Welcome Home

by Margaret Dickinson

  It fitted perfectly and then Raoul showed her how to push the stone back in, and suggested that she should pick up a handful of dust from the floor and throw it against the stone so that it blended in with the rest of the wall and didn’t look as if it had just been removed. She did as he bade her and, he was right, a cursory glance would reveal nothing, particularly as, coming in from the bright sunlight outside, the gloom would give additional cover. Then she moved the bales back into their position in front of it.

  ‘And outside,’ Raoul went on, ‘I’ve left a small broken branch from the nearby hedge that you can sweep the floor with as you back out. Luckily, the doorway is hidden from anyone coming up the slope, so you can slip out and through the hedge. See, I’ll show you.’ He led the way to the hedge just behind the barn and demonstrated how she could part the branches carefully and slip through, the foliage springing back into place and concealing the gap. Now he pointed over the hedge. ‘The ground slopes down from here and you’d be able to run down there and get some distance away from here before they saw you. I can’t promise they won’t catch up with you, but by following you down there, they’d hopefully be distracted from searching inside the barn too closely.’

  ‘It’s perfect, Uncle Raoul.’

  He stared at her and then burst out laughing. ‘I like the sound of that. I’ve never had a niece or a nephew.’

  Beth laughed too but said very seriously, ‘Well, just remember that you have now.’

  ‘So, they’ve all gone now, Lil,’ Edie said mournfully two days after Shirley’s birthday party. ‘She’s been planning to join the ATS for some time, it seems, and she didn’t tell anyone – not even us – until she was certain she’d been accepted.’

  ‘You mean she’s gone? Already?’

  ‘Set off this morning in high excitement.’

  ‘It’s an adventure for her, duck. It’ll do her the world of good.’

  Edie sighed. ‘You’re right, of course, and she did promise she’ll come as soon as she can get some leave. But until then, I’m on me own. Even Archie’s gone back to sea.’

  ‘We’ve got the WVS this afternoon, Edie.’

  ‘I know, but it’s the evenings when I feel it the most.’

  Tactfully, Lil didn’t remind her that she spent many evenings on her own. ‘Come round to me. We can knit or sew together and listen to the wireless. There’s Tommy Handley on tonight. You like him.’

  ‘Aye, all right,’ Edie said, but Lil could tell her heart wasn’t in it.

  ‘Are you going into town this morning?’

  Edie shrugged. ‘Hardly worth queuing for hours just for one, is it?’

  ‘Now, now, Edie, you must look after yourself. Anyway, if you do, you could get me a few bits. I’m that busy with these camouflage nets – they’re so much bigger than I’m used to doing.’

  ‘I suppose so,’ Edie murmured, but was hardly listening to her friend and Lil returned to her own home, pondering what she could do to help her neighbour.

  Later that morning, Edie, dressed for shopping in town, went through the door that divided the two yards. Lil, with a long net hanging from the wall, was busy braiding. ‘I thought I’d do this out here today, Edie. It’s a lovely day and this one’s almost too big for my wall indoors. It’s a whopper. I reckon they must want it for covering a tank.’

  Edie watched her for a few moments and then murmured, ‘I suppose I could lend you a hand now and then, Lil. I can see there’s a lot to do. That’s if I can remember how to do it.’

  ‘It’s like riding a bike, Edie. You never forget.’

  ‘Mm.’ Edie was thoughtful, eying the net. ‘Anyway, what do you want from town?’

  ‘I’ve left a list on the table in the scullery, Edie, with my ration book and some money.’

  ‘Right-o. I’ll be off, then.’

  As Edie turned away, Lil was smiling to herself. Her plan seemed to be working; she’d hoped that if she could make Edie think she was struggling to cope with the net making, her friend would offer help. Anything, Lil, thought to keep Edie occupied and stop her from brooding about her absent family.

  When she returned from her shopping trip, Edie was tired and frustrated. ‘Them queues are getting worse – I’m sure of it. They’ve banned the milling of white flour now, Lil, did you know? So we’re stuck with the National wheatmeal loaf, whether we like it or not.’

  ‘Come on in, Edie,’ Lil soothed, ignoring the other woman’s ranting. ‘I’ve got us a bit of dinner ready and then we can be off to the WVS.’

