A Time of Peace

by Beryl Matthews

  ‘Yeah, two.’ He gazed up at his idol. ‘You’re a smashing pilot and I’ve had a smashing day!’

  ‘I enjoyed it too.’

  Tom threw his arms around Reid’s waist and then Annie’s, looking rather pink and embarrassed about showing so much affection. He grabbed Paul and David. ‘Come on, let’s go and tell Mrs Green. There’ll be grub in the kitchen,’ he added as an incentive.

  Kate watched them leave and hugged Reid and Annie; then James and Jon came over.

  ‘Two somersaults?’ Jon raised a brow in query, making Reid chuckle.

  ‘Not quite, but I threw the plane about a bit and he loved it. He squealed in delight and every time I levelled off he yelled at me to do it again.’

  ‘So you think he’s got the makings of a pilot?’ Jon asked.

  Reid looked thoughtful, then nodded. ‘He could, and he certainly wants it enough. I’m going to keep my eye on him and see how he turns out.’

  ‘That’s good of you, Reid.’

  ‘It will be a pleasure.’ Reid smiled. ‘He’s like me when I was about his age.’

  Annie had disappeared into the kitchen, so Kate stood back a little and watched Reid and Jon together. They were both at least six foot tall, strong, powerful men. Now in his early fifties, Reid was still handsome, with a special aura about him that hadn’t dimmed with age. It wasn’t hard to recognize the calm determination that had made him an outstanding pilot during the war. Then there was Jon, younger by more than twenty years, and yet with the same qualities. She drew in a deep breath. She hadn’t noticed it before, but they were cast from the same mould, and she loved them both so much. Reid had always been like a second father to her, but her feelings for Jon were very different indeed. She prayed that he was her future.

  The show was a riot as the audience screamed and hollered at the antics of the puppets. It was just as well the kids were making so much noise, because it muffled the helpless roars of laughter coming from the adults. Kate thought Pete was going to fall off his chair several times as he doubled over, and Reid was helpless with laughter.

  It was impossible to tell what the story was as the boys got quite carried away in their enthusiasm to have their own particular puppet in the thick of the action. Audible whispered instructions were coming from behind the black curtain by Jon and James, but it was a hopeless task, and after a while they obviously gave up trying to control the show. No one minded. The children in the audience thought it was fabulous, and the grown-ups hadn’t laughed so much for ages. Terry and his wife had brought their young son along; although too young to understand, he was wide-eyed and making as much noise as everyone else.

  The curtain came down to thunderous applause, and the boys emerged from the back flushed and beaming. James made them all take a bow, then Kate yelled for the author. Jon stepped forward looking dishevelled from the struggle backstage, and gave an elaborate bow. James was next as the stage manager. Then, after one more round of cheers for the puppet masters, it was a stampede for the food.

  ‘My God,’ James said, mopping his brow, ‘that was a shambles. What was the plot supposed to be, Jon?’

  ‘Don’t ask me. I only wrote it, but I lost track after about ten minutes.’

  ‘Well, don’t bother next time, just let the kids make it up as they go along. Which is exactly what they did tonight.’

  A look of absolute horror crossed Jon’s face. ‘Good grief, you’re not thinking of doing this again, are you?’

  Kate exploded when she saw their expressions, laughing until the tears ran down her face. When she could speak again, she said, ‘Come on, let’s get something to eat before it all goes.’

  They stayed until the boys were in bed. Eddie was too tired to listen to a story, and was asleep almost before she pulled the covers over him. Tom received a kiss from Reid and Annie without a murmur of protest. Everyone agreed that it had been a highly successful, if exhausting, show.

  Nearly everyone had gone when Jon touched Kate’s arm. ‘Come back to the flat. I want to talk to you.’

  They both had their own cars, so she followed him to Kensington. Once in the flat, he gathered her into his arms and kissed her, lingering as if he never wanted to let her go.

  After a while he held her away from him and looked into her eyes, sighing deeply. ‘That’s better; I’ve been longing to do that all evening. I know I don’t say it often enough, but you know I love you so much, don’t you, Kate?’

  ‘I know.’ She reached up and ran her fingers over his lips. ‘And I love you too, in fact, I do believe I adore you.’

