Gracie left her, hoping her husband, wouldn’t be too long.
Some of the women spent the night knitting scarves and balaclavas, the old men playing dominoes and swopping stories. The children all seemed to be tumbled together in one big heap, oblivious to danger. At long last came the All-Clear and Gracie went back to see how her old lady was getting along, only to find the seat empty.
‘Where’s Maggie? Where’s the old lady?’
‘Oh, she barely stayed five minutes, slipped back out before they locked the doors to look for her Percy. We tried to stop her but she’d gone before we got chance.’
Gracie was appalled. Why on earth had she left her? Why hadn’t she gone to look for Percy herself? She was quite certain that Maggie and her poor husband would be goners. Perhaps her house, the whole street had been bombed while she was helping to fill babies’ bottles. But the very next night, in the very same seat by the door, was Maggie, a great grin on her face, and tucked under her arm was a basket.
‘Meet Percy. Naughty boy. Caught him in good time tonight.’ Percy was a cat.
They hadn’t seen Rose again, despite keeping an eye out for her everywhere they went, so they were pleased and relieved when one bright September day she suddenly emerged through the trees, like a sprite out of the mist and strolled towards them, the dog at her heels. They all hugged each other like long lost buddies, Tizz jumping up excitedly at them all, ecstatically joining in with the celebration. It took a while before the dog calmed down, and several sticks had to be thrown before she collapsed, tongue lolling, and they were able to talk in peace.
‘Where have you been?’
‘Didn’t you get our note?’
‘Was the bike OK?’
‘What have you been up to?’
‘Why didn’t you come and see us?’
‘We missed you.’
So many questions which Rose skilfully avoided answering. They sat on a log, since Tom-Tom had just announced the start of their dinner break and she encouraged them to talk about their work, and what they hoped to do when the end of the training arrived, as it surely must soon.
Lou answered without hesitation. ‘Oh, stay here. No question.’
‘I’m not sure you’ll be allowed to,’ Rose warned. ‘There aren’t any permanent girls kept here. They come and go. This is only a training camp. No one ever stays very long.’ There was a note of wistfulness in her voice that was heartrending, as if she were longing that one day things might change, that the girls would stay and she could have some proper friends. They all looked at her, seeing the reality of her life for perhaps the first time.
Lou suddenly grasped her hands. ‘I’ve just had a wonderful idea. Why don’t you join the WTC too? There’s no reason why you couldn’t be a Lumber Jill. If I can do it, anybody can.’
Gracie whooped with delight. ‘What a marvellous notion. Of course, that’s exactly what you must do, Rose. You’d soon catch up with what we’ve learned so far, then we could be together always.’
Rose’s eyes were shining as she listened to these plans being made, and just for one heady moment, almost believed them to be possible before reality closed in. ‘I’m only just turned seventeen. Eddie would never allow it.’
‘Don’t ask him.’
‘I’m only eighteen,’ Gracie said. ‘What of it? My parents were dead against my joining but I stuck to my guns, if you pardon the expression. There’s a war on, for God’s sake. People aren’t asking too closely about what age a person is. Anyway, I believe you
can
join the Women’s Land Army at seventeen. It’s only the WRNS that need you to be older. So what are you waiting for girl? Get fell in.’
‘And get felling.’ They all roared at the foolish joke.
‘Rose, there you are. I thought I heard your voice.’
Rose started and looked up into her brother’s implacable face. ‘Oh, Eddie. I’m sorry. Am I late again? I was just talking to my friends. They were wondering if...’
Eddie was about to say that he didn’t give a tinker’s cuss what they wondering when his eye fell upon Lou, or rather upon the fullness of her breasts thrusting forth above the sagging bib of her dungarees. He studied the length of her legs and how her lovely bright chestnut hair was falling down about her face, despite her putting up one hand to tidy the heavy bangs back into place. His gaze slid over Grace’s pale, slender figure without interest.
‘Well, well, p’raps you’d best introduce me. I’m always happy to meet your friends.’
