Wings of the Morning

by Beryl Matthews

  The journey to Wales was hard on the grandmother, and to make matters worse the boy knew she was ill. He was clearly frightened and clung to the elderly lady for the whole trip. Any effort by Sam or Annie to comfort him was pushed away. Jacques allowed Annie to care for his grandmother during the journey and accepted food and drink from her, but he wouldn’t have anything to do with his father. Annie was relieved that George was doing the driving and not Sam. Sam was not a good driver at the best of times, and the poor man was so distracted with concern they would surely have had an accident.

  It was a relief when they arrived and Rose strode towards the car, taking charge of everything in her usual, no-nonsense manner. Once the old lady was settled in bed she fell asleep instantly, and the doctor was sent for.

  ‘Come along, young man.’ Rose scooped Jacques from the bed. ‘Let your grandmother rest.’

  He opened his mouth to scream, then looked into Rose’s eyes, and the sound was cut to a whimper. Even he recognized that you didn’t argue with Rose.

  James, Kate, Pirate and Tibby were waiting in the lounge with a selection of toys scattered about the floor. When Rose put the boy next to them he scuttled on to the settee and hugged a cushion in front of him for protection.

  ‘What’s wrong with him?’ James asked Sam.

  ‘He has been taken from everything he was familiar with, and his grandmother is too ill to help him. He knows no one and is very frightened.’

  James nodded in understanding, picked up a small toy train and handed it to the cowering boy. A hand sneaked out from behind the cushion and touched the desirable object.

  ‘You can have it,’ James told him, pushing the toy into his hand.

  The little fingers curled around it and then it was pulled under the cushion and examined in secret.

  Annie heard Sam’s sharp intake of breath and she touched his arm. ‘It will be all right. Just give it time.’

  ‘What’s his name?’ Kate spoke for the first time.

  ‘Jacques,’ Sam told her.

  ‘Hmm. I’ll call him Jack.’ Kate went and sat beside him, gave a wide smile, then began to ease the cushion away from him.

  At that moment Marj arrived with tea, bread and jam, and even a home-made cake. ‘Sit down all of you. We’ll have our tea in here today. I’ve got milk for the youngsters.’

  Kate had managed to get the cushion away from Jack, who was staring at her as if fascinated. But he was still huddled in the corner of the settee.

  ‘Poor little sod!’ Wally muttered. ‘What kind of a life has he had?’

  ‘Not good,’ Sam told him, but did not elaborate further.

  Rose, a glass of milk in her hand, went over and sat on the arm of the settee. ‘Here you are, Jack, you drink this. You must be famished.’

  The boy tore his eyes away from Kate to look at Rose, his gaze swinging from mother to daughter, and then back again to Rose.

  Annie handed Sam a plate. ‘It looks as if he’s been renamed. Do you mind?’

  ‘No. At least they’re getting some response from him, and that’s more than I’ve been able to do.’

  ‘They’ll soon have him laughing and running around.’ Annie wasn’t surprised to see tears well up in Sam’s eyes. It was obvious he adored his newly found son, and the strain of rejection must be hard to take.

  ‘I just had to get him out of France, Annie.’ He sounded almost apologetic. ‘But all I seem to have done is inflict more unhappiness on him.’

  ‘It was the right thing to do.’ Annie tried to put herself in Sam’s place. She knew that if she’d found a member of her family in such terrible circumstances she’d have done the same thing. It might take time but Jacques would eventually adjust. She watched her sister, and sighed to release the tension in her chest. If anyone could ease his fear, it was Rose.

  ‘There’s a good boy.’ Rose held up the empty glass and smiled at Jack. ‘Would you like some bread and jam now?’

  ‘He can’t understand you,’ George pointed out, as he came into the lounge after unloading the car.

  ‘He soon will.’ Rose cut a slice of bread into small squares and popped one piece at a time into Jack’s mouth, waiting patiently for him to chew and swallow.

  Annie remembered Rose doing that for her when she had been little.

  They were all settling down to enjoy their tea when the door opened and a tall man strode in.

  ‘Daddy!’ Kate erupted off the seat and into her father’s arms.

