by Ellie Dean
Sarah was almost overwhelmed with relief. ‘We thought we’d never find her. We’ve been all over the town asking about her, but without her married name, we realised fairly quickly we didn’t stand much chance of tracking her down.’
‘Well, we’ve found each other now, so you can relax.’ Peggy reached for her coat and handbag. ‘Let’s get going before I’m given something else to do. It’s not far to walk, and then we can all sit down and have a nice cup of tea while you tell us about yourselves and your journey.’
Sarah and Jane grinned at one another before they hurried after the bustling little figure who weaved her way through the melee to the other side of the room. ‘I think she’s lovely,’ murmured Jane. ‘We’re very lucky to have found her.’
‘Let’s just hope Aunt Cordelia is as nice,’ muttered Sarah, ‘and not like that old dragon Amelia.’
Peggy turned and smiled at them. ‘Amelia will get the sharp edge of my tongue, never you mind,’ she said firmly, ‘and you’ve nothing at all to worry about with Cordelia, she’s an absolute treasure.’
‘That’s a relief,’ said Jane. ‘Amelia was simply horrid when we knocked on her door.’
‘I know,’ said Peggy. ‘The neighbour told me.’ She stopped by one of the prams. ‘This is Daisy,’ she said as she proudly drew back the blanket. ‘She’s my youngest, and is just over three months old.’
Jane was delighted with Daisy, who was beginning to stir from her sleep. ‘How lovely,’ she cooed. ‘Are your other children back at your house?’
Peggy laughed and shook her head. ‘The two youngest boys are down in Somerset with their sister and my granddaughter, and my other daughter is in the WAAF, so rarely comes home any more. It’s just me, my father-in-law Ron, Cordelia and my evacuee, Rita, and the two nurses Fran and Suzy now. My husband Jim was called up two weeks ago.’
Sarah noted how the smile faded somewhat, but the tilt of her chin remained determined. Peggy was obviously trying her best to be stoic. ‘Let me help you get the pram down the steps,’ she said.
‘Thank you, dear.’ Peggy’s dark eyes regarded her as they reached the pavement. ‘We were expecting your mother to come with you,’ she said quietly. ‘I do hope everything is all right with her?’
‘We don’t really know,’ said Jane, her voice a little unsteady. ‘She was in hospital with dengue fever when we had to leave Singapore. We were very worried about her because she was expecting a baby and the fever can be quite dangerous.’ She took a deep breath. ‘But Daddy promised he would get her on the next available ship – so she might turn up any time now with her new baby.’
‘Goodness me,’ breathed Peggy as her soft heart went out to them. ‘How awful for you all. Your poor father must have been worried sick.’
‘I don’t suppose there have been any letters or telegrams, have there?’ asked Sarah. ‘Only we have no idea if our parents or my fiancé managed to escape before Singapore fell.’
‘I’m so sorry, my dears,’ said Peggy, ‘but there has been nothing – and of course the news bulletins don’t tell us anything, really – only what Mr Churchill’s government wants us to know.’ She made a visible effort to remain cheerful. ‘I’ll inform the Post Office of your address so that if anything goes to either Mafeking Terrace or Havelock Road it will be redirected to Beach View. I’m sure you’ll receive news any day now – and in the meantime we must get you settled.’
They walked on either side of her as she steered the pram down the High Street and eventually turned left into a road that seemed to wind its way east, parallel to the seafront.
‘This is Camden Road,’ explained Peggy. ‘The council took all the road signs down at the beginning of the war to confuse the Germans if they invaded. It’s the same at railway stations and all along the main roads.’ She smiled back at them. ‘I realise it must all seem very strange after living in the tropics, but you’ll soon get used to things,’ she reassured them.
‘Does it ever get any warmer than this, Mrs Reilly?’ asked Jane.
‘You must both call me Peggy,’ she said with a smile, ‘and yes, in the summer it can get quite hot. Cliffehaven used to be a favourite spot for summer holidays, and we would have hundreds of visitors coming down to enjoy paddling in the sea and going on the pier. There was always a brass band playing, and candyfloss and toffee apple stalls all along the promenade, with deckchairs to sit in while you ate your fish and chips out of newspaper.’