  ‘Good.’ He held her tightly for a while, not speaking, then said suddenly, ‘Would you like tea, coffee, or something stronger?’

  ‘Tea, please.’ She watched him walk over to put the kettle on. The easy laughter of earlier had gone; now he was serious, as if he had something on his mind. Was he going to tell her that he was going away again? She always had the worry at the back of her mind that he would return to his former life as a war correspondent. If he was going she wouldn’t try to stop him, but what would she do without him? He had become the love of her life over the last three months.

  He returned with two mugs of tea, and they sat on the sofa. She sipped her drink and gazed at him over the rim of her mug, steeling herself for whatever he was going to tell her. ‘You said you wanted to talk?’

  Reaching out, he took the mug from her, placed it on the floor, and took her hands in his, examining her delicate fingers, his head bowed. When he looked up, his serious gaze held hers for long silent seconds. Her heart raced. He was going away and didn’t know how to tell her.

  ‘My darling Kate,’ he murmured. ‘I can’t bear to think of my life without you. Will you marry me?’

  Relief was the first emotion to surge through her, and then joy. She tumbled into his arms laughing and crying at the same time. ‘I thought you were going to leave me. Yes, yes, I will marry you.’

  It was quite a while before they were able to talk and, as always, it was Jon who put a rein on their overflowing passion. He held her away from him until their breathing returned to something like normal. ‘I’m never going to leave you. I’m not a rich man, my darling, but I’ll make you happy.’

  ‘We’ll make each other happy. Grandpa George left me an inheritance in trust until I reached twenty-five or married – whichever came first. I don’t know exactly what it’s worth now, but I’m sure it will be enough to buy a small house.’

  ‘Well, we’ll see about that. We can always live here for a while.’

  She guessed he wasn’t too happy about having his wife provide for him, so she dropped the subject. ‘Of course we can. I don’t care where it is as long as we’re together.’

  ‘That’s just how I feel. And stop trying to get close,’ he laughed, ‘we’ve got decisions to make first.’

  ‘First?’ she teased.

  ‘Yes, I can’t promise I’ll be able to control myself tonight. Now, how soon can we be married?’

  ‘As soon as possible.’

  ‘Four weeks, then. Church or register office?’

  ‘Church, the family will want …’ Suddenly her eyes clouded and the familiar ache was back in her heart. ‘Dad should be here to give me away.’

  ‘I know, my love, he will be missed.’ He gently caressed her cheek. ‘But you’ll have Will, Charlie or Reid to choose from for that honour.’

  ‘Of course.’ She was so lucky to have a family to share this day with. Jon didn’t have anyone. If she couldn’t have her father by her side, then there was only one other man she would want. ‘I’ll ask Reid.’

  ‘I’m sure he’d love to do it.’

  She laughed then, her sadness disappearing. ‘Do you think we could get him to wear his old uniform? Tom would love that.’

  ‘I don’t suppose he would for a moment and it might not fit him now.’

  ‘He’s hardly changed over the years, but he’ll look just as good in a morning suit.’

  ‘Heaven
s,’ he exclaimed, ‘you’re not expecting us to wear top hat and tails, are you?’

  ‘Not if you don’t want to,’ she teased, ‘but I might try to get Eddie and Tom into satin breeches.’

  ‘You’d be wasting your time with Tom.’ He roared with laughter at the thought. ‘But Eddie might. He’d do anything for you.’

  She looked down and chewed her bottom lip, remembering her promise to him. But did she have the right to expect Jon to take on a child so early in their marriage?

  ‘Say what’s on your mind, Kate.’

  ‘Eddie asked me to adopt him when I married and I promised to think about it.’

  ‘And what would you like to do?’

  He was speaking softly, not putting any pressure on her, and she knew that the decision would be hers to make. ‘I’d love him as our son … but if that isn’t what you want – ’

  He stopped her with a kiss, then said, ‘It is what I want.’

  ‘That’s wonderful!’ She hugged him in delight, her happiness complete. ‘I’ll get Mum on to the legal part straight away.’

  ‘She’s already set the wheels in motion, but Eddie mustn’t be told until it’s settled.’

