‘Not the one we could possibly have imagined, but here’s to a peaceful and happy future.’ They raised the tea cups in salute.
It had been hard saying goodbye to Helen knowing they were now going their separate ways. They had been constant companions from the time they were born, except for the years apart during the war, but Grace was happy for her friend. She deserved a lot of happiness after what she had done.
Two weeks had passed since VE Day and Grace had now made up her mind to stay in the ATS.
Stan swept into the office. ‘Go and pack a bag. We’re off to Berlin tomorrow. Make sure you’ve got your dress uniform and an evening frock. Nip home and get one if you have to.’
‘I don’t have anything like that,’ she protested. ‘I haven’t needed dressy clothes for a long time, sir.’
‘You’d better go and buy one then.’
‘Where? I don’t have any clothing coupons.’
‘Ah, I never thought of that. I’ll see what I can sort out, and don’t leave the office for a while yet.’
He disappeared into his office and closed the door. Grace smiled and went back to work. What on earth was he on about? Her dress uniform would be appropriate for anything they might attend. The last time she had worn an elegant gown had been when she had been posing as an SS officer’s girlfriend. Never mind about that, though. They were going to Berlin and that was an exciting prospect.
An hour later the office door burst open and piles of boxes walked in. At least that’s what it looked like because the man carrying them could hardly be seen. A woman guided him to the desk where he dropped the boxes just as Stan came out of his office.
‘Where’s the young lady you want me to dress, Stanley?’
‘Standing right beside you, Gregory.’
Gregory turned his full attention to Grace, frowning as he walked round her. ‘Stand still, dear,’ he ordered when she tried to keep him in view. ‘Dear, dear, these uniforms don’t do anything for the female form. Take off your jacket, dear.’
If he said ‘dear’ once more she would slosh him, Grace decided. ‘My name is Captain Grace Lincoln!’
‘Very nice, dear. Now, remove your jacket, please, dear.’
Grace spun round to face Stan and was even more annoyed to see he was finding it difficult not to dissolve into helpless laughter. ‘Who is this man, sir?’
‘A designer.’
‘A designer!’ Gregory squeaked, highly offended. ‘I dress the best, the beautiful and the highest in the land. I could make a hippopotamus look elegant!’
This was ridiculous. Grace’s annoyance faded a little as she began to see the funny side and couldn’t resist teasing this man with such a high opinion of himself. ‘You are too modest.’
‘Ah, sadly that is one of my faults.’ He broke into a smile as if she had paid him a compliment. ‘But I am sure we can do something with you, don’t you think, Adel?’
‘You will work your usual magic, Gregory. The hair is pretty – what we can see of it, and she has good bone structure.’
‘Hmm.’ Gregory reached out and expertly removed the pins from Grace’s hair, letting it tumble around her shoulders. ‘Hmm, promising, but it depends on the figure hidden by that terrible uniform. Take it off, dear.’
‘I am not getting undressed in here!’
‘Use my office,’ Stan offered, quickly stepping aside. ‘I’ll see no one comes in.’
‘Bring the top two boxes in, Stanley,’ Gregory ordered as he swept into the other office.
As Grace passed Stan she hissed quietly, ‘You’ll suffer for this … sir!’
The boxes were immediately put on the desk and as the door closed behind Stan, she could hear him laughing.
She endured another critical scrutiny and many dears before Gregory came to a decision.
‘Red, I think … Yes, red. It’s in the top box, Adel. I thought that might be the one from the description Stanley gave me.’
Grace was horrified. ‘I am not wearing red!’
‘I’m not suggesting scarlet, dear, but a deep ruby red. You have a hint of red in your hair, which is quite glorious by the way. It’s a crime to have it screwed up like you do.’
‘Army regulations.’
‘Yes, well, they have their rules I suppose, but you must wear it down when you can. Ah, here is the gown.’ He took it from his assistant and held it up against Grace. ‘Quite perfect. Let’s hope Stanley guessed your size correctly. We haven’t time for major alterations.’