‘We had spam fritters and chips in newspaper last night,’ said Jane. ‘It tasted much better than the sandwiches they gave us in Scotland.’
‘Have you eaten since then?’ asked Peggy. As they shook their heads, she quickened her pace. ‘In that case let’s get home quickly and I can make you some lunch. I don’t know what’s in the larder, but there’s bound to be something I can rustle up.’
‘We heard about the rationing,’ said Sarah. ‘Is it very strict?’
‘It has to be,’ replied Peggy. ‘Our little island depends upon the convoys to bring in our food as well as other essentials, and with Hitler’s U-boats causing so much trouble, things are in very short supply. But not to worry, Ron usually has a rabbit or something for the pot, and his vegetable garden provides us with fresh spuds and cabbage and suchlike.’
Sarah and Jane exchanged glances. Neither of them had seen a rabbit outside a children’s picture book, let alone eaten one, and the thought was unappealing. There were so many questions they wanted to ask, so many things they didn’t understand. But as they hadn’t expected to be accommodated in a boarding house, there was one question that Sarah knew must be answered before they moved in.
‘We don’t have a lot of money, Peggy,’ she began. ‘Our father made arrangements with the bank here, but there’s no guarantee that the funds will have come through. We will of course both find jobs, but we might not be able to pay you rent until we do.’
‘Please don’t worry about things like that,’ said Peggy quickly. ‘The Government pays me for your billet, and I will take charge of your food stamps. All I expect from my lodgers is help around the house, like cooking, cleaning and a bit of washing. As long as you keep your rooms clean and don’t bring men into the house, we’ll all get along just fine.’
‘I’m engaged and Jane’s too young to be bringing men home,’ retorted Sarah, rather more sharply than she’d intended.
‘I’m not being personal,’ said Peggy hastily, ‘it’s just a rule of the house. When you’ve been in the business as long as I have one learns to put people straight right at the start so there can be no argument.’ She eyed them rather bashfully. ‘I do hope you didn’t think I was being rude.’
Sarah flushed a deep red and shook her head, realising she was being a bit over-sensitive. It was probably the lack of food and drink, and the exhaustion brought on by the endless journey down here and the worry it had entailed. ‘We won’t do anything to upset you, Peggy,’ she said softly. ‘You’ve been so kind to take us in when it’s clear you already have a houseful.’
Peggy waved away her apology with a smile. ‘I enjoy having young people around me, and of course they all help with Daisy, which is a bonus. Cordelia does her bit too, even though she’s getting on and is rather frail.’ She chuckled. ‘I should warn you that Cordelia often forgets to turn on her hearing aid, so you might find yourself in the maze of a very strange conversation. Don’t let it worry you; she’s got all her marbles and can be great fun.’
‘She sounds lovely,’ said Jane.
‘She is,’ agreed Peggy. ‘So much so that she’s an intrinsic part of my family, and even the girls have taken to calling her Grandma Finch.’ She fell silent for a moment. ‘I wouldn’t mention the fact that her house has been bombed – or tell her about your run-in with Amelia. Cordelia and she have never got on, and it would only upset Cordelia to know that her family home has been destroyed and her sister had been so mean.’
‘Don’t worry, Peggy,’ said Sarah. ‘We won’t say anything.’
There was bomb damage here too, Sarah noticed, but with bright yellow flowers bobbing their heads in the wind through the rubble, it didn’t seem too awful. They continued along past the Anchor pub and the general store, and came to a junction.
‘The sea’s down that way, and we’re across over there,’ said Peggy as they waited for a convoy of Army lorries to trundle up the hill. ‘Beach View has been in my family for years, but of course the war brought an end to the tourist trade, and now it’s home not only for my family, but for the waifs and strays who find their way to our door.’
They crossed the road and Peggy drew to a halt at the entrance to Beach View Terrace. ‘As you can see, we’ve had a bit of damage – a gas explosion took out the last two houses at the end – but so far we’ve managed to escape anything too serious.’