Beaming with relief, Rose told him all their names, where they came from and how they happened to be in the WTC. Had Lou not stopped her, she might well have babbled out their entire life history. Something’s wrong, Lou thought. Either the girl barely spoke a word, or she talked twenty to the dozen.
‘You can spare her for a few more minutes, surely?’ Lou mildly remarked, eyes flashing provocatively as she responded teasingly to his appreciative stare. ‘We’re just on our dinner break. Surely she’s entitled to one too.’
‘Of course, I was only worried about where she’d got to.’ There was a small silence but when nobody attempted to fill it, he went on, ‘Perhaps I’ll see you young ladies later, back in camp. Or bring them round to the house one night, Rose.’
‘Very kind of you,’ Gracie began, but, turning his back on her, Eddie sauntered over to where Lou sat perched on a tree root. He hunkered down so that his face came to within inches of hers. ‘We’re always glad of a bit of company out here in the back woods.’ His voice was soft, caressing. ‘You’ll come too, I hope?’
‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world,’ Lou whispered back, in the same tone, a beguiling air of innocence shining from her eyes as she carefully kept her wedding ring covered.
The corners of his mouth twisted upwards into a slight smile before he stood up, allowing his gaze to linger upon her for another second or two before he swung about and strode away. The moment he’d gone, Lou wrapped her arms about herself and doubled up with laughter. ‘The cheeky beggar!
‘You were leading him on something shocking,’ Gracie chided, ‘and he fell for it, hook, line and sinker, poor man.’ The pair were soon rolling about, helpless with mirth. Rose looked on, bewildered.
When she’d calmed down enough to speak again, Lou said, ‘I must say though, he ain’t half bad looking, your brother, though a bit rough round the edges. A decent shave might improve matters but he’s not bad, not bad at all.’
Gracie poked her in the ribs. ‘Hey, you shouldn’t even be looking. Not you, a respectable married woman.’
‘I know. Gordon would hang him from the mainbrace, whatever that might be.’
This set them off into fresh paroxysms of mirth and Rose struggled to join in. She’d never thought Eddie could cause such hilarity. She’d certainly never found him the remotest bit amusing, or good looking, but then she was his sister, so he wouldn’t chat her up, would he? ‘At least you got an invitation to supper out of him. You will come, won’t you?’
‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world,’ Lou chortled.
Gracie wagged a finger at her. ‘Best ask Gordon’s permission first. We can’t have Rose’s brother thinking he’s going to have his wicked way with you and all he gets is a smack in the chops from your husband. Bit of a disappointment for a chap, don’t you think?’
Rose said, ‘Actually, a smack in the chops from anybody’s husband might do Eddie a whole lot of good,’ which for some reason put a stop to the laughter as they all looked at her in surprise.
Until that moment, she’d always spoken of him with affection, saying what a marvellous brother he’d always been to her, or at least been at pains to point out there was no real harm in him. Lou had a sudden recollection of their visit to the kitchens of the big house, and the strange sounds they had heard. ‘He didn’t actually
do
anything to you over that missed lunch, did he?’
Rose was relieved to answer in all honesty that he hadn’t touched her.
‘Only we heard this whining sound.’
‘Oh, it would be Tizz, making a fuss.’
She made no mention of the long day and night spent in the cold, damp cellar, nor the further two days locked in her room, Tizz in a cupboard on the landing so they couldn’t even be together any more. The dog had indeed spent the whole time whining and scratching to get out. Rose didn’t even glance down at her faithful companion as these thoughts ran through her mind, but she was thankful Tizz was beside her now, as usual, leaning heavily and protectively against her leg.
‘Lou thought it was a ghost.’ Gracie chuckled, then had to relate her own version of that visit which resulted in yet more hilarity.
What with the interruption, entertaining as it was, they’d forgotten all about eating but the mention of that first lunch they’d all enjoyed together served now to remind them. ‘See,’ Rose said, ‘I’ve brought some sandwiches as my contribution today. ‘Only egg and cress, I’m afraid, as I didn’t have anything else.’
‘
Egg
!’ Without another word the trio fell upon the delicacy with gusto.
