‘If you wouldn’t mind taking it out to the terrace, Meg, I’ll do my best with it,’ she said reluctantly, for she found that she was no longer hungry and just wanted to be alone, to think. ‘I expect Mr Jamie will be in later, and my father, of course. They can finish it up.’
Meg was looking past her as she spoke, now she put both hands to the trolley, eyes brightening, and began to wheel it back across the hall.
‘Right, I’ll take it to the terrace. And your Dad’s back by the look of it, so doubtless he’ll gi’ you a hand with eatin’ it up.’
JJ was climbing out of his car, stretching, yawning, then walking around to help his companion out of the passenger seat. For a second Anna thought that he must
have met Constance, then she saw it was Josie Gaunt, looking shyly up at the house and at Anna, standing very close – too close – to JJ as though making it plain that she was here by his invitation, as his guest.
‘Hello, darling! Jamie was busy, so I took little Jo here sailing with me. As we were driving into the village, we saw Mummy going out somewhere, so I thought it would be nice if Jo and I came home and had tea with you. All right if we join you?’
JJ turned to his young companion as they entered the hall, giving her a look which Anna immediately interpreted as ‘I’d do anything for you, darling’ – ugh! ‘Where’s tea being served?’
Anna gave JJ a long, cool look and he had the grace to go a little red. She had been dreading telling her father that his wife had left, but suddenly she began to look forward to it. How
dare
he bring his bit of fluff here, when his wife was out, how dare he put his daughter in such a difficult position!
‘Oh, Daddy, hello Josie, do come in.’ Anna waited until the maid and the tea-trolley had trundled on to the terrace and then she turned to her father, solicitously helping Josie out of her blue blazer, his large, clean hands touching her thin young arms with barely concealed desire. ‘Tea’s on the terrace, Meg’s just taken it out.’
‘And where’s your mother gone off to in such a hurry? Not that it matters …’
‘Don’t worry about Mummy,’ Anna said with syrupy sweetness. ‘She heard about your latest friendship and she’s decided to leave you, so she won’t be having tea with you today or any other day. And I’ll leave you to it, if you don’t mind, I’m suddenly not at all hungry.’
She turned on her heel and ran up the stairs, looking back as she reached the galleried landing.
Josie was clutching JJ’s arm; she looked sick, scared. JJ
was staring up the stairs after Anna. He was white-faced, open-mouthed. He looked every one of his forty-six years.
Once the engagement was official everything seemed to happen at once. Elizabeth, Miss Huntley reflected, was radiant. Always a pretty girl, she became beautiful, and because she had lost weight during the African tour she needed new clothes.
It was still make do and mend, of course, but everyone helped with coupons and advice, and the beautiful material bought by the royal family before the war came into its own at last. And the presents! Austerity Britain was staggering beneath the weight of war loans called in and enormous debts to be repaid while America, that brash and swaggering young colonial, said loud and long to anyone who would listen that the United Kingdom was finished, a has-been. But the British, fighting the unbelievably terrible weather which had afflicted them right up to the month of June, were too busy surviving to guard their backs against their recent ally. Instead, everyone worked as they never had before, production soared, every penny that came in went to pay loans – and then, when they needed it most, into their hard and boring lives came Romance. Their beautiful little Princess, who had suffered with them through the war, was to marry the young Greek Prince who had fought for Britain as a naval lieutenant and had recently become a citizen of Britain. The man who had brought him up, Louis Mountbatten, was already a favourite and now, with a great collective sigh, the British people took the young lovebirds and their eagerly awaited wedding to their hearts.
So what could they do to show their approval and delight? They could – and did – buy, make, beg or steal wedding presents. Some wonderful gifts came from abroad, but Huntie, and her Princess, valued the less valuable but more personal gifts most highly.
‘
Thinking of you on your great day – affectionately, Mabel Arkwright and Jennifer Bradley. Hope you like the scarf, we make them in the factory, only Jenny hand-painted the horse on to this one herself because we know you like them
.’
‘
I’m a pensioner, I don’t have much, but this grouse-claw was my gran’s, I’d like you to have it and hope it brings you luck
.’