  Everyone was milling around, greeting Bill and laughing, except Sam and Annie who had seen Jack’s reaction to the tall sailor.

  ‘Oh, my God!’ Sam rushed over to the settee.

  ‘What is it?’ Bill was beside him at once.

  Sam explained briefly about his son, then said, ‘It’s the uniform, he’s terrified of them.’

  Bill shrugged out of his jacket, ripped his tie off and bent down to look behind the settee. ‘Hello, young man.’ He spoke in French, his voice calm and gentle, as always. ‘Aren’t you going to come out and see me?’

  Kate joined her father. ‘You don’t have to be frightened of my daddy, he’s very kind.’

  Annie listened to a scuffling sound from behind the settee, and then saw Bill surge to his feet holding Sam’s son.

  ‘My goodness, you are a handsome boy,’ Bill told him as he sat down and settled the child on his knee. ‘What’s your name?’

  ‘Jacques,’ he whispered.

  Kate climbed up beside her father. ‘I’m going to call him Jack.’

  ‘Really?’ Bill ran a hand affectionately over his daughter’s hair, and then smiled at the boy. ‘Is that all right with you?’

  The child nodded and said, ‘Jack.’

  ‘The doctor’s here,’ George announced.

  Rose and Sam left the room, and returned twenty minutes later, their expressions grim.

  ‘She’s bad, isn’t she?’ Marj said.

  Rose nodded. ‘She refuses to go into hospital, so she’ll stay here with us and we’ll look after her.’

  Sam cast Rose a grateful look, then spoke to them. ‘She knew she was dying and agreed to come here so that my son could have a better life. But the journey and worry have weakened her.’

  ‘I’m so sorry.’ Annie’s heart bled for Sam and his son. There were difficult times ahead of them.

  During the next few days the March weather decided it was going to have a last winter fling; it was bitterly cold and trying to snow all the time. Jacques followed James and Kate everywhere and became agitated if he couldn’t find them. But he still wouldn’t go to his father, and it was obviously upsetting Sam.

  Twice a day Jacques was taken to see his grandmother, who made a supreme effort to smile and joke with him. She told him each time that he was now with good people who would look after him. He listened solemnly, and clung to James and Kate even more after each visit.

  Bill returned to his ship after three days, and a week later the elderly woman died peacefully in her sleep.

  ‘How are you going to tell Jacques?’ Rose asked Sam.

  ‘I’m going to let him see her. If she suddenly disappears he will think I’ve sent her away, and God knows I have enough problems with him as it is.’

  ‘Do you think he will understand if he sees her?’ Annie asked him. ‘She looks so peaceful, as if she’s just fallen asleep.’

  ‘It’s the only thing I can do; I think he will understand what has happened to his grandmother.’

  ‘I’ll come with you.’ Annie held out her hand to Jacques and he followed obediently.

  The boy stood by the bed staring at the body of his grandmother. He was absolutely still and silent, the only movement was a single tear as it trickled down his cheek. Then he ran from the room, down the stairs and into the lounge, throwing himself on to the settee and huddling in the corner, as he’d done the day he arrived. He had made progress, but now it seemed as if that had been reversed.

  Annie watched as Sam sat beside his son and tried
to comfort him, but the boy screwed himself into a tight ball and ignored him, lost in his own misery.

  Kate surveyed the scene for a while, then sat next to Sam and reached across him to take hold of Jacques’s hand. She slipped her other hand through Sam’s arm and leaned against him.

  Annie was constantly amazed by her niece’s ability to do the right thing at the right time. By her gestures she was clearly telling Jacques that his father could be trusted. The boy seemed to think about it for a while, then slid on to Sam’s lap and gave way to his grief, sobbing into his chest.

  Annie breathed a sigh of relief; he had turned to his father at last. There was a long way to go, of course, but it was an encouraging step. She was at the end of her special leave and had to get back to Chicksands, but at least she had the comfort of knowing that progress had been made with the boy.

  ‘Blimey!’ Dora exclaimed when Annie arrived back at camp. ‘You look awful. What on earth have you been doing?’

  ‘It was a rather harrowing leave.’ Annie then explained about Jacques and his grandmother.

  ‘Poor little bugger.’

