Home Front Girls

by Rosie Goodwin

  ‘Course I will, ducks,’ Mrs Wiggins said obligingly and she did as she was asked before handing the letter inside to Dotty and waddling off towards the kitchen. ‘I’m goin’ to fetch some more coal in an’ get these fires made up,’ she told her. ‘It’s like the bloody Arctic in ’ere. Almost as cold as me muvver-in-law’s heart.’

  Dotty guessed that the dear woman was really just looking for an excuse to leave her to read her letter in private.

  The letter began: Dear Dorothy, I hope this letter finds you well and settling happily in London. I am writing to update you on the current position of your late mother’s, Alice Louise Timms’s, estate.

  Dotty felt her legs go all wobbly. Surprisingly she had never known the woman’s Christian names before. To her, she had always been simply ‘Miss Timms’. Now that she did know them, it somehow made her mother feel more real. Alice – it was such a pretty name and Dotty wondered why she had never tried to find out what it was before. The rest of the letter just went on to tell her how much longer it might be before her inheritance was wholly signed over to her. Mr Jenkins also asked if she was still all right for funds and told her to contact him immediately should she need more. He then ended the letter by wishing her a very Merry Christmas, and wrote that he was looking forward to seeing her again in the New Year when they could finalise the transfer of Miss Timms’s estate into her name.

  Dotty sighed as she awkwardly folded the letter and poked it back into the envelope. Mr Jenkins really had been remarkably kind and helpful, considering he had never met her before. But then she supposed he was used to dealing with people who found themselves in her position. She glanced at the clock then before moving to the window. Robert should be here soon and as always she waited for a glimpse of him.

  ‘I have to say it isn’t easy buying presents with the strict rationing in force, although thankfully I did manage to get some toys for the children,’ Laura remarked just before one o’clock that afternoon as they shopped in the Strand. Oxford Street had been heavily bombed in the Blitz. ‘I know most people have resorted to knitting and sewing presents for their nearest and dearest, but I’m afraid I’ve never been much good at that sort of thing,’ she giggled. ‘I’m not much of a cook either, as you know, so I sometimes wonder what my Paul ever saw in me.’

  ‘I imagine he saw what everyone else sees,’ Dotty told her. ‘A kind, beautiful woman who would turn out to be a wonderful wife and mother. And clever too. You keep the magazine running like clockwork. I don’t know how you do it, but I do know Robert would be lost without you. He’s always singing your praises.’

  Laura blushed at the compliment before asking, ‘How are we doing on the present front anyway?’

  ‘Well, I got some lavender bath salts for Miranda, a pretty hat for Lucy, and some perfume for Annabelle. I just have to get something for Robert now. Do you have any suggestions?’ She had already bought presents for Laura and her family the week before when she had gone shopping with Robert, but she didn’t mention that, of course. The gifts were safely hidden away in her room.

  ‘Hmm.’ Laura tapped her lip thoughtfully with her gloved finger before suggesting, ‘How about a nice scarf for him?’

  Dotty pulled a face. It didn’t seem like much of a gift considering all he did for her, and she could easily afford something more expensive with the allowance Mr Jenkins had forwarded to her.

  ‘I know,’ she said suddenly as an idea popped into her head. ‘How about a pen? A really nice pen, I mean. One that he could keep.’ She thought regretfully of the one that her mother had bought for her, now buried beneath tons of rubble and lost forever.

  ‘I think he’d love that,’ Laura said, and taking Dotty’s elbow she propelled her in the direction of a shop where she had a feeling she would find just what she was looking for.

  An hour later they caught a bus to Liverpool Street, and from there walked home feeling content with their purchases. Dotty had bought Robert a solid silver fountain pen and could hardly wait for Christmas morning when she could give it to him. Back indoors, they drank a pot of tea before Laura rushed off to fetch the children from school.

  ‘An’ what are you plannin’ on doin’ tonight then?’ Ada Wiggins asked as she cleared the dirty dishes into the sink.

  ‘Robert is taking me to the Finsbury Park Empire to see Max Miller, the Cheeky Chappie, and I was wondering if you’d mind helping me wash my hair again, please, Mrs Wiggins?’

