After they had given everyone a hug and a kiss, the boys went obediently.
None of the boys had ever seen anything like the fireworks shooting into the sky, bursting with a loud bang and spraying out many colours, and neither had many of the older people gathered in the field. The doctor was there with his family, the Harmonds and Bill’s parents were also there, and, of course, Charles and every member of the staff and their families. It was a huge gathering and they had been busy all afternoon preparing the food to feed so many.
The light from the bonfire was flickering over smiling faces as they watched the fireworks exploding above them. All the children were being watched carefully to make sure they stayed at a safe distance.
Vicki was totally absorbed in the display when something caught her attention. Jack was rushing through the crowd towards them, panic on his face. Then she heard what he was shouting: ‘Matron! Doctor! Mr Harry!’
‘Come quick!’ he gasped when he reached them, tugging at the doctor’s arm. ‘Oh, please, you gotta come!’
Harry caught hold of the distressed boy. ‘What is it, Jack?’
‘Mr Bill’s sick! He fell down and I couldn’t pick him up. He’s bad. Please!’
Checking to make sure Dave and Alfie were safe with Pearl, Vicki hurried after Harry and the doctor, her heart thudding.
Jack ran into the school dining room, with the rest of them on his heels. The sight that met them stopped Vicki in her tracks. Bill was on his feet, gripping the edge of a table for support, head bowed and perspiration streaming down his face.
‘What’s happened?’ Peter rushed in, took one look at his friend and tried to get near him, but the doctor kept him at a distance.
‘Shut the door, Vicki,’ Harry ordered. ‘We don’t want anyone else bursting in here for the moment.’
She did as asked, but she doubted anyone else had noticed. There was too much noise and excitement going on out there.
Jack had thrown his arms around Bill’s waist, trying to support him.
‘Leave this to us, everyone,’ Harry ordered gruffly, making them all move back. ‘Don’t get in the way.’
Vicki nodded and watched anxiously as the men eased Bill into a chair. Elsie already had flannels and was wiping his face, talking quietly. When he tipped his head back, Vicki could see he was ashen and trembling. She stifled the urge to cry out in distress. What had gone wrong? Was it that head injury causing pain?
‘I got the doctor for you,’ Jack told him, still holding tight.
Dr Saunders moved Bill’s hair out of the way to examine the injury to his head, making Jack gasp when he saw it and bringing tears to his eyes. ‘How’d he get that? Make him better! Please make him better!’
Bill reached out and put an arm around the distressed boy. ‘I’m all right, Jack. Just give me a moment.’
Just then, Mr and Mrs Manton rushed in a side door and went straight to their son. ‘What’s happened? What’s wrong? Shouldn’t he be taken to a hospital, Doctor?’
‘That isn’t necessary, Mother.’ Bill’s voice was raw with pain.
Dr Saunders finished his examination and, hearing how Bill spoke, moved to help him out of the chair. ‘Harry, help me get Bill to his room. He needs rest and quiet. Jack, you can let go of him now. We’ll take good care of him.’
The boy released his grip, but stayed close. ‘I’ll help too. Please let me come with you.’
‘We’ll be glad of your help, Jack.’ Harry held a glass of brandy in his hands and, after a nod from the doctor, gave it to Bill. ‘Drink that first.’
The drink disappeared in one gulp, and Harry put the empty glass on the table. ‘How much of your memory has returned, Bill?’
‘All of it,’ he rasped. ‘Those damned fireworks crashing and banging brought it all back in one massive wave. Get me out of here, Harry!’
Vicki covered her mouth with her hands in shock, not wanting to make a sound. She watched as the doctor and Harry lifted Bill to his feet, with Jack determined to help and Peter hovering close by. Her legs were trembling. Mrs Manton had tears flowing down her face.
‘He called me Mother. He knows us.’ She grasped her husband’s hand the moment the men had left the room. ‘We have our son back.’
‘But at what price?’ Mr Manton ran a hand over his eyes. ‘It tore me apart to see him suffering like that. I can’t help wishing his memory hadn’t returned. He didn’t know us, but he was happy.’
‘And he will be again.’ Harry said, walking back into the room. ‘It was a massive shock, but he’s sleeping now. The doctor and Elsie are going to stay with him, through the night, if necessary.’
‘Oh, that’s a relief,’ Mrs Manton said. ‘Thank you, Harry.’
‘No need to thank me. Bill has gained a lot of friends here.’ He smiled as Jack joined them. ‘Like Jack, here. You did the right thing, and we are all grateful for your help, young man.’
‘I was frightened,’ he admitted, ‘but doctor said he’s going to be all right.’
‘He will be, he’s a strong man, but he might find things hard for a while, so we will need to give him our support and understanding. You know what’s happened to him, Jack?’
The boy nodded vigorously. ‘Doctor explained it to me. Terrible thing to happen, and he’s a brave man. He helps us when we have troubles. Now we can help him.’
‘Good boy.’ Harry looked around. ‘It sounds as if the fireworks are over. Open the doors, Vicki, and let us enjoy the rest of the evening. We have a feast laid on.’
