At that moment, the farmer’s wife came in by a door leading to the rest of the house. Although she was startled to see two strangers in her kitchen, she smiled a welcome as Irene made the introductions.
‘This is Mrs Schofield, Mam. My mother and her friend, Mrs Kelsey. She’s Reggie’s mam.’
‘I’m very pleased to meet you.’ Mrs Schofield held out her hand. ‘Please call me Ruth.’
‘And we’re Lil and Edie,’ Lil said, pointing first at herself and then at Edie.
‘Let me make you some tea. And there are fresh scones just out of the oven.’
‘Well, we wouldn’t say no to a cuppa, Mrs – Ruth, but we won’t take your food. We’ve brought our dinner. Archie – that’s my husband – is out in the yard talking to Reggie. He’s got the basket.’
‘There’s no need, really. Of course, we have to abide by the regulations,’ Ruth smiled, ‘but there are things we can do on a farm that get round a lot of the rationing.’
‘They keep four goats,’ Irene said. ‘Tommy’s being raised on goat’s milk and the cheese it makes is lovely.’
‘I’ll give you some to take back,’ Ruth promised.
‘That’s very kind of you,’ Edie said, feeling a little embarrassed now. ‘But we only came to see the family. It seems so long since we saw them. I can’t believe how Reggie’s grown – I hardly knew him. I’ve brought him some clothes, but I don’t know if they’ll fit.’
‘He’s doing very well. He likes helping my husband and the two land girls we’ve got and he’s doing very nicely at school.’
Edie frowned. ‘He’s not there today?’
‘The local school is a bit overcrowded with all the evacuee children, so they do a rota system. Local children go in the morning and the evacuee children in the afternoon. Reggie’ll go as usual this afternoon, unless, of course, you want him to stay off because you’ve come to see him.’
‘No, no, we wouldn’t want that. I never gave it a thought, if I’m honest, until just now that we’ve come on a school day.’
Ruth Schofield bustled about her kitchen, laying out cups and saucers and small plates. From her pantry she produced a wire tray of scones, still cooling from the oven, and thick yellow butter and strawberry jam and even a pot of cream.
‘I know it’s more like afternoon tea, but we’ll call it elevenses,’ she said, smiling.
Edie and Lil glanced at one another. They hadn’t seen food like this since before the war. It outstripped the spam sandwiches made with the National loaf that they had brought with them.
‘Please – help yourselves,’ Ruth urged as she poured cups of strong tea for her visitors. ‘Now, I’ll just go out and bring your husband and Reggie in whilst you get acquainted with little Tommy.’
Irene sat down at the table beside her mother. ‘Tommy, this is your grandma. In fact, they’re both your grandmas.’ She glanced up at them. ‘We haven’t decided what he’s to call you both.’
‘I’m Grannie,’ Edie said promptly and then added, ‘unless that’s the name Lil prefers.’
‘No, no, Edie, Grandma will be fine – or even Nanny.’
‘Nanny would be easier for him to say whilst he’s little, but then it would stick,’ Irene said. ‘Best we teach him “Grandma” and he can make up his own word. Now, are you going to your Grandma, Tommy?’ She handed the little boy over to her mother, whose eyes filled with tears. It had been such a long time since she’d held him and in the time since then her arms had ached to hold him again.
Edie leaned forward to tickle his chin and the little boy beamed at them both. The two women laughed delightedly. ‘Well, at least he’s pleased to see us, Lil,’ Edie murmured.
They stayed until after Reggie had gone to school in the afternoon. Ruth, and her husband, Joe, when he and the two land girls came in for dinner, insisted that the visitors should share their meal. ‘Your food won’t be wasted,’ Ruth assured them. ‘You can eat it for your tea when you get home.’
‘Well, if you’re really sure,’ Archie said, sitting down before a plate piled high with pork, apple sauce and stuffing and freshly picked vegetables.
‘Everything on that plate,’ Joe said, laughing, ‘is off the farm.’