  ‘O’ course I don’t mind,’ the woman told her cheerily. ‘We ’ave to ’ave you lookin’ yer best. I must say I’m quite envious. I do like Max Miller meself an’ they reckon it’s a grand show, but you wouldn’t get my old man to anyfink like that, not if ’e was under threat of death. Let’s just ’ope Jerry stays away, eh? We don’t want no raids to spoil it fer you.’ She then scurried off to put the kettle on for some hot water and an hour later Dotty sat by the fire as the woman rubbed at her hair with a towel.

  Robert arrived promptly at seven o’clock in a taxi to pick her up and as they drove towards the theatre he whispered, ‘You’re looking really lovely tonight, Dotty.’

  She blushed furiously. She was still not used to compliments and never quite knew how to respond to them.

  ‘I er . . . was wondering if you still think we might be able to get back to Coventry for a brief visit before Christmas?’ she asked hopefully, keen to change the subject.

  ‘Actually I was thinking the day after tomorrow, the day before Christmas Eve, if that suits you?’ Robert was pleased when he saw her face light up. He knew that she regarded Lucy and Annabelle as her nearest and dearest, although they were only friends

  ‘Oh, that would be marvellous. Thank you, but are you sure you can spare the time?’

  ‘The Christmas and New Year edition of the magazine went to print first thing yesterday morning, so after tomorrow evening when I’ve tidied a few things up, I’m all yours for the holiday,’ he assured her. ‘All we have to do now is hope that the trains are running.’

  She sent up a silent prayer that they would be.

  ‘Dotty, Robert, come in! Oh, it’s so lovely to see you! We weren’t sure that you’d make it with the weather being so appalling.’ Miranda hugged Dotty with delight, being careful not to hurt her arm, which was still in a sling tucked beneath her coat. She nearly dragged the young couple into the hallway, where she shouted, ‘Annabelle! Lucy! Guess who’s here?’ She turned back to them then and helped Dotty to take her coat off. ‘It’s perfect timing,’ she told them gleefully. ‘Annabelle got home late last night and Lucy’s popped round to see her.’

  At that moment the two girls appeared in the drawing-room doorway and they too were thrilled to see her, although Dotty instantly noticed that Lucy didn’t look at all well.

  They all greeted each other fondly, hugging Robert too in welcome, then while Miranda hurried away to fetch some refreshments, Dotty asked, ‘Are you all right, Lucy? I think you’ve lost some weight and you’re awfully pale.’

  ‘I’m fine. It’s just these night shifts are taking some getting used to, that’s all,’ Lucy replied. ‘I never realised how cushy we had it at Owen Owen till I started in the munitions factory. It’s damned hard work, I don’t mind telling you, standing on a production line for hours on end. The women I work with are a decent lot though.’

  ‘And how is your job going?’ Dotty asked Annabelle.

  The girl shrugged. ‘Fine. I’ve actually been taken off bedpan duty now and I’m in the operating theatres sterilising the instruments, which is an improvement.’

  They chatted about this and that, and as the afternoon wore on they all exchanged presents with promises that they wouldn’t be opened until Christmas morning. It had been arranged that Lucy would spend Christmas Day with Annabelle and Miranda, who had decided to stay at home rather than go to her parents, and Boxing Day with Mr and Mrs P.

  ‘And what will you be doing?’ they asked Dotty.

  When she glanced at Robert uncertainly he gri
nned. ‘She’ll be spending the day with me,’ he told them with a wink. ‘I’ve got something pretty special lined up for her but I can’t tell you what it is because I don’t want to spoil the surprise.’

  Dotty was intrigued as she tried to imagine what it might be, but then Robert looked at the clock and told her regretfully, ‘I’m sorry, darling, but we ought to be heading back to the station now if we’re to have any chance of getting back to London tonight. It was bad enough on the way here,’ he explained to the others. ‘Because of the weather conditions the train got diverted twice and it might be even worse now because it hasn’t stopped snowing.’