‘
My brother Timmy made the egg-cup and I knitted the little hat you put on the egg. Sorry we couldn’t send a egg, but we only have the dried sort. With lots of love, Sukie and Timmy Alcott
’
‘Sometimes I cry, because everyone’s having such a hard time and I’m so exceedingly lucky,’ the Princess told Huntie as they sat in her cosy little sitting-room in Buckingham Palace, unwrapping presents. ‘Some of these girls are getting married themselves, but they won’t have a nice home of their own, like we’ll have, let alone two, a town one and a country one. Yet they save up and send me some little thing they would love to own themselves. Don’t I just wish I could do something for them, in return!’
‘You can – you do,’ Huntie said. ‘It’s difficult to explain, dear, but they’ll watch your wonderful white wedding and your handsome husband and you’ll be putting romance and beauty into their lives, because they’ll be right beside you in their imagination, enjoying every minute. In fact, your enjoyment is their reward, I suppose.’
‘Vicarious pleasure isn’t quite the same, unless you look at it as being like a cinema show. Yes, I suppose there’s that.’
‘Most certainly there is. Why, we’ll all get pleasure from your happiness, Lilibet, every member of the staff, all your relatives, your friends. Perhaps it’s a little like reflected glory, so don’t think the folk who give you such nice presents are being entirely selfless. By accepting their gifts you give them a tiny stake in your special day.’
The Princess ripped the paper off another present, fielding the envelope which flew out at the same time with considerable dexterity.
‘Goodness, that was lucky, it’s fatal to let a note and a present get separated. Thank-you letters are hard enough without that! Oh Huntie, isn’t that the prettiest thing? A Dresden china shepherdess with a little lamb in her apron! And a letter, of course.’ She ripped the envelope open, then pulled out the single sheet and read the contents aloud.
‘
Dear Princess Elizabeth, things are so difficult, I’m afraid we couldn’t afford anything new, but this little lady has been in my family for a great many years, and we would like to think of her brightening your home as she once brightened ours. We have no kiddies of our own, but both Albert and I would like to wish you every happiness in your marriage to dear Lt Mountbatten. Our prayers and affection will be with you always
.’
‘Oh, Huntie, would you like this for your own home, when you move in later in the year? It’s such a pretty ornament, but we’ve a great many already … I’d like you to have it.’
‘That’s sweet of you, Lilibet, and I’d be delighted to see the little lady on my mantelshelf,’ Miss Huntley said at once. ‘When you come and have tea with me you can make sure she’s being dusted and looked after properly. I’ll write the letter myself, though I shan’t say that the shepherdess is on
my
mantel, of course.’
‘Of course not. Though if anyone could see the number of presents they would guess that Philip and I couldn’t possibly give house-room to them all. That reminds me, I must go down to our apartments today and see about the wallpaper for the study. Philip has excellent taste and I know he would like regency stripes, a deep red on cream, I think he said, but whether such paper is available or not is another matter.’
‘I imagine that if such a paper exists anywhere in the world today you’ve only to say you’re searching for it and it will turn up on your doorstep within the week,’ Miss Huntley said, chuckling. ‘Don’t forget that you have to go for a fitting with Mr Hartnell in half an hour; it should be even more amusing than opening presents.’
‘He does get excited,’ the Princess admitted, smiling. ‘Only another eight weeks, Huntie, and everyone will see his gown – including Philip. I think they’ll like it, don’t you?’
‘How can I tell? The big secret doesn’t include me, but if you like it then I’m sure I shall. And now let’s open the odd-shaped one wrapped in yellow paper. I’ve been longing to do so; I wonder what on earth it can be?’
‘It might be an octopus in an advanced state of rigor mortis,’ the Princess said, chuckling. ‘Or a short hat-stand with a great many pegs. Where are the scissors? We’ll have to cut the string, it’s got a whole ball wound round it I should think. Goodness, look at the time! This is positively the last present I open before I go to Mr Hartnell.’
‘Well, if we could possibly manage it, I would like to go. I know November’s a pretty miserable month and I know London will be absolutely crammed with people, but … oh Snip, but how will you get on if Mum and I take a couple of days off?’
‘I’m going to come as well, didn’t your mother tell you? Matthew says that the end of November is just about the deadest time for a farmer, so he’s decided to come, and no one’s likely to want to look around Pengarth at this time of year, so I don’t see why I shouldn’t come too.’