Archie chuckled as he picked up his knife and fork. ‘I can see why Reggie doesn’t want to come back to Grimsby.’
‘Of course he’s missing you all,’ Ruth put in hurriedly. ‘He talks about you all the time – but he really is better here, for the time being anyway. I’ll try to get him to write to you a bit more, Edie,’ she added, smiling fondly at the boy. ‘But it’s a struggle.’
‘It’s all right, Ruth. Just so long as I know he’s all right.’ Edie sighed heavily. ‘I know I’m being selfish, but Shirley’s gone into the ATS now, so there’s no one at home when Archie’s at sea. But at least you’ll all come home eventually when the war’s over.’
No one said anything and Edie didn’t notice the look that passed between Reggie and Joe Schofield.
But Archie saw it and frowned.
By the time they left to walk up the lane towards the main road to catch the train, Edie had mixed feelings. They hadn’t received the ecstatic welcome from either Reggie or Irene that she’d hoped for. Indeed, Irene had seemed on edge the whole time they were there. She’d talk to Lil about it tomorrow, Edie promised herself. See if she’d noticed it too. But Edie had seen Reggie’s bedroom and was reassured that he had a nice little room at the back of the house on the same landing as Mr and Mrs Schofield and far enough away from Irene’s bigger bedroom where she and Tommy slept so that no baby crying in the night would disturb him. She’d seen Irene’s room too; a lovely, big, airy room with Tommy’s cot in one corner.
‘Mr Schofield fetched it down from their loft and cleaned it up for us,’ Irene said. ‘It’s the one both their boys slept in.’
‘They’ve got sons?’ Lil asked.
Irene nodded and bit her lip. ‘Yes – two. They’re in the army. Abroad, Mrs Schofield thinks.’
‘Just like Frank,’ Edie murmured, feeling a sudden empathy for the woman who was doing her best to care for other people’s families – their families – when she must be worried sick about her own boys.
‘I know you both want them all home,’ Archie said, as they walked along the lane, side by side. ‘So do I, but you’ve got to admit they’re better there until all this lot’s over.’
The two women were silent.
‘They’re safe from the bombing and, by the look of it, being well fed. The Schofields – and those land army lasses too – seem nice and friendly; the girls must be company for Irene. And, by the sound of it, Reggie’s made some friends at school.’
‘I know all that, Archie,’ Edie snapped, irritated with both Archie and herself; with Archie because she knew, deep down, that he was right, and with herself because she knew she was being selfish.
‘It’s – it’s just that they’re not at home where they should be.’
‘I know, love, I know.’ He crooked his arms, offering one to each of them. They linked arms and walked in step with each other. ‘Let’s hope it’ll soon be over and then they’ll all come back.’
He didn’t mentioned Frank or Beth by name, but they were never far from their thoughts, and though he said no more, Archie was very much afraid that the war wasn’t going to be over for some time to come.
Twenty
Beth pedalled through the village without anyone stopping her, but when she came to the outskirts of the town, it was a different matter. There was a road block with two German soldiers on guard beside it. Her heart felt as if it jumped inside her chest and then began to beat faster, but she kept her face straight, even managed to smile a little, though not too much, as she rode towards them. One of the soldiers stepped into the roadway and held up his hand, commanding her to stop. She applied her brakes and put her foot to the ground.
‘Good afternoon,’ she said in French.
The soldier barked at her in German, but it w
as quite easy for her to make out she didn’t understand what he was saying because she didn’t. Beth was fluent in the French language but she knew very little German.
Impatiently, the soldier snapped out the few words he knew in French. ‘Papers.’
Beth fished out her identity card from her coat pocket and handed it to the young man, who didn’t look any older than she was, though, she reminded herself, she was supposed to be only fifteen! Beth twisted one of her plaits nervously round her finger whilst the soldier looked at her papers.
‘Where are you going?’ he asked slowly.
Beth replied rapidly, so quickly that it was obvious he did not understand her. The soldier on the opposite side of the road strolled across, a smirk on his face. In perfect French he said, ‘My friend doesn’t understand your language, Mademoiselle.’ He turned to the other man. ‘She said she is going into the town to buy bread.’