Adel helped Grace into the gown and it fitted perfectly. Then there was another lengthy examination.
‘Shoes, Adel. You have a decent height, around five feet seven or eight, but we will make you a little taller. The gold strappy ones, Adel. What size are you, dear?’
‘Six.’ Grace was looking down at the gown wishing there was a mirror in the office. It was lovely and very comfortable, but she was sure he’d made a mistake with the colour. She never wore red, and what on earth were they going to be doing in Berlin for Stan to insist she had something like this?
The shoes also fitted, making her around three inches taller.
‘Walk up and down, dear.’ He watched to see how the gown moved around the hem. ‘Quite a transformation, don’t you think, Adel? She has good posture.’
‘Perfect, Gregory. Your choice of gown and colour is impeccable, as ever.’
He bristled with pride at the compliment. ‘Go and show Stanley, dear.’
Feeling rather self-conscious, Grace walked into the other office.
‘Here is your Cinderella, Stanley. Does she meet with your approval?’
‘My word, you look beautiful and that colour is stunning on you. Well done Gregory.’
‘It was a pleasure, Stanley. Oh, and do try not to clutter it up too much with army decorations or whatever.’ He collected up the boxes and headed for the door.
‘Wait a minute!’ Grace stopped him. ‘How much does all this cost? I’m positive I can’t afford it.’
‘You don’t have to, dear,’ Gregory informed her. ‘It’s all been taken care of.’
Grace stared at the door after he had left, and then spun round to face Stan. ‘What did he mean? Who is paying for this? The gown must cost a fortune, and I dread to think how expensive the shoes are. I can’t allow someone else to pay for them. If I can’t afford them myself then they must be returned!’
‘Gregory owed me a favour, so stop fretting and just enjoy the clothes. You are going to have to blend in with some important people and their wives.’
‘What on earth are we going to be doing in Berlin?’
‘Working. Now, get changed and go and pack. We’re leaving at five in the morning.’ Stan opened the door to leave and looked back. ‘I shall be proud to be your escort, though I doubt I shall have that pleasure for long. See you in the morning, dear.’
‘I’ve got to stop over in Paris,’ Stan told Grace when they were waiting for the transport plane.
‘Oh, Helen’s there. She’s going to marry a Frenchman, and I haven’t met him yet. Would there be time for a quick visit, sir? I have the address.’
‘I’m sure we could fit it in if the meeting doesn’t last too long, and I’ll come with you.’
‘Thank you, sir.’ Grace boarded the plane with a smile on her face, excited about the visit.
When they arrived they went straight to the meeting which, fortunately, only lasted two hours.
‘Right.’ Stan glanced at his watch. ‘They’ve provided us with transport, but it will only be a quick visit. Our plane for Berlin leaves at four o’clock.’
The driver knew Paris well and they were soon outside a smart building, and Grace hoped Helen and Maurice were in. It would be a shame to miss this opportunity to see them. The apartment they wanted was on the first floor and Grace almost danced with relief when Helen opened the door.
‘What a lovely surprise!’ Helen hugged Grace and shook hands with Stan. ‘Come in. What are you doing in Paris?’
<
br /> ‘We are on our way to Berlin, but we had to stop over for a meeting. This is only a flying visit, I’m afraid,’ Stan explained.
‘Maurice! Look who’s here,’ Helen called.
When he came into the room, Grace stared at him in astonishment. ‘Harry!’
‘Hello, Grace.’ He held out his arms and she rushed to hug him.
‘You two have been playing games with me, haven’t you? But this is wonderful!’
They were both laughing at the surprise they had sprung on Grace, and Helen said, ‘You promised to tell me what you thought of him.’
‘He’s gorgeous, of course.’
Harry turned to Stan and shook his hand. ‘Good to see you again. Can you stay for dinner?’
‘That isn’t possible, but another time, perhaps.’
‘You will always be welcome, Stan. Bring Bill with you some time.’
‘I’ll do that.’