  Kate was surprised. ‘You’ve talked this over with her already?’

  ‘Of course I have.’ He grinned. ‘I’m not brave enough to ask you to marry me without Rose’s permission. And she was sure you’d want to adopt Eddie.’

  She tipped her head to one side, keeping her expression serious with difficulty. ‘You were sure I’d accept you?’

  ‘No, but Rose was. She told me to stop wasting time and bloody well get on with it.’ He stood up and pulled her to her feet. ‘Now that that’s all settled, my self-control is torn to shreds. If you’re going to make me wait for our wedding night, then you’d better go now.’

  ‘I’m not going anywhere,’ she said, wrapping her arms around his neck as he swept her up in his arms.

  39

  The 28th of April, 1962! Kate slipped out of bed and watched the sun rise in a cloudless sky. It was her wedding day, and it was going to be glorious.

  The bedroom door opened, and her mother came in. ‘Thought I heard you moving about. Do you want breakfast in bed?’

  ‘No, thanks, I’ll come downstairs.’ When her mother had left, she sat on the edge of the bed and sipped her tea. She was feeling nervous, but couldn’t wait to become Mrs Devlin. It had been a real scramble to get everything arranged in time, but neither of them wanted to wait any longer than necessary.

  She put on her dressing gown and wandered down to the kitchen. There were two hours yet before anyone began to arrive, so this would give her a chance to have a quiet time with her mother. It had worried Kate that her mother would be living here on her own after today, but Rose had pointed out very firmly that she was quite capable of looking after herself. She hadn’t gone soft in her old age!

  Kate smiled to herself. Rose Freeman certainly hadn’t gone soft. Without the gentle restraining hand of her husband, she was back to her old battling self and fast becoming the terror of the local magistrates court.

  ‘Do you want a cooked breakfast?’ her mother asked, ‘or just toast and marmalade?’

  ‘Toast, please.’

  This was soon prepared, and with a fresh pot of tea in front of them they sat down.

  ‘When are you going to tell Eddie that you’ve adopted him?’ Rose buttered the toast and poured them both a cup of tea.

  ‘At the reception. We would have liked to tell him sooner, but, as the papers only came through yesterday, we decided to leave it until we were married.’

  ‘He’ll want to come on honeymoon with you.’ Her mother laughed.

  ‘He won’t have long to wait; we’re only going for two days and we’ll collect him as soon as we’re back.’

  ‘He can stay with me for that short time if you like.’

  ‘Oh, that would be lovely.’ Kate was thrilled with the suggestion. Not only would it please Eddie, but it would mean that her mother would have someone with her after the wedding.

  ‘Reid and Annie want to foster Tom and have asked me to deal with it for them.’ Rose poured them both another cup of tea. ‘If things go well, they might consider adopting him.’

  Kate stopped with a piece of toast almost at her mouth. ‘That’s wonderful! They’ve kept that quiet.’

  ‘They didn’t want to say anything until they were sure they would be allowed to do it.’

  This day was already full of good news. ‘He’s a tough little kid, but Reid and Annie are the perfect couple to handle him.’

  ‘It won’t be an easy job, they know that, but they think he deserves a chance in life. They would have liked more children, but they left it rather late to start their family. I hope you and Jon will soon have a brother or sister for Eddie.’

  ‘We intend to, Mum. This will be the first time in their lives that both of them have had a family of their own.’

  ‘I can’t imagine what that’s like.’ Rose shook her head sadly. ‘Even when I lived in Bermondsey, fighting and struggling to exist, there was always the family. That was a good idea of yours, not to segregate the bride and groom’s guests in the church. It would have been insensitive to have our side full to overflowing and only a sprinkling on Jon’s side. It’s much better to mix everyone up.’ Rose smiled. ‘We’re all one family now, and I’ve gained a grandson already.’

  ‘Eddie’s going to love that.’ Kate joined in with her mother’s laughter.

  ‘You won’t be able to stay in that small flat for long, Kate. Eddie will need a garden to kick about in.’

  ‘We’ve decided to look for a house as soon as we come back from Bournemouth.’