The house was one in a line of tall terraced buildings, with steps leading from the pavement over a basement window to the front door. Each house carried the scars of bombing raids, and most of the windows had been boarded over where the glass had been shattered. The front door to Beach View Boarding House appeared to be a replacement, for it bore no resemblance to the others in the short cul-de-sac, and the smart brass knocker and letter box looked rather incongruous against the cheap wood. A pile of rubble at the end was all that remained of the two houses which had once stood there, but again, the spring flowers that had struggled through the debris brought a dash of colour.
Jane helped Peggy with the pram while Sarah took the cases and gas-mask boxes. They stepped through the front door into a square hall which had dark red and blue tiles on the floor, and cheerful yellow paint on the wall above the dado rail. The house smelled of furniture polish and cooking, and was warm and quiet after the chaos of the Town Hall and the loneliness of wandering the streets.
Peggy put her finger to her lips, her eyes sparkling with fun. ‘Let’s give Cordelia a lovely surprise,’ she whispered. ‘Stay here until I call you.’
Sarah put their cases and gas-mask boxes on the floor beside the front door and unwound her scarf as Jane slipped off her coat and stuffed her beret in the pocket. The hall was quite large and the stairs were of some old dark wood that had been polished to a gleam. A runner of brown carpet was held in place on each step by a shining brass rod, and although the paint was a bit faded on the walls and some of the wallpaper was peeling off below the dado rail, it felt homely.
Peggy came back out of the kitchen with a worried frown. ‘She doesn’t seem to be there, or in the garden,’ she said. ‘I wonder if—’
‘There! Over there, woman! Will you be after shutting the door quickly before she gets out?’
Startled, they all looked up as the strongly accented male voice roared from the upper floor accompanied by the excited barking of a dog.
‘Quick, quick – under there, Harvey!’
‘What on earth?’ Peggy’s face tightened and her eyes narrowed, but before she could move towards the stairs she was confronted by a dark brown ferret streaking towards her, Harvey in hot pursuit.
Sarah and Jane screamed and leaped back as the long furry creature flashed past and the dog almost bowled into them. ‘It’s a rat!’ shouted Jane in terror.
‘It’s a flaming nuisance,’ snapped Peggy, ‘and what it’s doing upstairs I have no idea.’ She ran up the stairs to the first landing. ‘Ronan Reilly!’ she yelled. ‘You get down here this instant.’
‘To be sure I would, Peggy, but Dora’s gone missing and I have to find her.’ His reply was muffled by distance, but nothing could disguise the high note of panic in his voice.
‘Dear God,’ breathed Peggy. ‘I knew those damned things would be trouble.’
Harvey came trotting into the hall holding a dangling ferret in his soft mouth as if it was a fine trophy. He went to each of them in turn to show off his prize, and having received less than rapturous praise, galloped up the stairs to give it to Ron.
Peggy took a deep breath and turned back to the girls who were cowering against the front door. ‘Welcome to Beach View Boarding House,’ she said with a wry smile. ‘We do things rather differently here, but you can be assured that this particular event will not be repeated.’
‘What was that creature?’ asked Sarah.
‘It’s a ferret, dear. She won’t hurt you unless you get too close to her sharp teeth, and although she’s related to rodents, she’s actually quite sweet when she isn’t running amuck in my house.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Ron uses them to help hunt down rabbits. He’s supposed to keep them in their cages in the cellar.’
She glared back up the stairs where a great deal of shouting and barking was going on. ‘I’ll have to sort this out,’ she said apologetically. ‘Go into the kitchen and make yourselves a cup of tea while I deal with Ron. I won’t be long.’
Sarah and Jane watched her run up the stairs but didn’t move from the hallway. They didn’t know how many ferrets there might be, and certainly didn’t want to bump into any that might be lurking in the kitchen – no matter how sweet they might be.
‘Do you think it’s always like this?’ asked Jane.
‘I don’t know, but it’s all rather fun, isn’t it? Should we join in the chase, do you think?’
‘Why not?’ said Jane and grinned. ‘It’s not every day we get a chance to do something as mad as this – and I’m game if you are.’