  ‘Yes. It’s been a tragic business. Rose persuaded Sam to let Jacques come to the funeral so the boy could see and understand that his grandmother really had gone. I think it worked because he seems to have accepted it now.’ Annie closed her eyes as tiredness swept through her. ‘I feel wrung out, and would like to have stayed for a few more days, but Sam is on compassionate leave for another two weeks.’

  Dora gave Annie a searching look. ‘You ought to think about yourself for a change. You’re always doing things for other people and you’re not getting any younger. It’s time you found yourself a husband.’

  Annie tipped her head back and laughed. ‘And that will solve all my problems, will it?’

  ‘No, but life will be much more fun,’ Dora told her. ‘Don’t you want a family of your own?’

  ‘When the war’s over, but I can’t say I’ve given it much thought. Why all this talk about babies, anyway?’ She gave her friend a suspicious glance; she appeared extra pleased with life.

  Dora looked smug. ‘I think I might be pregnant.’

  ‘What! You and Will haven’t wasted any time. Are you sure?’

  ‘No, I’m not sure, it’s too soon, but I’m hoping.’

  If this turned out to be true, Annie knew her mother would be delighted to have another grandchild.

  Dora grinned. ‘Anyway, we’re getting off the subject. You ought to keep your eyes open for a suitable husband and father of your children.’

  As tired as she was, Annie couldn’t help being amused. Her friend certainly was broody. She placed a hand on Dora’s forehead. ‘Are you feeling all right?’

  ‘Of course I am, you daft date. I’m trying to be serious here and give you a little sisterly advice, but you’re not taking it seriously.’

  ‘And I’m not going to, I’m quite happy as I am.’ When they reached the mess, Annie pushed Dora through the door. ‘I’m not on duty for another hour, so let’s get something to eat.’

  ‘I suppose you could marry Sam,’ Dora persisted, clearly changing her earlier opinion that Annie should not consider it. ‘You’d have a ready-made family then.’

  ‘That man’s got enough problems without adding to them by taking on a wife.’

  ‘I suppose you’re right.’ Dora sighed. ‘You wouldn’t make him a good wife anyway. You can be an awkward devil where men are concerned.’

  Annie looked at her friend in astonishment. ‘When have I been awkward? Come on, tell me!’

  ‘Well, you kept Paul hanging on when you had no intention of marrying him.’

  ‘Now just a minute! Paul hung on to me, not the other way around. I told him often enough, but he just wouldn’t listen. And I was too soft-hearted to hurt him.’

  ‘You’re not now, though. There’s a toughness about you that wasn’t there before.’

  ‘So you keep telling me.’ They wandered up to the counter to see what was on offer. ‘So what else am I supposed to have done?’

  ‘From the sound of it, you’ve been bossing Sam around.’

  ‘I have not.’ Annie sighed. ‘I like and respect Sam, but he was drowning in problems and I couldn’t bear to see it. He just needed someone to push him in the right direction. The man’s got a stubborn streak.’

  ‘Hark who’s talking!’

  Annie went to clout her friend but Dora ducked out of the way. ‘Hey, no hitting a pregnant woman.’

  They both burst into laughter while they collected a cup of tea and a sandwich, and then sat down. The mess wasn’t very busy so they were able to find a table to themselves. All Annie wanted to do was rest her head on her arms and sleep but if she did that then she’d never wake up in time to report back for duty. She sat up straight again and tried to shake off the fatigue. She hoped to goodness that Dora and Jean didn’t want her to go out this evening, because she just wasn’t up to it. Losing Jacques’s grandmother had been distressing for all of them, but at least the boy was talking to his father now.

  Annie dragged her attention back to Dora. ‘Now you’ve started to pull my character to shreds, you might as well continue. What else am I supposed to have done?’

  ‘Well, there’s the way you’ve treated Reid. You’re being unreasonable, and that isn’t like you at all.’

  Annie stirred her tea aimlessly. She wasn’t too happy about Reid being brought into the conversation, but Dora had a point, things had become rather muddled just lately and it was time she sorted her life out.

  ‘When we were on leave and I met him at your house I had a real good look at him.’ Dora sat up straight, clearly warming to her subject. ‘I’m good at summing people up, and Reid Lascells is something special, believe me.’