  ‘I was talking to Mrs Ellis yesterday, and she told me she’s going to live with her daughter and is selling up.’

  ‘That’s perfect!’ Kate leapt to her feet. ‘It’s next to Will and that means we would have three houses in a row. I’ll go and see her now.’

  ‘It’s only eight o’clock and she won’t be up yet. I’ve already told her you might be interested. She said that she won’t sell to anyone until she’s spoken to you. I said you’d come and see her towards the end of next week.’

  ‘Wonderful, you think of everything.’ Kate sat down again and reached for the teapot.

  At that moment, Reid, Annie and the boys, Paul and David, arrived. Annie immediately took charge.

  ‘Have you had your bath yet, Kate? Time’s getting on.’

  She smiled at her mother and gave an amused shrug. Their quiet time was over, but she was pleased they’d had this precious hour together.

  The kitchen door opened and the family poured in, all dressed in new clothes and ready early for this big day. The room filled quickly with Will and Dora, Charlie, Madge, and teenagers, all jostling for space and looking at Kate and her mother in disbelief. Right behind them were James, Sam and his family, who were staying with her brother in Richmond, quickly followed by Beth and Steve. Beth was going to be her bridesmaid, and it was a cause of amazement to Kate that she was marrying before her friend. Beth’s wedding was set for July and would be another celebration.

  ‘Kate, Rose!’ Dora exclaimed. ‘What the devil are you doing still in your dressing gowns?’

  ‘There’s plenty of time – ’ Rose was cut off with howls of protest.

  Annie and Madge took charge of Kate, hustling her towards the stairs, leaving Dora to deal with Rose.

  Half an hour later Kate was being eased into her dress. She had insisted that it be kept simple, and Annie had done a wonderful job with the design. It was in oyster satin, with a wide neckline to emphasize her lovely shoulders, tapering to a point at the waist, with the skirt falling almost straight to the floor. Long slender sleeves added to the elegant dress. Her mother’s veil was attached to a crown of apple blossom, and satin shoes completed the outfit.

  ‘Oh my,’ Dora sighed as she came into the bedroom, ‘Jon isn’t going to know what’s hit him when he sees you
.’

  Annie laughed as she smoothed the skirt down. ‘Terry’s best man, so I hope he keeps a tight hold on the groom. We don’t want him collapsing with ecstasy at the altar.’

  The thought of Jon being so overcome made Kate chuckle, though he had revealed a very passionate nature over the last few weeks …

  Rose came in looking wonderful in a royal-blue dress and jacket and holding an old velvet case in her hands. ‘This is for you. I’d like you to wear it today, Kate.’

  Inside was a beautiful string of pearls with a diamond clasp. ‘Great Grandma Gresham’s necklace,’ Kate gasped. She’d only ever seen it once and that had been on Annie when she’d married Reid just after the war.

  ‘I wore it on my wedding day and so did Annie.’ Rose fastened it around her neck and then stood back to admire the effect. ‘Perfect. It’s yours now, Kate, but I’d like your promise that you’ll keep it to hand on to one of your own children.’

  ‘I’ll never sell it, Mum.’ She ran her fingers over the pearls, knowing how much they meant to her mother. Rose was the illegitimate daughter of Sir George Gresham, and had lived all of her young life in the slums of London with her mother, Marj. Marj had been in service when she’d been seduced by the man of the house, only to be thrown out on the street when she became pregnant. Rose had finally met George when she was sixteen, and, both being of a fiery nature, they’d fought. George’s mother, Lavinia Gresham, had been a dear, though, and eventually they’d all become friends. After Lavinia’s death, George had become a part of the Freeman family, and Kate had loved him so much. It had been a terrible shock when he’d been killed by a flying bomb just as the war was coming to a close …

  Beth floated in wearing a long pale lilac bridesmaid’s dress, with a circlet of white roses in her hair, and spun round for Kate to see the finished effect. ‘Will I do?’ she asked.

  ‘Perfect.’ Kate grinned at her friend. ‘This will be a rehearsal for your own wedding.’

  Reid peered in the room. ‘Everyone out. The bridal car will be here in twenty minutes.’

  There was a stampede as they headed for the cars to take them to the church in Putney.