Still chuckling, Steve stood up. ‘Get your things and I’ll fly you back now. It looks as if the weather might deteriorate later in the day.
The journey back was a little bumpy this time, but not enough to upset the girls. He landed at the same airfield, as it was the best stop for both couples. Then he refuelled and headed straight back.
He arrived back just in time, because when he jumped out of the plane the first snowflakes began to fall.
Winter was upon them.
Chapter Thirty-Two
During the dark, cold months Steve kept busy overseeing work on the house, and using their snowplough to keep access to vital places open. Most of the hands left during these months, but some stayed. In severe weather the animals had to be fed and cared for, as the farmland was dormant under a blanket of snow waiting for the thaw.
Since Sandy’s wedding and spending that time with his friends he was more relaxed, and the constant stream of letters from everyone was something he looked forward to.
He smiled to himself when he lit the log fire in the house they were renovating. It was bitter outside and he wanted to keep the place warm now the work was finished.
The front door opened and his mother walked in. ‘The mail has just arrived, and I thought I’d bring it to you and have another look to see if we need to get anything else for this house.’
‘Thanks, Mum.’ He took the letters from her and shuffled through them quickly.
‘There is one from Nancy. I know her writing after all these months. The others are from Luke, Ricky, Sandy and Jean. Sybil sent one to us, which you can read later.’
He grinned at her. ‘Have you read them as well?’
‘Certainly not!’ She kissed his cheek. ‘I don’t have to because you always let us see them, except for one, of course.’
The door opened again and Rose called, ‘Wipe your feet, Bill. We don’t want a mess on our nice new floor.’
He came in and raised his eyes to his son, then lifted up his foot to show he had taken his boots off. ‘The gas tank is now connected, so we can make a pot of coffee. I’ve brought everything with me.’
‘Lovely, the place is habitable again.’ She smiled affectionately at her husband. ‘We had some good years here, didn’t we, darling?’
‘Yes, we did, and it is good to see the old place in fine order again.’ He gave his son a steady look. ‘Are you going to tell us what you plan to do with it now?’
He nodded.
‘Let me make the coffee, and then we can sit by the fire while you tell us about it.’ Rose hurried to the kitchen, and soon returned with coffee and cookies. They settled in the comfortable chairs Rose had chosen and waited for their son to begin talking.
He began with the moment they had arrived at Scampton, and their growing friendship with Jean and Nancy, telling them all about their visits to Nancy’s parents. Without mentioning anything about their missions or his time at Tangmere, he explained why Nancy felt she couldn’t leave her parents. He then outlined his idea, and for a while they didn’t comment.
‘You think I’m crazy?’
‘No, I think you are desperate, Steve,’ his father replied. ‘You will be asking a lot of them.’
‘I know they probably won’t accept my offer, but what else can I do? I’ve gone over and over this, trying to find a way we can be together. I couldn’t stay in England, and Nancy won’t leave her parents. This is the only way I can see for us to solve the problem.’
Rose poured more coffee for them. ‘This is a difficult situation for both of you, but we’ll do everything we can to help.’
‘Of course we will,’ his father added. ‘The first step will be to get them out here, so when you write to them, we could put in a letter from us. Would that help?’
‘I’m sure it would, because I suspect it won’t be easy to persuade them to make the journey.’
‘When do you plan to send the invitation?’ Rose asked.
‘As soon as the thaw sets in I’ll make all the arrangements.’
It would be another three weeks before spring began to show it was on the way, and Steve drove into town to put his plan into action.
When he arrived back, his parents were waiting anxiously to hear the news.
‘Did you manage to get everything you wanted?’ his father asked.
‘Yes, the package is on its way, and all we can do now is wait.’
The post came through the letter box and hit the floor with a thud. Sally picked it up and stared at the thick envelope addressed to them in Steve’s handwriting. She found her husband in the kitchen. ‘Look at this, it’s from Steve and addressed to us, not Nancy.’
He took it from her, slit it open and tipped the contents onto the table.
‘What has he sent us?’ Sally was frowning at the unusual collection of things her husband had spread out.
He picked up an envelope with a picture of a ship on it, gasping in surprise when he saw what was inside. ‘These are tickets for a ship going to Canada in six weeks.’
‘Who for?’ she asked, bemused.
‘All three of us. There are also three letters as well, and one is a sealed envelope for Nancy.’
Sally had to sit down. ‘Why on earth would he do that? I could understand if it was a ticket for Nancy, but three must have cost him a fortune, Tom. He must want to see Nancy very much.’
‘And she needs to see him again. Our daughter pretends everything is all right, but she isn’t happy.’
‘I know. I’ve tried talking to her, but she won’t discuss it. She’s sacrificing her own happiness for us, and that doesn’t sit well with me, Tom. There are two letters for us, so we had better see what they say.’
They read one each, and without saying anything swapped letters, then both stared at each other in astonishment. The one from Steve’s parents was an invitation to stay with them for a holiday, stating that their son had told them of his time with them and they would like to repay them for being so kind. They hoped very much they would accept the invitation as they would love to thank them in person. Steve’s letter gave details of what they would have to do to board the ship, saying he would be waiting for them when they docked.