  Annie sighed.

  ‘And it’s no good you looking like that. You’re like a horse with blinkers on, so I’ll tell you what he’s like. Reid’s a strong man, I admit, but he’s not uncaring; just look at the way he’s keeping an eye on Bouncer. And if you took the trouble to look into his eyes a bit more you’d see he’s got a good sense of humour. He’s witty, brave, handsome, and so damned gorgeous that I’ll bet the girls fall at his feet and beg to be taken to his bed.’

  ‘I’ll bet they do!’ Annie muttered darkly.

  ‘There, you’re jealous!’ Dora grinned in triumph. ‘I knew you couldn’t be as uninterested as you pretend, and he fancies you as well.’

  ‘I think you’ve flipped,’ Annie told Dora, in disgust. ‘We can’t stand each other, but you are right about one thing: I have been rude to him.’

  ‘Then do something about it,’ Dora persisted, serious once again. ‘Don’t harbour resentment, it will hurt you more than him.’

  ‘When did you suddenly become so wise?’ Annie gave a faint smile.

  ‘Since I fell in love with your wonderful brother. And I’m so proud to be a part of the Webster family.’

  ‘Even if one of them is turning into a bitch?’ Annie couldn’t help asking.

  ‘I never said that,’ Dora protested. ‘You’re still the same kind girl I met when we joined up, but you’ve just lost your way a bit. You should go and see Paul’s parents the first chance you get.’

  ‘You’re right, I do feel guilty about that … as well,’ Annie added, and then looked at her friend. ‘Is that the end of the list of things to do?’

  ‘Of course.’ Dora grinned. ‘I didn’t mean it when I said you’d become hard-hearted. You’ve got a centre like marshmallow, but you ought to put things right with Paul’s family – and that includes his brother.’

  ‘I’ve already sent him a letter.’ Annie was getting fed up with this now. Dora was always going on about her and Reid, and she was too damned tired for another lecture.

  ‘That’s no good. Arrange to meet him and look him in the eyes when you tell him you’re sorry.’

  That was the last thing she wanted to do. The thought of facing Reid again was rather unsettling, and she
couldn’t for the life of her understand why she felt like that. He would probably laugh in her face if she tried to apologize.

  Dora drank her tea, watching her friend closely over the rim of her cup. ‘He’s a good man, and just the type you need.’

  ‘Reid!’ Annie roared at the ludicrous idea. All they ever did when they met was snipe at each other.

  Dora gave a dramatic sigh. ‘Well, if he won’t do, then I’ll just have to find you someone else.’

  ‘Don’t you dare!’

  25

  August 1943

  As the Spitfire came to a stop Reid eased out of the cockpit and jumped to the ground. He didn’t fly as often as he would like to these days, but when he did find the time it was exhilarating. He gave the aeroplane an affectionate pat and examined a small oil leak coming from the engine. ‘You’re running a bit rough, old girl.’

  As he strode towards his office he called one of the ground crew over. ‘Get someone to have a look at that plane, please.’

  ‘Yes, sir, Webster will deal with it, he’s just finished the job he’s on.’

  ‘Right.’ Reid continued walking. Webster? Of course, he’d forgotten that Annie’s brother was stationed here at Tangmere. He should have taken the trouble to speak to him before now, but his days were so busy, and the mountain of paperwork seemed to grow by the minute, not to mention the interminable meetings.

  An hour later he prowled over to the window. The Spitfire had been taken into the hangar. He’d just go and see how they were getting on with it.

  He had met Charlie when he’d visited his mother’s house and he recognized him at once. ‘Anything serious?’ he asked.

  Charlie scrambled down. ‘No, sir, we’ll soon have it fixed and you can take her up again in an hour, if you want to.’

  ‘Wish I could.’ Reid grimaced. ‘But I’ve got a meeting to attend in a couple of hours.’

  ‘Bit boring after flying, sir.’ Charlie wiped his greasy hands on a rag and smiled. ‘But safer.’

  ‘True.’ Reid looked at him carefully. The family resemblance was clear to see. Charlie had the same colouring as Annie. ‘I was pleased to hear that your brother was safe.’