At last they lay side by side on the grass beside the stream. For a moment Anna knelt beside the prone form, bending double to regain her breath. The woman was still and silent.
‘Oh no,’ Anna breathed and then she screamed and grasped Clare, shaking her. ‘No! You can’t die. You can’t leave your bairns. Think of your children.’
And now, in that instant as she shrieked at the woman, dragging her back to life by the sheer force of her own spirit, Anna realized just what Eddie had done for her. He had saved her life – and Maisie’s. And now she had the chance to save someone in return.
‘I won’t let you die. I won’t let you!’ But there was no spark of life. Anna felt utterly helpless. Again she shook Clare hard. Miraculously, the woman stirred and began to cough, spewing out stream water, and Anna felt tears of thankfulness.
It was several minutes before Clare was sufficiently recovered to allow Anna to half drag, half carry her across the field and back to the cottage. Maisie was watching out of the window and opened the door for them. By the look on her daughter’s face, Anna knew that Maisie had witnessed the struggle near the stream.
Much later, when the boy was asleep in Maisie’s bed and Clare, washed and resting in Anna’s, the little girl confided, ‘I didn’t tell the boy, Mam. He was by the fire, holding the baby, so he didn’t see. And I didn’t tell him.’
Anna drew her close and buried her face in the child’s copper-coloured curls. ‘Oh Maisie, my precious darling,’ she murmured huskily. Whilst Maisie returned her mother’s hug fiercely, she had no understanding of the tumult of emotions in Anna’s heart. Guilt, thankfulness and an overwhelming gratitude to Eddie Appleyard that words could never express.
A shivering Eddie and Tony sat wrapped in blankets before the fire and sipped Anna’s hot soup gratefully. A restless daybreak had shown them the full extent of the disaster.
‘A lot of the folks that had to be evacuated have been brought to Ludthorpe or other official rescue centres,’ Eddie told her, ‘but they’re trying to find homes willing to take some of them in. Give them a bit more comfort, like. Poor devils.’
‘There’s lots of families got split up,’ Tony put in. ‘One poor chap couldn’t find his little lad. He was – he was six.’ Tony’s voice broke as he glanced at Maisie and then, wordlessly, he reached out and touched her cheek. He said no more but his gesture spoke volumes.
‘Is there any news of Clare’s husband?’ Anna asked softly.
Sadly, Eddie shook his head. Then, more briskly, he stood up and shook off the blanket. ‘Well, this won’t do. There’s still more to be fetched to safety. To say nothing of taking feed to stranded animals.’
‘You’re not going back?’ Anna said, before she could stop herself. ‘You’re out on your feet, Eddie.’
‘I’ve got to, lass. Whilst there’s folks still needing help—’
Tony began to stand up too, but Eddie put his hand on his shoulder. ‘No, lad, you go home. You’ve done enough.’
Tony straightened up and met his father’s gaze steadily. Quietly, he said, ‘If you’re going back, Dad, then so am I.’
Anna watched father and son standing together and marvelled at the likeness between them. Tony was so like his father in appearance; brown hair and eyes, tall and thin, but without the slight stoop that years of hard work had brought Eddie. And now the son was showing that same kindness and concern for others.
‘Come on then, lad, though what your mam’s going to say, I don’t know.’
Later that night Bertha had plenty to say.
‘You’ve done what?’ she shrieked.
‘Lost me tractor and trailer.’
‘How on earth can you lose a tractor and trailer?’
Eddie sighed. ‘It got stuck in the sand and the mud and now it’s been bulldozed into the sea wall.’
‘Whatever for?’
‘Because they’re desperate to shore up the defences and—’
‘And they thought they’d use your tractor and trailer, eh?’
‘No, Bertha, just listen, will you? We got stuck and they haven’t time to be pulling stuff out. It’s a race against time. There’s an army of lorries bringing stone and slag – anything they can find to shore up the defences. And any vehicle that got stuck has ended up as part of the sea wall.’
‘Just think, Dad.’ Tony was laughing. ‘You’ll be able to walk along the sea wall and say: my tractor’s somewhere under this lot.’