They crept up the stairs, wary of flying ferrets and dashing dogs as they followed the sound of trampling feet and loud voices.
‘It’s there,’ shouted Peggy. ‘I can see it under the bed. Get it out, Ron.’
‘Ach, to be sure, Peg, you’re frightening her. Stop yelling and give the poor wee creature time to catch her breath.’
‘She’ll be lucky to have any breath to catch if I get hold of her,’ Peggy snapped.
‘It was all my fault,’ quavered an elderly voice. ‘I didn’t know Ron had got them out of the cage when I opened the cellar door.’
‘It’s all right, Cordelia,’ said Peggy. ‘I’m not blaming you. Ron shouldn’t have let them out in the first place.’
Sarah and Jane reached the bedroom door at the top of the house and peeked round it. Cordelia Finch was a little elderly lady with a shock of white hair and a round, sweet face which was quite flushed with all the excitement. Ronan Reilly proved to be a broad-set man in his sixties, with a mane of shaggy hair, wild eyebrows, and a dubious sense of dress, for he was wearing a much-darned shirt, baggy corduroy trousers and muddy wellingtons which had left great clods of muck all over the polished floor.
The ferret eyed them all from beneath the bed, whiskers twitching, bright eyes glinting in the shadows as the large brindle dog danced about and barked furiously.
And then suddenly the ferret made a dash for freedom. She shot between the girls’ feet, along the landing, and down the stairs. Sarah was almost knocked flying as the dog gave chase, swiftly followed by Ronan and Peggy.
Cordelia Finch caught sight of them standing in bewildered amusement on the landing and her little face split into a broad welcoming smile. ‘You must be Sarah and Jane,’ she said rather unsteadily. ‘Oh, how wonderful. How simply wonderful.’
The tears sparked in her eyes as she held her arms open in welcome. ‘Come and give me a hug. I’ve been waiting so long to meet you, and I’m so glad you decided not to stay in South Africa.’
They tentatively hugged her, aware of brittle bones and unsteady feet. She was very tiny and aptly named, for she was as delicate as a little bird. ‘It’s lovely to be here,’ murmured Sarah, ‘and to meet you at last. I hope our
father’s telegram didn’t put you to too much trouble, only he didn’t have anyone else to turn to.’
Cordelia dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. ‘Silly old woman, aren’t I?’ she managed, ‘but it’s so lovely to see you – and of course you had to come to me. You’re family, and family has to stick together in these troubled times.’
‘Everyone has been so kind,’ said Jane.
Cordelia twittered as she dabbed her eyes and tried to pull herself together. ‘I don’t know what you must think of us,’ she giggled. ‘Ron’s ferrets were bound to cause trouble sooner or later – but goodness me, we’ve had some fun trying to catch them.’
‘How many are there?’ asked Jane, looking warily about the room.
‘Two,’ said Cordelia. ‘We’ve yet to find Dora,’ said Cordelia, ‘but I suspect she’s found a nice warm dark corner to hide in. Harvey will sniff her out, never you mind.’ She looked up at them, her little face radiant with happiness. ‘Let me show you your room, and then we can go down and see what’s happening. Poor Ron is no doubt getting a terrible lecture from Peggy, and I really should share the blame.’
She led the way down to the first landing and headed for a door which stood ajar at the far end. ‘It’s the best room in the house,’ she said, ‘and I’ve made it all nice and fresh for you.’
The three of them came to a halt as Cordelia pushed the door open to reveal two single beds and a long furry body stretched out contentedly in the shaft of sunlight that fell across one of the bedspreads. They had found Dora.
‘We’ll just shut the door on her and leave her to it,’ murmured Cordelia. ‘Ferrets have sharp teeth, and Ron will know how to handle her properly.’ She grinned up at them. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll make sure everything’s clean again before you go to bed.’
Jane giggled. ‘What fun,’ she said as she took the old woman’s arm and steadied her down the stairs. ‘I had a pet lizard in Malaya, and she used to sit on my dressing table and chirrup at me, but I’ve never seen a ferret before.’