As soon as the doors were opened, everyone began to file in. Charles came straight up to them. ‘I saw Jack running to the doctor, but I thought I had better stay with the children. Is everything all right?’
‘Bill’s memory has returned,’ Vicki told him, ‘and it hit him hard. He’s sleeping now.’
‘Ah, if it came back all at once, that will be difficult for him to handle; nevertheless, that is good news.’ Charles smiled at the Mantons’ strained faces. ‘Don’t worry about your son. I saw him in action in France, and, believe me, he will handle this in his usual calm, efficient way.’
Pearl and her helpers appeared bearing trays of piping hot sausages, bowls of soup and plates laden with all sorts of goodies.
‘Eat up!’ Charles called loudly to be heard above the chatter. ‘There’s plenty more, and I want to see empty plates!’
Pandemonium broke out as everyone crowded round the tables to help themselves, and Flo came over to Vicki and put her arm around her shoulders. ‘Have something to eat, my dear. Don’t worry too much. He’ll be just fine – you’ll see.’
‘I’m sure he will, but he was bad.’ She leaned on Flo, glad of the comfort being given. ‘Thank goodness only a few of us know what has happened. Charles has gone to a lot of trouble, and I’m pleased the evening hasn’t been ruined for everyone.’
Jack came over with a plate full of hot sausages and held it up to Vicki. ‘These are smashing. You must have some. Mr Bill wouldn’t want us to be miserable. That doctor’s looking after him good.’
‘You’re right, Jack.’ Smiling, she took a sausage and bit into it. ‘They are good, aren’t they?’
Harry had been talking to the Mantons for a while, and he came over to join them. ‘I’ve persuaded Bill’s parents to go back with Charles; if they are needed, I will come for them myself. They naturally want to stay near their son, but there isn’t anything they can do. He’s still sleeping, and that’s what he needs at the moment. Ah, food.’ Harry took the last sausage from Jack’s plate.
Seeing the empty plate, Jack said, ‘I’ll get some more sausages and ask Mrs Pearl to save some for Mr Bill. He’ll be hungry when he wakes up.’
They watched the boy hurry away, and Edward smiled at Harry. ‘He was very troubled and difficult to manage when he first arrived here, but he’s turned the corner now. And that’s thanks to the way Bill has handled him.’
‘I’ve often wondered,’ said Bob, ‘but never asked before, why
do the boys use Christian names like that, Harry? It’s rather unusual.’
‘Dave started that and we haven’t tried to change it. It seems to make us more approachable to the boys, and that’s what we want. Our aim is to make them feel that this isn’t just a school, but we are all now their family.’
‘Well, from what we’ve seen so far, I would say you are succeeding,’ Bob told him.
‘We’ve got a way to go yet. Gaining their trust is the first step, and the most difficult, but we’re making progress.’
With the fireworks over, the bonfire doused, and the food enjoyed, the gathering began to disperse. Tired out and happy, the boys all went willingly to bed, until the only ones remaining in the school dining room were the original gang, as Edward called Vicki, Harry, Flo, Bob, Pearl and himself.
They sat round the table talking until late, not wanting to retire.
Dr Saunders joined them, and, much to their surprise, Bill strode in right behind him. He nodded and sat down with them. Vicki’s breath caught in her throat. He was relaxed and all the pain and anguish had left his face, but there was something different about him. There was a strength emanating from him that she could feel more than see. This man now knew who he was, and confidence showed in his eyes.
‘I hope you’ve still got some food left, Pearl, I’m very hungry.’
‘Jack made sure I kept some for you. What would you like, Bill?’
‘Anything.’
‘Coming right up.’ Pearl glanced around the table. ‘Anyone else hungry?’
When every hand was raised, Vicki stood up. ‘I’ll help you, Pearl.’
They soon had eggs, bacon, sausages and fried bread served up, bringing smiles to their faces.
‘Where are my parents?’ Bill asked Harry.
‘They’ve gone back with Charles. I didn’t think you would wake up until the morning.’
‘I’ll go and see them tomorrow, then, and Peter as well. Can I take a couple of hours off?’
‘Take all the time you need.’ Harry finished the last of his fry-up and sat back. ‘Do you feel up to telling us what happened to you, or would you rather not talk about it yet?’
Bill took the tea Pearl was handing round. ‘Thanks, that was just what I needed. It’s a long story, but I’ll give you a brief account. Because I spoke fluent French, I was asked to go to the nearest village and see if I could find out anything about German troop movements. A patrol came with me, and the plan was they would leave me at a certain point to make my own way. I was in civilian clothes, without identification of any kind. The only personal things I had on me were the English grammar book and another one in French. They could be explained away by saying I was studying the language. Unfortunately, we ran into concealed guns and all hell broke loose. There was a blinding flash, and the next thing I knew I was in a bed and everyone around me was speaking French. They told me they had found me in a ditch covered in debris, only aware I was there because they heard me groan. When they asked me who I was, I didn’t know. I was badly injured, and in and out of consciousness for a long time. When I began to recover, they told me the war was over, and because I was strong enough they would take me home, wherever that was. The book was on the table beside the bed and I had looked at it often, so I said I wanted to go to England.’