‘You think it funny, d’ya?’ For once Bertha rounded on Tony, venting her anger. ‘You’ve not had a thought for me, ’ave ya, whilst you’ve been busy playing the heroes. Well, I’ve been worried sick about you.’ Her gaze rested on her son and Eddie knew that her anxiety had not included him. Now she turned to her husband. ‘You’d no right to take him with you. Owt could have happened to him—’
Tony put his arm around her quivering shoulders. ‘Well, it didn’t. And Dad couldn’t have stopped me going to help. And you’d much rather I’d’ve been with him, wouldn’t you?’
‘Yes, but—’
‘Oh, Mam, don’t be like this. You should have seen all those poor folks. Their homes flooded, washed away in some cases. Some of ’em had only got the clothes they stood up in.’
Bertha sniffed. ‘Huh. Next thing they’ll be coming round for a collection for ’em, I shouldn’t wonder. Well, they’ll get short shrift here now we’ve got a new tractor and trailer to buy.’ She shrugged Tony’s arm away. ‘I’ll get your supper. That’s unless you’re both off out again with the pony and trap.’
Father and son exchanged a glance. ‘No,’ Eddie said wearily, ‘there’s nothing more we can do.’
‘There is one thing I’d like to do, Dad,’ Tony said softly as his mother disappeared into the scullery.
Bone weary, Eddie leant back in his chair and closed his eyes. ‘What’s that, lad?’
‘Go round all the rescue centres. See if we can find that poor woman’s husband.’
Eddie opened his eyes and lifted his head. ‘Clare’s, you mean?’
Tony nodded. ‘It’s the least we can do, specially after what – ’ he glanced quickly towards the scullery and lowered his voice even more – ‘Anna did.’
‘Taking her in, you mean?’
‘Oh no. She did more than that. Maisie told me.’ Swiftly, before his mother returned, Tony explained. ‘Anna saved that woman’s life.’
For a moment, Eddie stared at his son and then slowly began to smile. ‘Then the least we can do, son, is what you suggest.’ As Bertha came back into the room, Eddie winked slyly at Tony and then raised his voice, ‘D’you know, Bertha love, that was a very good idea of yours. Tomorrow we will take the pony and trap.’
His wife stared at him for a moment as if she thought he had gone completely mad. Then with a scornful snort, she banged the plates down onto the table. She turned and stormed out of the room, leaving father and son trying hard to stifle their laughter.
Twenty-Four
The following morning, after milking and feeding all the animals, Eddie harnessed Duke into the shafts of the trap.
‘We’ll go and see Anna and the woman – what’s her name, Tony?’
‘Clare. Clare Warren and her husband’s name is Bill.’
‘Aye, that’s right. We’ll go and see them first and make sure there’s nothing they want.’
‘The only thing that poor woman wants is her husband back.’
Eddie’s face was sober. ‘Aye, aye.’ He sighed. ‘We’ll do our best, but I don’t hold out much hope. I reckon, if they’d found him, they’d have let us know.’
Tony was more optimistic. ‘Oh, I don’t know, Dad. They’re all that busy. It’s a nightmare for the authorities.’
‘I suppose you’re right. He might have slipped through the net and be somewhere just as desperate about his family. I wonder if that other feller found his little lad.’ Eddie was suddenly still. ‘He said his lad was about six, didn’t he? And that little lad up yonder is about tha
t age. You don’t suppose it was him – the father, do you?’
Reluctantly, Tony shook his head. ‘Too much of a coincidence, I reckon. Besides, he’d have mentioned his wife and baby, wouldn’t he?’
Eddie sighed. ‘Aye, I suppose so. I’m just clutching at straws, I reckon.’
Tony grinned. ‘Well, just you keep clutching at ’em, Dad. Keep hoping.’
They visited the town hall in Ludthorpe and were appalled at the number of people made homeless by the disaster. Several families were frantic with worry over a missing loved one. Eddie tried to speak to the organizers about Bill Warren, but they too were now exhausted and overwhelmed.
‘He’s not here. That’s all I can tell you, but you could try all the villages just inland from the coast. They’ve opened up schools and village halls to help out,’ one harassed WVS lady suggested. ‘But he could be anywhere. Do you know him?’
‘Not exactly, but his wife’s given us a good description. Tall, broad, fair hair and a little scar under his left eye from an accident when he was a kid.’
