Victory for the East End Angels

by Rosie Hendry

  ‘You’re not leaving, are you?’ Rose asked. Winnie shook her head and put her hand on the young woman’s arm. ‘Not if I can help it, not for a while until I absolutely have to.’ She lowered her voice. ‘You see, the thing is, I’m expecting a baby.’

  ‘A baby!’ Rose said, her voice coming out in a squeak of surprise.

  ‘Shhh! Yes, but it’s a secret, only you, Frankie and Bella know about it here at work and that’s the way it’s got to stay. If the boss finds out, then I’ll have to leave and I don’t want to – I love my job and intend to stay for as long as I can.’

  ‘For as long as you can hide it, you mean,’ Frankie said. ‘There’s going to come a time when even the biggest size tunic won’t disguise it.’

  ‘I know, but I’ll stay for as long as I can until my secret’s out. I hope I can depend on you to keep it for me, Rose.’

  ‘Of course you can.’ Rose smiled, her face shadowy in the moonlight. ‘I’m glad you told me, it feels like an honour to be in on the secret.’

  ‘An honour and a worry,’ Bella said. ‘We’re all trying to help Winnie as much as she’ll allow us to, but without giving the game away.’

  ‘I’m perfectly capable of doing my job at the moment but don’t worry, I’ll let you know if I can’t.’ Winnie laughed. ‘Right, enough about that, what do you all hope for in 1945 – and not just for the war to be over, that goes without saying. Frankie, what’s your wish?’

  Frankie didn’t need to think before she answered. ‘Alastair and Stanley to be ’ome with me.’

  ‘Rose, what about you?’ Winnie asked.

  ‘To see my parents again.’

  Frankie put her arm around Rose. ‘And we all hope that for you, too.’

  ‘Absolutely,’ Winnie added. ‘Your turn, Bella, what would you like to happen this year?’

  ‘For my brother to come home safely and if, and when, the war is over, for us all to remain friends and keep in touch.’

  ‘We will, you ain’t going to see the back of us just because the war ends. We’ve been through too much together to just go off on our separate ways and never see or hear from each other again,’ Frankie said. ‘It seems odd to think that if . . . when the war ends, that Station 75 won’t be needed any more. Our jobs here will come to an end . . . ’

  ‘Don’t!’ Winnie said. ‘War is a terrible thing but being here, working with you three is the best thing about it.’

  ‘Whatever happens, let’s always be friends and keep in touch, promise,’ Bella said.

  ‘Promise,’ they chorused as one.

  ‘Another toast then.’ Winnie held up her mug. ‘To always being friends, no matter where we are or what we do.’ They all chinked their mugs together. ‘To always being friends.’

  And as Frankie took a sip of her cocoa she mentally promised herself that whatever happened in her life, whichever direction it took, she would always make sure that this promise held because these three young women had played such an important role in her life, being there for her when things were tough, and sharing the good times, and that was what true friendship was – it was precious and needed to be held on to.

  Chapter 50

  ‘Let’s pencil in a stirrup pump practice for Thursday afternoon then, shall we? Providing, of course, there are no incidents . . . ’ Station Officer Steele paused and looked at Winnie who was sitting by her desk, and clearly hadn’t listened to a word she’d said. The young woman was staring at the large street map of London which was pinned on her office wall. In fact, she doubted that Winnie had been fully paying attention for any of their meeting. ‘What do you think, Winnie, is that a good idea?’

  At the sound of her name Winnie looked at her, her grey eyes wide with surprise. ‘Ummm . . . ’

  ‘I was saying that I think we should have a stirrup pump practice on Thursday afternoon.’

  Winnie nodded. ‘Yes, good idea.’

  As she wrote it down on the calendar, she wondered what could be the matter with Winnie. Something about her was different, she had a feeling that there’d been a change – what, she didn’t know, but it was clearly affecting the young woman’s ability to focus on the job and that concerned her.

  ‘Right, are you going to tell me what’s wrong?’

  ‘Nothing’s wrong.’ Winnie’s peachy complexion grew pinker.

  ‘Come on, Winnie, I’m no fool, I can see that something’s bothering you, you’re not paying attention and you seem to be off with the fairies. As my Deputy Officer, I need you to be focused and attentive. Is there something I can help you with?’

  Winnie looked uncomfortable, twisting her hands in her lap. ‘Not unless you can bring Mac home. I’m worried about him, that’s all.’

  ‘I know you are, and I wish I could bring him and all the men safely home again and the war was over, but I can’t.’ She reached out and touched Winnie’s arm. ‘You can always come and talk to me about it. I understand how worried you are, but you still need to be able to focus on work when you’re here. We have to leave our personal worries at the door when we arrive. I know it’s not always easy, but remember we have an ambulance station to run and people who rely on us.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Winnie said. ‘I’ll try harder.’

  ‘Thank you, and that’s all we needed to talk about for now. Go and make yourself a cup of tea.’

  Winnie stood up quickly, clearly keen to get away. ‘Would you like a cup as well?’

  ‘No, thank you.’ She watched as the young woman went to the common room. She wasn’t sure that Winnie had been completely honest with her about what was worrying her. Was Winnie’s mother causing her problems again? She’d had difficulties with her in the past. Whatever it was, her instinct told her that there was more to Winnie’s inattention than her worries about Mac. She’d be keeping a close eye on Winnie from now on.

  Chapter 51

  One of the lovely things about having Rose live with her at Matlock Street, Frankie thought as she laid the table, was that the two of them could cook their meals together – sometimes one would cook and the other wash up, but other times, like today, they both worked together on the meal.