Bill gave a wry smile. ‘I didn’t know why I said that because I thought I was French, and so did they. Like them, I thought I had probably been hit by a lorry and left in the ditch to die. Anyway, they said that if that was what I wanted, then a cousin of theirs had a fishing boat and would take me across the channel. Once ashore, I headed for London and that was when I met Vicki.’ Bill looked across the table and smiled at her. ‘And she threatened to hit me with an iron bar if I came anywhere near her.’
Everyone turned to stare at her, smiling broadly.
‘Well, he’s a big man, and I had to protect myself,’ she explained, trying to keep a straight face. ‘Anyway, I soon changed my mind. He gave me a lecture on improving my speech, gave me the book and bought me breakfast.’
‘And then I walked away to continue my aimless wanderings.’
Thirty-Two
Christmas was only two days away and Vicki was really looking forward to it. With Flo and Bob, she was spending the holiday at the school. There was going to be a huge gathering, including the Mantons, Harmonds and the boys, now numbering twelve. Charles was in his element planning everything. He had chopped down a large tree on his estate, and it was standing in the corner of the school dining room, brightly decorated, with parcels heaped beneath it. All the food was coming from his farms. He was thoroughly enjoying himself, determined that the school and the boys had a Christmas to remember.
Over the last few weeks, Vicki had gone down there as often as she could, anxious to see how Bill was coping and what he was going to do now he had his memory back. She knew Harry had been worried in case he decided to return to his teaching post at Harrow, but, to everyone’s relief, Bill had just told them that he was where he wanted to be. Harry was elated. He now had two men capable of taking over the school in the future.
‘How are we going to carry all this?’ Flo exclaimed when she saw the piles of luggage they wanted to take with them.
‘Edward’s thought of that,’ Bob told her. ‘He’s bringing the bus for us tomorrow.’
‘Oh, thank goodness for that. It means I can pop out and get a few more presents.’
‘Tie her down, Vicki!’ he laughed. ‘We’ve already got enough.’
‘Not if the bus is coming for us.’ Vicki laced her arm through Flo’s. ‘Let’s go shopping.’
On Christmas day, the tables had been arranged in a square, and Charles had engaged a top chef and his staff to do all the cooking, leaving Pearl free to join in the fun. The pile of presents around the tree was enormous, and they would be opened after lunch, but all the boys had woken up to find big stockings at the end of their beds. This had caused great excitement as none of them had ever experienced anything like this before.
During lunch, crackers were pulled and paper hats worn, causing much laughter. Once the tables were cleared, it was time to hand out the presents. Charles and Harry took charge of this. The children were given theirs first, and each child had a great many. Everyone had bought presents for them, and all the boys were wide-eyed with joy at the number of parcels they had to open. Soon the floor was littered with wrapping paper and boxes as the presents were ripped open. The noise was deafening with squeals of delight.
Vicki knew exactly what they were feeling because she had come from the same sort of home as these youngsters, where there had never been presents or any Christmas celebrations.
By the time the presents had all been handed round, Vicki, like everyone else, had a lot of parcels in front of her. She was about to start opening them when Bill came and sat beside her.
‘Thank you for the books by Shakespeare and Dickens, Vicki. I shall enjoy reading them.’
‘Are they what you like?’ she asked, feeling sure he had already read these books. ‘I didn’t know what to get, but you did tell me you liked reading.’
‘They are perfect. I am going to start putting together a library of my own, and these will be a lovely start to the collection.’
She smiled with relief and watched as he pulled a brightly wrapped present from his pocket.
‘This is an extra little present from me. Happy Christmas, Vicki.’ He kissed her on the cheek and put the package in her hands.
She opened it and gasped when she saw the leather-bound book she had treasured so much. ‘Oh, Bill, I can’t accept this. It’s yours and must mean a lot to you.’
‘I want you to have it as a reminder of our first meeting. I don’t know where I would be today if you hadn’t been determined to find me. You have given me my life back, and so much more.’ He gazed around the room full of happy people. ‘This is beyond price.’
‘Bill, I don’t know what to say?’ her eyes misted over.
She smiled. ‘Thank you, Bill; I will treasure the little book on English grammar.’
‘Mr Bill!’ Jack ran towards them, his face glowing, quickly followed by Dave and Alfie. The three had become firm friends. ‘We’ve got trains! Can you show us how they work, please?’
He stood up, smiled at Vicki, and then turned his attention to the boys. ‘We’ll have to clear a space on the floor first.’
Vicki watched the excitement going on all around her. She had never seen Charles so happy. Flo and Bob were laughing with the Harmonds and Bill’s parents. Peter and John were crawling around the floor with a couple of the younger boys. The presents in front of her remained unopened as she took in the scene. All this had come about because two men had helped her. The school would continue to give some youngsters a chance of a better life.
And that wasn’t all. Charles had never mentioned any family, but he wasn’t alone any more, and Bill was no longer drifting, not knowing who he was. Like her, they were now happy and part of a huge family – her family. They had reached out to her, and the thought that their kindness had been rewarded made her so happy. Her affectionate gaze went from Charles to Bill.
The blessings had started with two strangers and had rippled out to touch so many lives.
Two Strangers Page 25