  ‘You shouldn’t be feeding me, duck. Here, you have these sausages I managed to get. I got too many. It’s going to take me a while to get used to buying for one.’

  ‘All right, Edie, if you’re sure. Tell you what, you keep ’em and cook dinner for us both tomorrow. I’ll nip round to yours, eh?’

  They’d always been willing to share everything, but they were both a bit more careful now, not wanting to encroach on each other’s rations.

  ‘Right you are,’ Edie said and seemed suddenly a little more cheerful with the thought that she’d have someone to cook for the next day.

  Lil had already changed out of the old clothes she wore to braid in. ‘Right, let’s have a bite to eat and then we can be off.’

  Jessie was waiting for them at the door when they arrived. ‘Ah, there you are. I’m glad you’ve come. There’s so much to do. I was wondering if you can fit an extra day in? We could really use the help.’ Her glance went from one to the other but rested on Edie’s face.

  ‘What d’you think, Lil?’ Edie said.

  ‘I’d love too, but I can’t really spare any more time away from me nets.’

  ‘Could you come on your own, Edie?’ Jessie persisted.

  ‘Well, I could do, I suppose, but I’d sooner come with Lil. We know each other’s ways. We work so well together.’

  Jessie laughed. ‘I can’t deny that. When the pair of you work together you get more than twice the amount done.’

  ‘Tell you what,’ Edie said, her face brighter and more animated than at any time since Shirley had made her announcement. ‘What if I help you with your nets, Lil, and then we could both come here together?’

  ‘I could give you half the money,’ Lil ventured.

  ‘I wouldn’t hear of it,’ Edie said firmly, some of her old spirit returning. ‘I’m only suggesting it so you could still come here with me. Selfish woman that I am. Besides, I’d help you out anyway, Lil. What are friends for, eh?’

  As Edie turned away and marched purposefully into the hall, Jessie winked at Lil. She had been in on Lil’s plan to keep Edie occupied as much as possible.

  ‘And what are you two up to?’

  Jessie turned with wide-eyed innocence. ‘Us, Norma? Why, nothing. Whatever made you think that? Come on, Lil, I’ll show you and Edie what needs doing.’

  ‘Aye, picking out the best jobs for your sister, I shouldn’t wonder.’

  ‘However did you guess?’ Jessie turned her wonderful smile on the dour woman. ‘But it’s for your sister too, Norma.’

  Now the woman couldn’t think of a sarcastic reply.

  Nineteen

  With the occupation of their country had come the conscription of Frenchmen to provide forced labour for Germany. But many young men escaped to the forests and hills, particularly in the mountainous regions in Brittany and southern France, to avoid being sent away. Small resistance groups existed elsewhere where they could be sure of help from their families and friends and one such group had been set up by Emile and his friends in a large wooded area about sixty kilometres from his father’s farm. They had been lucky to find two derelict cottages, once used by woodmen, they surmised, in the very middle of the forest where the trees and foliage were thickest, but they still posted lookouts at the edge of the trees day and night. So far, they had not been discovered and whilst it was very cold in the winter months – they dare not light fires very often – it was a discomfort the young men were prepared to be
ar; anything was better than being sent away.

  Raoul Détange’s farm lay in a region of the Loire Valley about sixty kilometres north-east of Bourges. Sadly, the whole area was within the German-occupied zone, but that was the very reason it was perfect for the SOE to send agents there. They had heard of Emile Détange and his band of men and had wanted to help for some time. They had sent an organizer and a wireless operator some months earlier and they had done valuable groundwork with Emile. Now the time was right for them to send their agents in to make the circuit fully operational. ‘Bruce’ had been parachuted in two weeks before Beth, but he desperately needed a wireless operator and someone who could act as a courier too. When Emile told him, on one of the rare occasions when they were able to meet, that his parents were willing – and ready – to help, ‘Bruce’ had travelled to Paris and had managed to make contact with a British agent there and get messages transmitted to London. They had informed him that they were sending someone very soon and that she would make contact as soon as she could. So ‘Bruce’ had to wait, holed up in his room above the bakery, watching the Germans in the building opposite and wondering if it really was such a good idea to be quite so close to the enemy.