‘What are we going to do?’
Tom hesitated for only a moment before stating, ‘Go. We must give Nancy and Steve this chance to be together, even if it’s only for a short time.’
‘But why invite us as well?’
‘Because he knows Nancy wouldn’t go without us.’
She nodded and studied the tickets again. ‘That darling boy must have been saving up ever since he returned home so he could buy these.’
‘That settles it, we have to go. If we refuse, then all this money will have been wasted, and that wouldn’t be right. Where is Nancy?’
‘She said she was going to look for another job.’
‘She just can’t settle, can she? Now, we must be enthusiastic and convince her we really want to go. Make it seem like a dream come true, then she won’t be able to refuse.’
Sally leant forward and kissed her husband. ‘We don’t have to pretend; it is a dream come true, and I really do want to go to Canada.’
‘So do I. It would be lovely to see Steve again.’
They were silent for a moment, remembering the son lost to them, then Sally said softly, ‘If Dan was here, he would be urging us to go.’
‘And he would be right. Something like this is what we all need.’
Nancy arrived back an hour later looking downcast.
‘No luck with another job, sweetheart?’ her father asked.
She grimaced and shook her head. ‘All the men just out of the services are being given priority.’
‘Ah, well, we’ve got the very thing to cheer you up.’ He handed her the envelope from Steve. ‘Go on, open it.’
They watched as she studied the content, read the two letters, and then exclaimed, ‘This is crazy. We can’t go.’
‘Why not?’ her parents a
sked at the same time.
‘You won’t want to travel all that way.’
‘But we do.’ Tom sat beside her. ‘Look at all this, Nancy. Steve has gone to a lot of trouble and expense to arrange this for us.’
‘And his parents want to meet us,’ Sally pointed out. ‘It’s a trip we would be silly to turn down. Just think how exciting it will be to travel on a really big ship and see another country.’
‘Your mother is right. We will never get another chance like this. Everything is paid for; he has included all the papers we need to enter Canada, and even sent a cheque to cover any other expenses we might have.’ Then he played his ace card. ‘Come on, Nancy, we can’t go without you so please don’t deny us this chance. We would love to see Steve again, and I am sure Jean would be so happy to see you as well.’
‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see all the boys again, as well as Sybil and Jean?’ Sally added softly.
‘Aren’t you going to read Steve’s letter?’ her father prompted, seeing it was still unopened on the table.
She picked it up, opened it and read in silence, then a smile spread across her face. ‘Oh, Steve, you devil.’
‘What does he say? Why are you so amused?’ Bill wanted to know.
Nancy then told them about the darts match and the outrageous prize. ‘Luke claimed his wish by asking us to be bridesmaids at his wedding, which we were delighted to do. However, Steve has never mentioned it, and I thought he had just forgotten, but he’s claiming it now. He’s asking me – no, telling me to honour our agreement and grant his wish by coming out to Canada for a holiday.’
Both parents glanced at each other with a smile on their faces, and Tom said, ‘That was rather reckless of you and Jean to agree to such a thing.’
‘We honestly didn’t believe they could beat us, and they did promise not to ask for anything inappropriate. We agreed if they would put that in writing.’ She paused and shook her head. ‘Come to think of it, the crafty devils never did.’
‘So, we are going?’
‘I really can’t refuse, can I? A debt must be honoured.’
Tom and Sally dragged their daughter out of the chair and took turns in hugging her in delight.
‘This is so exciting, isn’t it, Tom? We must think about clothes; we can’t arrive in Canada looking shabby.’
‘How are we going to do that, Mum? We’ve used up all our clothing coupons.’
‘We’ll find a way. We are both handy with a needle and your dad’s got one decent suit, so that will have to do.’
‘I can’t wear that all the time.’
‘You won’t have to. We will be staying on a farm, so dress will be casual, and there isn’t rationing out there, so we can buy ourselves a few things.’ Sally beamed at her daughter. ‘We must look smart when we get off the ship because Steve will be waiting there for us.’
‘You girls always look smart,’ Tom declared as he stood up. ‘I’ll send a reply straight away to let them know we are coming, unless you want to do it, Nancy?’
‘No, this was addressed to you and Mum, so go ahead. I’ll also send separate letters to Steve and his parents, thanking them for their kind invitation to stay with them.’
That night Nancy couldn’t sleep as her mind was in a whirl. She was frightened that seeing him again would reignite all the feelings she had for him, feelings she had been trying so hard to keep locked away – without much success, she had to admit. On the other hand, there was the excitement of knowing they would be together again, even if only for a short time. Would she be able to see Jean? She really hoped so. They had shared so much and she missed her friend terribly. She had waved goodbye, not only to the man she loved, but to Jean as well, certain she would never see either of them again, and tears welled up in her eyes as she admitted that she was dreadfully lonely. But she was being given the chance to spend a little time with them, and she was going to make the most of every second, because it was going to have to last her for the rest of her life.
It was a busy time of the year and the Allard men were working every daylight hour. A lot of the regular hands were now returning, all eager to get the vast fields of barley and wheat growing again. Once all that was underway the cattle could be moved to the grazing lands, where they would have all the space they needed.