They could only stay for an hour and were soon heading back to the airfield and on their way to Berlin.
Chapter Thirty-One
‘There used to be a good cafe just there. It was cheap and the meals enormous. Just what us young boys needed.’
Dan glanced at the man who had come to stand beside him. ‘Bill, I’m pleased to see you made it.’
‘You too. Your office told me where to find you.’ Bill looked around and shook his head. ‘What a mess! It’s hard to find the places I once knew so well.’
‘I agree. I’ve been walking the streets for the last couple of hours and the place is unrecognisable. And to add to the chaos the city has been divided up between the allies.’
‘Churchill and Roosevelt had to come up with a plan acceptable to all of the allies, and you can bet that wasn’t easy. Damned shame Roosevelt didn’t live to see the end of the war.’
‘Yes it is. But dividing the city up like this makes me uneasy. This could be a recipe for trouble in the future.’
‘That’s why I’m staying here for a while. What about you?’
‘I’m on my home soon but I’ll probably be back at some time.’ Dan began walking and Bill fell into step beside him. ‘The rebuilding of Europe is going to be an enormous task. People are scattered all over the place with nowhere to go. It’s tragic.’
‘The cost was high, but the Nazis had to be stopped from taking over Europe. If they had defeated Britain then there was no telling where they would have stopped.’
‘Yes, it had to be done.’ Dan stopped in front of a ruined building. ‘I had a friend who lived here. Wonder what happen to him and his family? They were nice people, but then they might have been seduced by Hitler and become ardent Nazis. I don’t think walking these shattered streets, remembering the past, is a good idea, Bill. Come back with me and I’ll buy you a drink. We can toast our good fortune in surviving.’
‘You’re on!’ Bill grinned. ‘Stan’s on his way here and is bringing Grace with him.’
‘Yes, I know.’
‘Of course you do. Did you arrange it?’
‘Me? Why would I do such a thing?’
‘Remind me never to play poker with you,’ Bill laughed. ‘I see you’ve been bumped up to brigadier and have been given a medal for the way you saved your men and got them back to the rest of the troops.’
‘That medal belongs to a young SOE girl who saved us from being slaughtered. I’ve put in a report to make damned sure she gets one as well. There was also a Frenchman with her who spoke perfect English, but I don’t have any details about him.’ Dan glanced at Bill. ‘I’m hoping you can help me there. He knew you.’
‘That sounds like Harry. I don’t know his real name, but I’ll try and find out for you.’
‘Thanks, I would appreciate that. Let’s get that drink.’
The officers’ mess wasn’t busy and they had just been served with drinks when Stan marched in.
‘Good, you’re here. I’m glad to see you are both in one piece.’ Stan looked at their glasses of beer and grimaced. ‘Mine is a double whisky, Dan.’
Bill was on his feet, staring at the door. ‘Where’s my Grace? You didn’t come without her, did you?’
‘I left her to settle in with the women. You’ll see her tonight – and she isn’t your Grace.’
‘I can dream, can’t I? How is she?’
‘The same as ever. Continually asking questions and telling me how to do my job. She’s damned good army material.’
Dan laughed softly and got up to order Stan’s drink and another two beers.
‘That’s better.’ Stan declared when the drink was put in front of him. ‘Tell me who is coming to this gathering tonight.’
‘Representatives of all the allies, their wives and guests. It’s a diplomatic exercise,’ Bill explained. ‘The idea is to get everyone together so they can be nice and friendly over a few drinks.’
Stan gave a cynical laugh. ‘With all of them in the same room it means we shall have to be on our best behaviour. Good job I’ve got Grace with me. I believe she’s been used to this kind of thing when she worked for James. You’d never believe the trouble I had persuading her to let Gregory find her a suitable gown. I thought she was going to throw him out of the office.’
‘Stan! You didn’t? Not Gregory.’ Bill shook his head before bursting into laughter. ‘I wish I’d been there.’