  ‘You’ll be needing a bicycle, Leonie,’ Raoul told her. He and Marthe used her name often as if to familiarize themselves with it. ‘Come with me. I have an old one, which Marthe used to ride years ago. You can clean it up, though I don’t know what state the tyres are in.’

  Luckily, the tyres were reasonable but the frame was rusty, so Beth spent a whole day cleaning it. When she had finished and had blown up the tyres, she stood back to admire her handiwork.

  ‘You’ve made a good job of that, Leonie,’ Raoul told her, but she spread her hands for him to see the blisters.

  ‘At a price,’ she murmured.

  ‘You will need a small hiding place on the bicycle. You won’t be able to carry anything large, but you might have to leave messages somewhere for your contacts. Now, leave it with me and I’ll see what I can do.’

  An hour later, he called her out into the yard. He was holding the bicycle with a satisfied smile on his face. ‘See if you can find my hiding place.’

  Beth searched all over the bicycle; the frame, the wheels, the handlebars, but she could see nothing. ‘I give in,’ she said at last. ‘Show me.’

  Raoul twisted the rubber covering from the end of the right-hand handlebar. ‘It is hollow inside the metal. See? It is tight to pull this off, but that is good. It will not be easy to find it.’

  ‘This is great, Uncle Raoul. Thank you.’ She, too, was having to get used to calling the old couple ‘uncle’ and ‘aunt’. ‘And now I’d better go into town and see if I can find my contact.’

  As she mounted her bicycle and pedalled out of the yard, Raoul watched her with worried eyes. ‘Be careful, Leonie,’ he called after her.

  She raised her hand to wave and the bicycle wobbled dangerously.

  ‘I’m fed up with being told I shouldn’t visit Reggie. He doesn’t write very often and I think that’s only when someone stands over him and makes him. And I haven’t heard much from Frank either. Maybe Irene could tell me a bit more. I need to go and see them, Lil.’

  ‘I tell you what. When Archie comes home next time, why don’t the three of us take a trip out to the farm to see the family? We’ll have to start thinking about Christmas again soon and maybe this year we could persuade them to come home, even if it’s only for a couple of nights. What do you think?’

  Edie’s eyes lit up. ‘I think that’s a great idea, Lil. I’ll go into town in the morning when I go to do our shopping and ask about train times.’

  When Archie arrived home later in the week, Edie greeted him with their plans. ‘I’ve checked the timetable and we can catch an early train in the morning and one back to town at teatime. Archie, do say we can go – please.’

  ‘Well . . .’ Archie hesitated for a moment. He didn’t want to upset the applecart and unsettle Reggie, but he could see how much it meant to his wife and he was sure Lil would be longing to see her family too. ‘All right, love, we’ll go. It’ll have to be tomorrow because I sail again on the evening tide the day after.’

  ‘Oh thank you, Archie,’ Edie said, flinging her arms around him and giving him a resounding kiss.

  Edie and Lil were like two children setting off on a day’s outing. There hadn’t been time to write to let Irene or Reggie know they were coming so Edie and Lil between them had packed food for the three of them for the day. ‘I don’t want to take advantage of the Schofields,’ Edie had said firmly. ‘Just because they live on a farm doesn’t meant they can feed folks descending on them unannounced. It’s shame the weather isn’t better. We could have had a picnic in one of Mr Schofield’s fields.’

  Walking away from the halt at Fotherby, they walked down a long lane, Archie carrying the basket containing their dinner. Edie clutched a parcel of clothes for Reggie and Lil carried gifts for Irene and little Tommy.

  ‘I hope these clothes I’ve got for him are big enough,’ Lil said worriedly. ‘I don’t know how much Tommy’ll have grown.’

  They’d been walking for about half a mile when Archie said, ‘I reckon this is it. White Gates Farm, isn’t it?’

  ‘Yes, yes, this is it!’ Edie said excitedly. ‘Oh look, there’s a young man sweeping the yard. He’ll know where Reggie and the others are.’

  ‘Edie, love,’ Archie said quietly, ‘that is Reggie.’