  ‘Well, you’re more than welcome to stay here. In fact, you can stay over Christmas if you like,’ Miranda offered generously. She was actually dreading Christmas without her husband, so it was a case of the more the merrier as far as she was concerned – especially as Annabelle had to return to Haslar the day after Boxing Day. Now that Annabelle had managed to get leave, Miranda was determined to make the most of every second they had together, which was why she had decided to stay at home, for who knew how long it might be before her daughter was able to get leave again? Miranda just prayed that they might get some respite from the air raids. She’d almost forgotten what it was like to have an unbroken night’s sleep, and now even when she did she found that she lay there waiting for the sirens to wail.

  Robert told her, ‘That’s really kind of you and I appreciate the offer, but Laura will be in a tizz if I don’t deliver Madam here back home to her.’

  Miranda bustled away to get their coats and hats and when the couple were ready, everyone saw them to the door. Dotty hugged them all as best she could with her one good arm. ‘The next time I see you, I hope I’ll have got rid of this thing,’ she told them tearfully, and then she and Robert set off, watched by the others until the thickly falling snow swallowed them up.

  Robert arrived at Laura’s bright and early on Christmas morning with a spring in his step and a twinkle in his eye.

  ‘Merry Christmas,’ Laura greeted him from the hearthrug where she was playing with Simon and his new train set.

  ‘Uncle Robert . . . look what Santa brought for me!’ Lizzie flung herself at him, proudly showing off her new doll, and he shook his head in mock amazement.

  ‘Why, she’s just about the prettiest dolly I ever saw,’ he told her seriously. ‘But not quite as pretty as you, of course.’

  Lizzie giggled with delight before skipping off to examine her other presents. Robert thought how festive the room looked. A large Christmas tree standing in the corner of the room in a sturdy bucket was decorated with tinsel and paper garlands that the children had made, and glossy sprigs of holly were placed on every surface, the red berries looking festive. A fire was burning in the grate, adding to the cosy atmosphere, and Robert hoped that one day he too would have a lovely family like Laura’s.

  ‘So, is she almost ready?’ he asked.

  Laura nodded. ‘Yes, she’s all spruced up and ready to go, and dying to know what the surprise is. In fact, we all are.’

  He grinned but shook his head. ‘You’ll know soon enough.’

  Dotty came in then looking very pretty in a pink twinset that Laura and Paul had bought her for Christmas, and a smart black skirt. She usually avoided bright colours but they all thought how much it suited her.

  ‘You look beautiful,’ Robert told her and Dotty flushed self-consciously.

  ‘I might look better without this,’ she answered, tapping her plaster cast, and everyone laughed. It was very colourful now as Simon and Lizzie had crayoned pictures all over it.

  ‘Right, well, if Madam is ready, her carriage awaits.’ Robert bowed gallantly, making the two children snort with laughter. They had never seen their Uncle Robert do anything like that before and found it highly amusing.

  ‘But where are we going?’ Dotty asked as Laura helped her into her coat.

  ‘Ah, now that would be telling and it wouldn’t be a surprise then, would it?’

  He led her out to a waiting car and soon they were manoeuvring through the streets of London as Dotty tried to guess their destination.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  When they pulled onto the little road that led to the grand entrance of the Savoy Hotel, Dotty gaped.

  ‘That’s right,’ Robert told her, looking pleased with himself. ‘We’re going to have our Christmas dinner in the River Restaurant.’

  ‘B-but Winston Churchill goes there. I know because I read it in the papers. Won’t it be awfully expensive?’ Dotty still couldn’t accept the fact that she was now a wealthy young woman. Robert was rich too, but she didn’t want him spending all his money on her. It didn’t feel right.

  ‘It’s Christmas Day,’ he scolded gently. ‘Surely I’m allowed to spoil you today of all days?’

  ‘Well, if you’re quite sure.’

  She allowed him to help her from the taxi and before she knew it they were in the most luxurious foyer she had ever seen. Robert looked totally at ease there but Dotty felt like a fish out of water. She was shocked to see how many people were there, many of them officers in uniform with pretty girls on their arms drinking cocktails, smoking and appearing to be having a really good time. As Robert moved to the desk she glanced around in awe at the sweeping staircase and the huge crystal chandeliers that were sending rainbow prisms all about the room. Her feet felt as if they might disappear into the thick-pile wall-to-wall carpet and she was stunned that such luxury existed, especially as there was a war on.