‘Where does she live?’ Now the conversation continued with one asking the questions in German and then the other translating his words into French.
‘Détanges’ Farm on the other side of the village.’
‘Why does the farmer’s wife not bake her own bread?’
‘Because she has no flour.’
The first soldier grunted and thrust her papers back into her hands and waved impatiently for her to pass through the barrier. Beth rode on, breathing more easily with every yard she put between herself and the soldiers, but when she came to the town and found the bakery, directly opposite the German headquarters, as she had been warned, her hands began to shake a little. She leaned her bicycle against the side of the shop and went inside. There were three customers waiting to be served so she moved to the back of the short queue. At last she faced the baker across his counter. First she asked for the two loaves that Marthe really did need and then, glancing round to make sure that no one else had entered the shop, she gave the coded sentence.
‘Have you any jam tarts today, Monsieur?’
The man kept his face expressionless but Beth had seen the brief startled look in his eyes.
‘I may be able to find one for you, Mademoiselle. Will you wait here a moment?’
The baker, whose name Beth had learned from Raoul was Henri Lafarge, disappeared through a door at the back of his shop. He was gone some minutes and Beth began to grow nervous. Was something wrong? Did he not believe her or had she been betrayed already? After what seemed an interminable wait, Henri returned and, at the sight of the man following him through the door, Beth gasped and almost blurted out his name. Coming towards her, looking every bit as surprised as she was feeling, was the man with whom she’d travelled to Scotland and undergone rigorous training. Rob!
‘Leonie, I presume?’ Rob said, seeming to recover first and at once reminding her that they were not supposed to know each other. He held out his hand, just as if they were meeting for the first time. ‘Bruce. Bruce Cordier. Please come through.’ He led the way through the door and up the dark, narrow staircase to a room at the front of the building overlooking the street below and the Town Hall opposite. The room was shadowy, for the blinds were set so that Rob could see out but no one could see in. Once inside the room, he gave her a swift hug. ‘I’m so glad to see you, and yet, I’m not. I could almost wish you had been a stranger.’
‘I know what you mean, but we’ll just have to do our best. Luckily, we didn’t exchange much information about each other, did we?’
Rob shook his head. ‘It’s a good job they were so adamant about that. Now I can see why. Perhaps they knew – or at least thought – that there was a good chance some of us would bump into each other at some time.’ He lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘Have you heard about any of the others we trained with? Monty? Phil?’
Beth shook her head and then told him candidly, ‘In a way, I’m glad it’s you. At least we both know we’ve had the same rigorous training.’
‘That’s true, Leonie. I certainly know I can trust you.’
‘And me you.’ They smiled at each other and then Rob gestured around the room. ‘Sorry about the gloom, but I leave the windows as they are all the time so as not to attract attention. I’m hoping it looks as if no one occupies this room.’
‘What about at night?’
Rob shrugged. ‘I have a small bedroom across the landing that overlooks the backyard, but mostly I’m in here keeping watch. I don’t need to go out very much, but I like to see what they’re up to.’ He gave a nod towards the window.
‘You don’t go out at all?’ Beth couldn’t imagine anything worse than being cooped up in these two small rooms all the time. At least she had the freedom to be out even if she had to run the gauntlet of guards and patrols. ‘What about food?’
‘Henri keeps me well supplied. Well, as much as he is able, of course. I go out now and again – for a cycle ride into the countryside just to get a bit of exercise. But it’s difficult to find a road where you’re not going to get stopped.’
Beth grimaced. ‘I know. I was stopped on my way into town this morning.’
He glanced at her, suddenly concerned. ‘All right?’
Beth nodded. ‘Fine, but it’s a bit nerve-wracking the first time.’
Rob laughed wryly. ‘Believe me, it doesn’t get any easier however many times it happens.’ He seemed to look at her properly for the first time. ‘I must say, I approve of the disguise. You really look like a schoolgirl.’