  ‘Wha . . .?’ Edie’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. ‘But he’s too big, he’s . . .’

  But when the boy turned round she could see for herself that it was indeed her son. ‘Oh my goodness, how he’s grown. And look, there’s little Tommy near the back door. Oh look, Lil, do look. See how well he’s walking.’

  ‘I’m looking, Edie,’ Lil said, a catch in her voice. Reggie might have shot up, but their little grandson had altered so much, they could hardly recognize him. He was two years old and of course he was walking, but the two women hadn’t stopped to think. They were still visualizing him as the tiny baby they had last seen.

  Seeing them, Reggie flung down the brush and ran towards them, flinging himself against Archie. Then he stood back and his smile faded. He looked anxious. ‘What is it?’ he said. ‘Is it bad news? Or – or have you come to fetch me back?’

  ‘No, no, lad,’ Archie said swiftly. ‘We just wanted to come and see you, that’s all.’

  Reggie’s features relaxed a little but there was still wariness in his eyes as if he wasn’t quite sure whether or not he believed them. ‘Oh, I see. You’d best come in, then, and meet Mrs Schofield. She’ll make you a cup of tea.’

  Archie held up the basket. ‘We haven’t come to encroach on her kindness. We’ve brought our own food.’

  Edie stepped forward and hugged him to her, ruffling his hair. ‘But you could come home now, Reggie. The bombing’s not so bad and we’ve got a Morrison shelter set up in the front room.’

  Reggie shook his head. ‘I’m not coming back, Mam. I like it here. I like helping Mr Schofield on the farm and I like the local school. There’re several evacuees from Grimsby here and we’re all good mates.’

  ‘It’s all right, son,’ Archie said, putting his hand on the boy’s shoulder. He could feel it shaking beneath his touch. ‘It’s just that your mam would like you home, ’specially now that Shirley’s gone in the ATS, but we’re not here to drag you back if you’re really happy and the Schofields are willing for you to stay. You’ve got to think of them as well, you know.’

  Edie’s face was crestfallen at Archie’s words and she shot him a look of reproach but she said nothing. Understanding how her friend felt, Lil squeezed her arm.

  ‘Come on, Edie,’ she said softly. ‘Let’s go and make a fuss of Tommy and find Irene.’

  They left Archie talking to Reggie in the yard and went towards the toddler still standing in the doorway, clutching the frame. He looked up at the two women with a solemn face.
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  ‘Hello, ducky,’ Lil said, bending down. ‘We’re your grandmas. Where’s your mummy?’

  He pointed to a door behind him just as they heard Irene’s voice. ‘Tommy, where are you, you little monkey? I can’t take my eyes off you for a minute . . . Oh!’

  Irene had appeared behind him, but she stopped and her eyes widened as she saw her mother and Edie. ‘What are you doing here?’

  Lil straightened up. ‘We’ve just come to see you, Irene, that’s all. Aren’t you pleased to see us?’

  ‘Oh – yes – of course. Of course, I am, but I wish you’d let us know. I’m in my old clothes and I could have dressed Tommy up a bit.’ She scooped him up and turned away, carrying him into the kitchen and leaving the two women standing uncertainly near the back door, unsure what to do. Irene’s head appeared around the inner door. ‘Well, don’t just stand there. Come in, now you’re here.’

  Edie and Lil glanced at each other. ‘I don’t feel exactly welcome, Lil, do you?’

  Lil pressed her lips together as if she were holding back the tears and then said, ‘Come on, let’s go in. We’ve just caught them both on the hop, that’s all. It’ll be all right.’

  They moved through a washhouse with a brick-built copper in one corner and a mangle standing nearby. The room was used as a general storeroom too. Thick coats and mackintoshes hung on a row of pegs, beneath which was a line of rubber boots of various sizes. Bags of coal were piled in another corner along with a heap of sticks and logs for fire-lighting. Buckets of pigswill were ready for feeding time and a large meal bin, which they guessed held foodstuff for the poultry, stood against the wall.

  They entered the big farmhouse kitchen where a fire burned in the grate and the smell of freshly baking bread met them.

  ‘My, this is a lovely kitchen, ain’t it, Lil? Makes our sculleries look a bit tiny.’