Every evening when they returned to the ranch house dirty, tired and hungry, Steve would check the mail, waiting anxiously for a reply.
‘Anything?’ he asked his mother the moment he walked in the door.
‘We’ve had a letter from Nancy and another from her parents. There is also one addressed to you.’
He took a deep breath. ‘What did they say? Are they coming?’
She held the letter out to him. ‘Open it and see for yourself.’
He took it, an anxious frown on his face, but didn’t open it. ‘For heaven’s sake, Mother, tell me what they said.’
‘They are coming.’
He quickly tore open Nancy’s letter and after reading it he ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes for a moment in relief. ‘I really didn’t hold out much hope they would accept the invitation.’
‘Well, they have.’ His father had been reading Tom’s letter and the brief one from Nancy. ‘And they sound excited about coming.’
Steve began to pace up and down. ‘I’ll have to let the others know.’
‘I know how much this means to you, but would you mind not making the floor so dirty,’ Rose scolded gently. ‘Both of you go and get cleaned up, then we can eat and discuss what arrangements we need to make.’
Father and son made a hasty retreat, leaving a trail of dirt behind them. Half an hour later, scrubbed clean and in fresh clothes they reappeared.
‘Right, now we can talk,’ Rose told them. ‘The first part of the plan is underway, but the next part will be the most difficult and could easily fail. Are you ready for that, son? Are you prepared to say goodbye to Nancy again and know that is the end?’
‘Yes, I have thought this through very carefully and know my chances are very slim. I have sent them open tickets that can be used anytime within the next six months.’
‘Her parents won’t be able to stay that long,’ Bill pointed out. ‘It depends how much time her father can get off work. What does he do, by the way?’
‘He’s an accountant and has his own office, so I’m hoping he can take as much holiday as he likes. I don’t want them to have to make a hasty decision, as that could be disastrous for everyone concerned.’
‘That’s very wise.’ Bill looked thoughtful. ‘He’s an accountant, you say. We could do with one of those now ours has retired. It’s a chore neither of us enjoys. So, assuming we can keep them here for a while, what are your plans?’
‘I’ll fly to the most convenient private airfield and hire a car to finish the journey to Vancouver. I’ll meet them from the ship and bring them back here. I want at least a week with them, and that will give them time to settle in and get a feel of the place. Nancy will want to see Jean and the others, so, with your permission I will bring them all here for a few days.’
‘That will be lovely,’ Rose exclaimed. ‘We will have a full house.’
‘Very full,’ Bill remarked. ‘It will be a squeeze fitting that many in, even in this house.’
‘You can use my room and I’ll sleep in the bunkhouse while they are all here.’
‘Will there be room in there?’ Rose frowned. ‘The men are nearly all back.’
‘There’s plenty of room at the moment, and if I sleep there, then the six rooms here should be enough.’
‘Well, if you don’t mind bunking down with the men it will solve the accommodation problem.’
‘Of course I don’t mind.’ Steve laughed. ‘After some of the places we slept in, the bunkhouse will be luxury. When we visited Harry we often slept on the floor or any chair we could find. Mind you, after a night at the Jolly Sailor with him and his friends, we didn’t care where we slept.’
&nbs
p; ‘He must miss Sybil,’ Bill said. ‘We should invite him to visit us sometime.’
‘You can try, Dad, but I doubt he would come. He has a group of friends, and there is a woman next door, Gladys, he is very friendly with. Not sure if it’s more than friendship, but she looks after him. Anyway, Luke will take Sybil back to London occasionally.’
‘I expect you’re right.’ Bill stood up and went over to the drinks table. ‘Want an after-dinner drink, Steve?’
‘I’ll have a small whisky, please, because I will be flying tomorrow, weather permitting, to invite the others to join us when Nancy and her parents arrive.’
It was a clear bright day and Steve was on his way early to visit everyone. It took him nearly all day and a date was finally agreed when they could all come to the ranch. Jean was overjoyed to know she would be seeing Nancy again. There was one more stop to be made before he flew back, and after a lot of searching he managed to find what he was looking for.
The light was fading when he arrived back, and carrying his precious parcel he walked into the house.
‘Is it all arranged?’ Rose asked the moment he came in.
‘It took a bit of deciding to find a date they could all manage, but we eventually got there. They are coming ten days after Nancy and her parents arrive.’
‘Lovely. What have you got there?’
He laid the parcel on the table and removed the wrapping.
‘A dartboard? What do you want that for?’
‘I’m going to put it in the bunkhouse, Dad, then while Nancy and Jean are here you and I are going to challenge them to a match.’
‘I’m not sure I could even hit the board,’ his father laughed.
‘You’ve got time to get your eye in, and we will need to be good. I’ve used up the wish I won, and I might need another one.’
‘What on earth are you talking about?’ his mother wanted to know.
He then told them how expert the girls were, and the fun they had trying to beat them at the game.
‘Ah, now we are beginning to hear about some of the things you boys got up to in England. I thought you went over there to fly Lancasters and help win the war,’ his father said jokingly.
Together Under the Stars Page 27