In no time at all, it seemed, they were into the last week of their training, worrying about what was to happen next. It was an anxious time as Posting Out day would soon be upon them; the day when they would be given their first placement. Qualified candidates would be formally enrolled into the Timber Corps and sent to some job or other, which could be anywhere in the country. It might involve felling, doing a census, measuring the girths of trees, driving or haulage, or simply being involved with paperwork. They weren’t given much say, but were allowed to put forward their preferences and, encouraged by Lou, who was determined to remain close to Gordon, the squad had requested to be posted together somewhere in Cornwall.
Enid too was keen to stay in the county, since she’d met an airman from St Mawgan and was always slipping out to meet him. On at least two occasions both girls had arrived back dangerously late, having stuffed their kitbags beneath the blankets to make it look as if they were asleep.
‘You’ll get found out,’ Gracie worried, seeing that the pair were again making preparations to break the curfew.
‘Then you’ll just have to sweet talk the old goat some more, won’t you?’ Lou teased, then more seriously, ‘You never did explain exactly how you persuaded Matron to let me go out with Gordon that time, or on so many occasions since, come to that.’
‘That would be telling.’
‘Aw go on. I thought we were mates. No secrets.’
‘This is one secret that is shared between myself and Elsie.’
‘And who’s Elsie when she’s at home?’
‘That would be telling too.’
Jeannie said, ‘Gie over worrying about what’s past, girl. It’s what happens next that matters. There’s some of us might like to move further north. I wouldna mind goin’ back to bonnie Scotland meself. Though I’m told there are few billets out in the wilds of the highlands, so it’d be more camp life. And a pretty cold one, I’d say.’
Lena pulled a face. ‘I’d prefer working for a timber merchant myself, or in a nice warm sawmill. More civilised.’
‘Dinna ye believe it. There’s some randy buggers run these sawmills.’ Which made them all laugh.
‘What about farmers? Don’t they have a reputation too, Jeannie?’ Lou asked, brown eyes shining.
‘Awch aye, but they’re old, so they can’t run so fast as me.’
Gracie said, ‘Have you got a boy friend back home in Scotland then? Is that the real reason you want to go?’
The Scot began patting and searching in her pockets for a cigarette. Sliding out the packet she pulled out a dog end and lit it, taking her time to draw in a long, satisfying drag. ‘Not any more. I had a fiancé. He was in the RAF, but he was shot down.’ The silence was long and sombre. It was Jeannie herself who broke it. ‘Don’t say anything. There’s nothing to say. Such is war. So, it might as well be Cornwall as anywhere, I suppose. I’m game.’
Lou was out with Gordon on the afternoon that Gracie’s parents came to take her home. In fact on this, their last Saturday, all their plans seemed to go awry. It had been arranged that tonight they would take up Eddie’s invitation to supper, then Gordon arrived unexpectedly and Lou begged Gracie to go without her.
‘Offer my apologies but say I got called away. A relative came to visit. Long lost Aunt Mathilda. Anything you like.’
‘Relative? Don’t you mean husband?’
Lou shrugged her shapely shoulders and pouted her lips to carefully apply a second layer of lipstick. ‘Tell him the truth if you like. I don’t care. He may appear to be smitten but he’ll get over it. Don’t worry, I’m a one man girl, me. It’s just that I do love to tease. I was only having a bit of fun. I’d’ve let him down gently.’ She rolled up her bangs, smoothing them back from her face and pushing in a couple more kirby grips to hold them in place.
‘Playing with fire more like. Why do I feel I’m drawing the short straw here,’ Gracie moaned.
‘Stop fretting. You’re not the one he’s after.’
‘Thank God.’
‘You’ll have Rose for company,
and
get well fed for once. That can’t be bad. Anyway, you’re probably right. It might have got a bit tricky if I had gone. Charm and good looks he may have in abundance, but I’m definitely taken. Tell Eddie Treverrith that.’
So it was that Gracie was sitting alone on the doorstep of their hut, happily cleaning the mud off her boots when her parents suddenly appeared before her, their homely faces beaming with delight at their own cleverness in finding her.