  When Robert came back, she whispered, ‘Robert, I’m going to look such a fool. I can’t even cut my own food up with only one hand.’ Dotty was mortified to think of people laughing at her, but he instantly reassured her.

  ‘Don’t get worrying about that. It’s all in hand, trust me.’

  Seeing that she didn’t have much choice, Dotty followed him to the restaurant where they were met by a head waiter in a black suit, white shirt and bow-tie.

  ‘Ah, Mr Brabinger, how nice to see you again,’ he greeted him smoothly. ‘Do follow me, sir. We have your table all ready for you.’ He then nodded politely at Dotty before whisking them through the tables to a spot near the rear window, overlooking the Thames. So he’s been here before then, Dotty found herself thinking. I wonder who with? She instantly felt annoyed with herself for being so possessive. Robert could have brought lots of women here in the past! What business was it of hers?

  Awed, she stared at the table laid with its crisp white cloth, shining silver cutlery and cut-glass goblets. She was still concerned about how she was going to manage to cut up her food, but she needn’t have worried. When the meal was served she found that every morsel in the large silver salvers had been chopped into bite-sized pieces, even the turkey. It seemed that Robert had thought of everything and saved her a lot of embarrassment. It never ceased to amaze her how well Robert coped with his withered hand. But then she supposed that he had had a lifetime to adjust to it and it certainly didn’t seem to stop him from doing most things.

  ‘Thank you,’ she whispered across the table and he smiled as a waiter approached with a bottle of champagne. Again Dotty tried not to think about how much all this must be costing. After pouring out two foaming flutes, the waiter left them.

  ‘I hope you didn’t mind me ordering for us,’ Robert said as he raised his glass to her. ‘But I somehow thought you’d be the sort of girl who would like the traditional Christmas fare. I can always order you something else if you don’t like it though,’ he added, hoping he hadn’t overstepped the mark.

  ‘It’s perfect,’ Dotty said happily, giggling as the champagne bubbles went up her nose. ‘Merry Christmas!’ They toasted each other, and suddenly it was really Christmas!

  Each course was perfectly cooked, and within an hour Dotty groaned and rubbed her stomach as she told Robert, ‘That was really delicious but I think I shall burst if I eat so much as another mouthful.’

  ‘I’m glad you enjoyed it,’ h
e replied as the waiter removed the dishes that had contained their Christmas pudding. ‘But you must make room for some coffee and a mince pie before we leave, just to finish it all off.’

  ‘If you insist.’ Dotty was really enjoying herself now that she had relaxed and knew that she would never forget this day. It had been perfect. And then Robert did something quite unexpected and amazing as they waited for their coffee to be served: he produced a small velvet box from the pocket of his jacket and took a deep breath as he looked Dotty in the eye.

  ‘Dotty, I . . .’ He gulped then forced himself to go on. ‘I have something here that I’d like you to have.’ He snapped the lid open and she found herself gazing down at a beautiful emerald and diamond ring. ‘It was my mother’s and—’

  She held up her hand to stop him as she fingered the locket about her neck. ‘I’m afraid if you were planning on giving it to me, I shall have to refuse,’ she told him primly. ‘I already have her locket and I treasure it, but I really can’t accept any more of her jewellery. It just wouldn’t be right.’

  ‘But you don’t understand,’ he flustered. ‘This was Mother’s engagement ring.’

  ‘Then that is all the more reason why you shouldn’t be giving it away.’

  ‘Oh dear.’ Robert ran a hand through his thick wavy hair which would not be tamed by any amount of Brylcreem. ‘I’m afraid I’ve handled this all wrong. You see, Mother always said that she wanted the woman I chose to marry to wear this ring. What I’m trying to say is . . . Dotty, will you do me the very great honour of becoming my wife?’

  When Dotty simply stared vacantly back at him, he stumbled on, ‘I wanted to give this to you as an engagement ring – but of course, if you didn’t like it you could choose another one. Any one you liked. If you’ll only say you’ll marry me, that is. I mean, I know I’m not much of a catch with this arm and being so much older than you, but . . . Oh Lord. I’ve made the most frightful hash of this, haven’t I? I suppose I should have gone down on one knee and done things properly. And I so wanted everything to be perfect.’