‘Well, good luck. Sorry I can’t be of more help.’
‘You have been. You’ve given us more places to look for the feller. Thanks. Come on, Tony. We’ve a long day ahead.’
By milking time that evening Eddie and Tony had still not returned and, of their own accord, the cows were gathering down near the yard, their udders full and uncomfortable.
Anna, standing at the top of the rise and looking down towards the farmyard, chewed her lip worriedly. Ought she to go down to the yard and begin the milking? Two things stopped her. Bertha, of course, and the fact that Anna was uneasy around cows. In the six years she had been here, she had only helped with the milking once or twice. And even then she had scuttled into the byre and out again as quickly as she could, afraid of being kicked by a restless cow, but even more afraid of Bertha finding her. Only when Eddie had broken his leg had she felt comfortable being there.
Above the wind, she heard a distant sound and glanced to the left to see the pony turning in at the gate. She strained her eyes through the dusk of the winter’s evening.
There were three figures sitting in the trap. Anna’s heart leapt with hope as the three figures alighted and two – Tony and a tall, broad stranger – hurried up the path towards her. Tony spotted her and waved excitedly.
Anna felt a lump rise in her throat and tears prickle behind her eyes. ‘Oh thank you, thank you,’ she breathed. Then she turned and ran down the track towards the little cottage, stumbling and almost falling in her urgency. ‘Clare, oh Clare, come quickly.’
The door opened before she reached it, but it was Maisie who ran out. ‘Mam, Mam. She’s not here. I couldn’t stop her. She’s gone out. Into the woods, I think—’
‘No, oh no!’ Anna was panic-stricken and blaming herself. She shouldn’t have left Clare alone.
She caught hold of Maisie. ‘Tony’s coming up the track with a man and I think it’s Clare’s husband. Peter’s daddy. Now, you stay here, darling, and tell Tony and the man to come into the woods.’
Without waiting for a response from her daughter, for Anna knew Maisie would do as she had asked, Anna ran into the wood. It was dark and cold and the wind tore through the branches overhead, making a sound like rushing water.
‘This is the worst place she could have come,’ Anna muttered to herself. Maybe, she thought, in her confused state poor Clare had thought the noise was the sound of the sea and she had gone towards it to search for her man.
‘Clare,’ she cried out. ‘Clare. Come back. He’s here. Bill’s here.’
She was taking a chance on this being the truth, but moments later Tony and the stranger came crashing into the woods behind her. Breathlessly, Tony said. ‘We found him. This is Bill. Where is she?’
‘I don’t know. She can’t have been gone long. I only went to the top of the hill. I wasn’t away more than a few minutes. Oh, I’m so sorry—’
The big man gripped her arm briefly. ‘Not your fault, lass. From what this young feller tells me, you’ve already saved her life once. Don’t blame yourself.’
Tony moved ahead shouting her name and then Bill cupped his big hands around his mouth and let out such a roar that Anna felt her ears ring.
‘Clare. It’s me, Bill. Claaaare.’
They waited a moment, listening. Bill shouted again and then they listened again.
‘I heard something,’ Tony said, pushing his way through the trees and undergrowth. ‘I’m sure I did. This way.’
Bill and Anna followed eagerly. Bill shouted again and this time they all heard a faint cry.
‘She’s here,’ Tony, still leading the way, shouted jubilantly, but then he stood aside as Bill rushed forward to gather his wife into his arms.
‘Oh, my darling girl. I thought you were lost. I thought I’d lost all of you.’
Clare was clinging to him as if she would never let him out of her sight again. ‘I thought you’d drowned. I thought you were dead. I didn’t want to live. Oh, Bill, I’m sorry.’
He smoothed back her hair and between showering kisses on her face, murmured reassuring endearments. ‘It’s all right. I’m here now. We’re all safe . . .’
Anna was standing transfixed, staring at the tender scene and feeling a mixture of thankfulness and joy for them, yet, for herself, an acute longing.
If only . . .
She felt Tony touch her arm. ‘Come on,’ he said softly. ‘Let’s leave ’em to it. They’re all right now.’
‘Yes,’ Anna murmured. ‘They’re all right now.’
