison and won’t even have a bed because it has to be earned. The Navy prison rules are tough. Eddie said he’d also be a changed man when he is released. I can only hope so, and pray he stays away.

  Yesterday, we experienced a sight and a half. Planes filled the sky as they headed out to destroy the enemy. The noise was incredible, and I must admit it was a bit ex
citing. We could feel the thundering shakes in the soles of our feet as they flew overhead. Charlie’s dad said they were headed for a city called Cologne in Germany, and I think with such a force heading their way, the enemy can do nothing but fear and respect us from now on. I think it’s sad, but I’m told it is necessary for survival. I looked to the sky and wondered if you were in one. I often do that when a plane flies across the water. I get a little scared about you jumping out of them.

  We’ve also had a few more bombs dropped here and, as always, they’ve created problems for the city. Thankfully, we’re fortunate at Holly Bush House and have so far been spared. We are filling up with injured men, but I’m pleased to say that many are returning to the arms of their loving families soon. Although, goodness knows how some of them will cope as they’ll never find work again. It breaks my heart at times. I’m not sure what’s worse, shattered limbs or shattered minds.

  I urge you, stay safe, my love,

  and come back to me.

  Maisie

  CHAPTER 21

  The line of black-coated mourners moved slowly towards Joyce, her in-laws, and the rest of her family. Maisie stood beside her friend and kept hold of her trembling hand. Each time someone offered their condolences, Maisie felt Joyce’s hand tremble and she feared it would never stop shaking.

  When the devastating news came that Charlie had lost his life dismantling a faulty wire on an unexploded bomb, Maisie’s world fell apart. She now understood the loss of a family member, how the heart twisted in on itself and burned with pain inside.

  When Joyce and Eddie came to tell her the news of his death, she and Joyce sat alone holding each other, drawing comfort in the fact that Charlie had died quickly. It broke Maisie to see Joyce’s tormented face. A widow with a baby on the way by the age of twenty-four. How did you come back from that type of despair?

  By the time they returned to the house, they were wrung out emotionally. Eddie beckoned her over to him.

  ‘All right, Maisie? Sad day. Sad day. Here’s to Charlie, God rest him.’ He lifted a bottle of brown ale in a toast. ‘I’ve a bit of news for you. My mate has a delivery job with the Navy and knows Simon. He reckons he saw him all pale and thin walking around a prison yard in Portsmouth. Fresh air and exercise ain’t a treat there, so he’s done something to upset someone … again,’ Eddie said with an air of disgust.