Snip and Nell were sitting companionably in front of the fire in their sitting-room, the erstwhile study, both energetically cleaning silver, with two cups of tea on a small table between them and a bowl of apples in case they got hungry later. Now, in the dancing firelight,
Nell looked affectionately across at her husband. His skin was tanned, his eyes bright with health, his expression calm and self-assured. Examining him whilst he worked on the silver teapot he was gripping between his knees, Nell found that she could scarcely remember the pale, twitching young man she had brought back to Pengarth eighteen months before. He’s a great deal better, she told herself now. And though I may not be giddily in love with him, the way I was with Dan, I most certainly do like him very much and want him close to me. It’s odd, really, that I can be so fond of him yet not want to have children and sink into being just a wife and mother. I think if I did that I’d feel trapped, and I’d rather have the illusion of at least a degree of freedom. But Snip was looking up at her now, his expression expectant. Nell put down her own candlestick and smiled at him.
‘If you came too that would be perfect. Mum never mentioned you or Matthew, she just said would I like to go up to London for the royal wedding, so I suppose she’d only just thought of it herself. She knew I wanted to go, because I can still remember the King’s Coronation and what a wonderful day that was … you thought it was pretty good, didn’t you? Awful little boy that you were, you climbed up the statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus. What an exhibition you made of yourself – I wanted to climb up too, we waved and shrieked at you, Fleur and me, but our mothers dragged us away, tutting.’
‘So I did. I didn’t give a damn in those days,’ Snip said proudly. He put the teapot down and picked up a tiny cream jug. ‘If I promise not to climb Eros, or dance the polka on the Victoria Memorial or deface the lions in Trafalgar Square, will you let me come with you? Not that weddings are my cup of tea, exactly, but I don’t like the thought of you goin’ off by yourself and sleeping on the pavement and all. With four of us we’ll make a party of it, but if you were with Hester and Matt the chances
are you’d end up feeling left out.’
‘If you promise to behave you
shall
come with us,’ Nell said, leaning forward to pat his cheek. ‘But what about the train? We can’t possibly walk to London; it would take far too long.’
Snip polished vigorously for a moment, then stared into the fire. It was a wood fire because coal was rationed, and the flames were just creeping across the new logs, making the sap bubble and spit.
‘I’ll manage,’ he said gruffly. ‘I’m a heap better, love, you’ve said it yourself. I’m sure I’ll manage.’
‘And the crowds, and all the tall buildings? I’m not trying to make difficulties, Snip, but we must face facts before we tell Mum yes or no. Will you be all right in a big crowd?’
‘There’ll be the four of us; I’m sure I’ll be all right,’ Snip said stoutly. ‘Anyway, it’s a good time to put it to the test. Yes, buy me a rail ticket and we’ll all go off to see your Princess Elizabeth marry her young feller.’
‘My Princess? Why d’you say that?’
‘Because ever since we were nippers you’ve cut out newspaper pictures and talked about her and reminded every Tom, Dick and Harry that the pair of you share a birthday,’ Snip reminded her. ‘When she’s Queen you’ll be unbearable, I shouldn’t wonder. Now that will be an event – her coronation, I mean. Why, you’ll probably get yourself put in the procession as a loyal subject and a birthday-sharer.’
Nell giggled, put her candlestick down in the hearth, and reached for her cooling tea. ‘Then that’s settled. I’ll tell Mum to get Matthew to buy four return tickets and we’ll start planning our day. Do you realise that this will be like a honeymoon for you and me? It’s the first holiday we’ve had since we got married, anyway.’
Snip reached for his own tea, drank, then stood it down and leaned forward to hook his hand round the
back of Nell’s neck. A thumb rubbed affectionately under her ear. ‘Every day since we’ve moved in here has been a holiday for me,’ he observed. ‘It’s another life, Nell. I wouldn’t change it for all the tea in China and I wouldn’t swop places with anyone else either, not even with Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten.’
Nell touched his hand lightly: ‘That’s nice. I don’t suppose I’d swop with the Princess either, though Philip is rather gorgeous. And now let’s get this silver back into the dining-room so that we can go to bed. We’ll have plenty to do in the morning, getting ready to go to London!’