It wasn’t until Bertha saw the reports in the local papers that she realized exactly what her husband and son had done. Eddie Appleyard was hailed as a hero for his rescue work.
Throughout the night he and his sixteen-year-old son, Tony [one of the newspapers reported], ferried people stranded by the rising water to safety. Time and again Mr Appleyard waded through icy sea water, which was sometimes up to his chest, to reach young and old and carry them out of their flooded homes. Then he drove his tractor and trailer all the way to Ludthorpe to the centre there before returning to continue the rescue. Together father and son worked tirelessly to bring people and animals to safety. It wasn’t until their tractor and trailer became stranded in the sand and had to be abandoned that this courageous and unselfish pair were forced to give up and accept help themselves.
All Bertha could say was, ‘And how do you think you’re going to do the ploughing now?’
‘I’ll think of something, Bertha,’ was all Eddie would say. ‘I’ll think of something.’
But Bertha, keeping herself to herself, had no idea what the locals thought of her husband.
‘You wouldn’t believe it,’ a beaming Pat told Anna. ‘They’re falling over themselves to help. Mrs Arnold at the village shop has got a collection box on her counter for the flood victims and she ses she has to empty it twice a day. And as for Eddie, he’s had the offer of three tractors and five trailers to borrow whenever he wants that I know about. And,’ she added triumphantly, ‘they’re all talking about your brave rescue of that poor woman.’
Anna stared at her. ‘How does anyone know about that?’
For a moment, Pat could have bitten her tongue off. It wasn’t like her to let herself chatter so much that she was in danger of letting out secrets. But, for once, she had been so excited that Eddie’s kind-heartedness had at last been recognized and then at hearing the villagers speak kindly of Anna, that she had let her tongue run away with itself. She knew very well how the news had got out. Maisie had told Tony and he had deliberately spoken of it, hoping it would cast Anna in a good light amongst the locals.
Pat wrinkled her forehead and pretended vagueness. ‘Don’t really know, ducky. I expect Mrs Warren is singing your praises from the rooftops. And so she should.’
‘Mmm,’ Anna said, eyeing the nurse suspiciously. ‘Maybe.’
‘Anyway,’ Pat said, turning the topic of conversation, ‘all’s well
that ends well, as they say.’
Now Anna smiled, thinking of the little family who had stayed with her and who were now happily reunited.
If only her own story could have had such a happy ending.
Twenty-Five
‘I’ve passed. I’ve passed the scholarship. I’m going to the grammar school in town. The same one Tony went to.’
Maisie danced around the table in Bertha’s kitchen clapping her hands. She caught hold of Bertha and tried to make her dance too, but the woman, who had grown even larger in the last few years, flapped her hands. ‘Oh go on with ya. My dancing days are over.’ She sniffed and added wryly, ‘If I ever had any.’ Then she smiled, ‘But I’m real pleased at your news, lovey. And Tony will be too.’ There was a slight pause. This was the moment she had waited eleven years for. Bertha’s eyes gleamed as she added, with deceptive casualness, ‘To think that his sister is following in his footsteps—’
Maisie stopped, her dancing suddenly stilled. She stared at Bertha. ‘What – what did you say?’
Bertha shrugged her fat shoulders. ‘Surely you know you’re his sister, don’t you? Well, half-sister.’
As if she had been pole-axed, Maisie shook her head. ‘I – I don’t know what you mean? How can I be?’
‘Mr Eddie’s your dad, that’s how.’
‘But – but I haven’t got a dad. Mam ses so.’
Bertha couldn’t prevent her mouth twisting scathingly. ‘Everyone’s got a dad. Hasn’t your mother even told you the facts of life yet?’
Dumbly, Maisie shook her head.
‘Well, you’re a big girl now and it’s high time you knew. You’ll be going to the big school soon and you’ll be laughed at if you don’t know. Besides, if you learn it in the playground, you’ll learn it wrong. You ought to know the truth. The whole truth. Sit down . . .’ She took the girl firmly by the shoulder and pressed her onto the stool near the table. ‘Let’s get us a cup of tea.’ Bertha’s thin mouth, almost lost now between the folds of fat, smiled, and her eyes were glittering with a strange excitement. ‘And one of your favourite scones. Then we’ll have a little chat, eh?’
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