‘How have you been managing to get messages to Antoine?’
‘With difficulty, because I daren’t go to the farm. I don’t want to draw suspicion on the Détanges. They’re being very courageous having you live with them. The fewer contacts we have, the better. That’s why we’re trying to set up a network of communication with each of us knowing only one or two people. And it’s been even worse trying to get through to London. I’ve had to go to Paris and that’s a nightmare and so risky too. You’re not really sure who you can trust, you know. I’ve heard there might be a double agent working in the city and no one knows with whom his true allegiance lies.’
Beth pulled a face. ‘So, what do you want me to do, Bruce?’ Once more they were both trying hard to be as familiar with their code names now as they had been with their real names.
‘Act as a courier between me and Antoine. I understand he visits the farm at night when it’s safe?’
Beth nodded.
‘And also communicate with London for us. You’ve got your wireless safely hidden?’
‘Yes, we—’ she began, but Rob held up his hand.
‘Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.’
Beth was quickly realizing just how secretive everything had to be for the safety of them all.
‘How do I get messages to you?’
‘We’ll both use a drop box. There’s a big oak tree between here and the village. It’s on a stretch of road that’s got a clear view all round so as long as you’re careful, you shouldn’t be seen. Not unless someone’s got a pair of binoculars trained on you and that’s a million-to-one chance. I’ve made a hollow in the back of it. Just leave any messages there. And I’ll leave you mine either for Antoine or for you to transmit. By the way, I presume you’ve no lemons for writing the notes invisibly. What about trying onion juice or milk?’
Beth laughed. ‘I’ll experiment to see what works the best.’
‘Or there’s vinegar,’ Rob went on, trying to remember all the liquids they’d used on the training course. ‘But now you’d better go. You’ve been here quite a time for just buying bread.’
With the two loaves sticking conspicuously out of the basket on the front of her bicycle, Beth left the town. This time the two soldiers nodded and smiled at her and waved her straight through. She smiled back rather shyly as she hoped a young French girl would do – not flirtatious or over friendly, but just enough to prove she wasn’t hostile. It was such a difficult and potentially dangerous line to tread!
She didn’t breathe easily until she had reached the farm. On
the way, she had spotted the oak tree on the road between the town and the village that Rob had told her about. She hadn’t stopped to investigate it, but at least now she knew exactly where it was.
‘Oh, you do look smart, Shirley,’ Edie said, holding out her arms in welcome. It was two weeks since their trip to White Gates Farm and Archie was back at sea. Though they’d enjoyed seeing the family, it had unsettled Edie even more. She was mortified to see how much Reggie was growing up without her and both she and Lil were missing such important years in Tommy’s life. They hadn’t been there to see him cut his first tooth, take his first faltering step and to hear his first words. She knew Archie was right – the youngsters were safer in the countryside – but the moments of loneliness wouldn’t go away. Although she spent most of her waking hours with Lil, it was night time, when she went to bed, knowing that she was completely alone in the house, that accentuated her solitude. But it was the one thing she couldn’t talk to Lil about. Poor Lil had been alone in her house every night since Irene had gone to the country. She could talk to Lil about everything else under the sun, but not this one thing. It made Edie feel even more isolated than ever.
But now Shirley was home, even if only for a few days, and Edie welcomed her with open arms.
The girl’s eyes were shining and she looked more – now what was it? Edie wondered – yes, alive, than she’d ever seen her. Her hair, cut short now, curled out from beneath her cap. When she removed the cap, she explained: ‘I’ve had a light perm, Mam. What do you think?’
‘It looks lovely and it shines so.’
Shirley took off her jacket and hung it carefully over the back of a chair. ‘One of the girls on camp showed me how she rinses her hair with vinegar. It lessens the grease in it. That’s why mine always looked so drab and lifeless.’
‘Have you made some friends, then?’
‘Yes, I suppose so. One or two, but they’re all a friendly bunch. There’s a whole gang of us that stick together.’
‘I’m glad.’
‘How’s Ursula? Has she popped in now and again like she promised?’
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