‘It was quite hilarious.’ Stan was also laughing now. ‘He kept calling her “dear”, and you can imagine how she reacted to that. Dan, you would have to meet the man to understand. Anyway, his choice was impeccable and she looked lovely when he’d finished.’
‘I can’t wait to see her again.’ Bill glanced across at Dan. ‘It will be a pleasure for all of us.’
Stan finished his drink and stood up. ‘I’d better go and unpack now. We’ll see you tonight.’
There was a rap on the door and when Dan opened it he found Bill standing outside. ‘Stan isn’t ready yet so I thought we might as well go together.’
‘I’m part of the reception group so I have to be there early.’
‘That’s all right. It will give me a chance to sum up the situation and perhaps try out my Russian.’
Dan stepped aside to let Bill in. ‘You speak Russian as well? Is there anything you can’t do?’
‘Hmm. Let me see. Oh, yes, I don’t have much luck finding a nice girl who will settle down with me.’
‘You’ll never settle down.’ Dan buttoned up his jacket and made sure his appearance was in order.
‘Perhaps you’re right.’ Bill followed Dan out, and as they marched along he said, ‘How long is it since you’ve seen Grace?’
‘The last time was at a party to celebrate my return to my regiment.’
‘But that was years ago! Are you telling me you haven’t met her since?’
‘I am. I haven’t seen her for four years.’
‘Why, for heaven’s sake? And don’t tell me you’re not interested because I know differently.’
‘I had my reasons,’ Dan replied as they walked into the building. ‘I’ll be busy for a while, but I’ll see you later. You can buy me a drink. I might need it.’
Bill grinned and walked into the room to see who had turned up early.
Grace was nervous which was surprising. She’d done this kind of thing many times before. They had all been lawyers, barristers and judges then. Tonight it would be officers and politicians from different countries, but not something she should find daunting. There would be people there she knew, and Stan had told her George had just arrived. It would be lovely to see him again, and Bill. Would Dan be there? She hadn’t asked, and why would she? Not once in all these years had he bothered to contact her, but she had worried about him, as well as all the others. The fact that he had just walked away without a glance back had hurt. They had worked well together for that short time and had fun. He’d declared that they were friends, but friends kept in touch …
And why on earth was all this nonsense coming into her head now?
There was a knock on the door and Stan called out, ‘Time to go, Grace.’
‘I’m ready. Come in, sir.’
He nodded approval when he saw her. ‘Stick with me tonight. I might need your skill with languages. My French is passable but I never could master German.’
‘I won’t let you out of my sight,’ she promised.
‘I must make the most of tonight,’ he told her as they walked to the venue, ‘because I have just had orders through that you won’t be working for me any more.’
‘Why?’ she asked, not pleased with that sudden news. ‘Where am I going? Why are they moving me?’
‘Questions,’ Stan sighed. ‘You have been transferred to another officer.’
‘Who?’
‘You’ll meet him tonight.’
Grace didn’t like the sound of this, but couldn’t ask more questions because they had arrived.
‘Smile, dear.’ He laughed softly. ‘Gregory would be proud of the way you look in one of his gowns, even if we have had to add a couple of things to make it clear you are an officer.’
‘I still think my dress uniform would have been suitable.’
They stopped by the sergeant major who was announcing the arrivals and Grace looked into the hall. It was already crowded and all the women were wearing evening gowns.
‘See what I mean,’ Stan whispered.
‘It’s hardly appropriate in the middle of war-torn Europe,’ she complained.
‘This evening is purely a diplomatic affair, and I’m sure you know what they are like.’
‘Yes, I do,’ she had to agree, as they reached the sergeant major. He raised his voice to announce the arrival of Major General Haydon and Captain Lincoln.
Pinning a smile on her face, Grace entered the room with Stan.
When he heard the names, Dan slowly turned his head towards the door and was shocked at his reaction to seeing Grace again after so long. He felt as if he had been kicked – hard. This wasn’t the young girl he had laughed with and manhandled over the army assault course. This was a woman who had grown through all she had experienced, and held herself with elegance and confidence. Grace was the right name for her.
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