  After they’d got home from their shift this morning, they’d prepared a stew and left it to cook for a few hours while they did other things, and now it was ready, its delicious aroma filling the kitchen.

  ‘The dumplings are cooked,’ Rose said, taking the lid off the saucepan and turning off the gas. ‘Are you ready to eat?’

  ‘Definitely. I’ll get the plates.’

  They’d just sat down to eat, and Frankie was enjoying the taste of Rose’s delicious herby dumplings, when they heard the front door open, and the unmistakable sound of Ivy’s high heels tip-tapping down the hallway towards them. Frankie instantly tensed and from the look on Rose’s face she felt the same way.

  Ivy opened the kitchen door and, seeing the two of them looking at her, she stopped for a moment, clearly surprised to see them there. She quickly recovered herself. ‘What you lookin’ at?’

  Frankie considered what to say for a moment: should she comment on the fact that Ivy was obviously returning home after a night out on the tiles? She was dressed up to the nines, but even perfect make-up couldn’t disguise the bags under her eyes and her hair was out of its usual primped style. She decided it was best to ignore Ivy’s baiting comment. ‘Hello, Ivy.’

  Ivy rolled her eyes and tottered over to the kettle, putting it on to boil, the smell of perfume, cigarettes and beer wafting from her.

  Frankie did her best to carry on eating, although the meal they’d so carefully prepared and which had tasted so delicious just moments ago was now like sawdust in her mouth. Rose kept her head down and concentrated on her plate.

  She couldn’t help wondering where Ivy had been, who she’d been with, though she could probably answer that question – no doubt with Micky Chandler. She’d just assumed that Ivy was upstairs still in bed when they’d got home this morning, but obviously she hadn’t been. Wh
at would her grandfather have thought? Frankie knew the answer to that: he’d have been disgusted.

  It seemed to take an age for the kettle to boil and for Ivy to make herself a cup of tea, her presence in the room casting a shadow over them despite her not saying a single word and studiously ignoring both Frankie and Rose. When at last Ivy left the kitchen and clumped up the stairs to her room, slamming the bedroom door shut behind her, Frankie let out a sigh of relief, causing Rose to look at her and smile.

  ‘I thought she’d never go,’ Rose whispered.

  ‘Me too, she looked a bit rough, so we probably won’t see ’er for a while, she’ll be sleepin’ off whatever she’s been up to.’

  ‘Where do you think she’s been?’ Rose asked.

  ‘Probably with that spiv, Chandler, I suppose. I’m just hopin’ she might take up with him full-time, marry him and move out of here.’ She sighed. ‘Right, I’m not goin’ to let her put me off my food. Tuck in before it gets cold, your herby dumplings really are the best, mine always come out so tough.’

  Chapter 52

  ‘Some things never change,’ Frankie said, folding the tunic fabric to make a tuck and securing it with a pin.

  ‘What do you mean?’ Winnie looked at her friend who was kneeling on the floor in front of her.

  ‘You never keep still for long when I’m tryin’ to do any alterations on your clothes.’ Frankie raised her eyebrows. ‘Please, just stand still for a couple of minutes so I can get the tunic pinned properly. I’ve got to do a good job if it’s going to accommodate your growing stomach and yet not look like it from the outside.’

  Winnie smoothed the front of the larger-sized tunic over her belly which had a definite swell to it now. She was five months pregnant and although her willowy figure was definitely changing, it was only at the front – from the back she looked as she always did. ‘Do you think anyone will notice I’ve gone up a tunic size?’

  ‘No, you’ll be able to get away with it for a while longer,’ Bella said. She was standing on guard by the door of the women’s rest room, ready to stop anyone from coming in and catching them red-handed. They’d waited until Station Officer Steele had gone out to a meeting and most of the other crew members were either out doing voluntary work, classes, or taking an afternoon break in the common room. ‘You’re lucky that it’s wintertime so you can get away with wearing a tunic all the time; if it was summertime you’d have a much harder job of hiding your condition, or you’d end up overheating because you daren’t take off your tunic.’

  ‘Perhaps the war will be over by the time I get too big to hide it anymore,’ Winnie said, hopefully. ‘The Allies are making good progress, so it can’t be long before they reach Germany, then Hitler will have to surrender and it will be all over and this little one,’ she laid a hand on her stomach, ‘will be born in a world at peace.’

  Frankie looked at Bella who shook her head. ‘I wouldn’t go getting your hopes up too much, Winnie. Let’s just concentrate on keepin’ you here at Station 75 for as long as we can, the rest of the war’s out of our hands.’

  ‘Well it would be nice if it was born in peacetime, wouldn’t it?’ Winnie said as Frankie turned her around to work on the back of the tunic.

  ‘Of course it would,’ Frankie said. ‘But we’ve been waitin’ years for this war to be over so who knows when our wish will finally come true.’ She stepped back to check the fold she had just pinned to make sure the darts were level with each other. Satisfied, she turned Winnie back to face her. ‘Have you told Mac yet?’

  Winnie’s creamy skin flushed pink. ‘Not yet.’

  ‘Winnie!’ Frankie and Bella chorused together.

  ‘I thought you’d have written and told him by now,’ Bella said.

  Winnie put her hands on her hips. ‘I haven’t because I know what he’d say, and I don’t want to do it.’

  Bella sighed. ‘You are too stubborn for your own good sometimes, Winnie.’

  Winnie’s grey eyes filled with tears. ‘Don’t badger me about it please, Bella. Don’t you think I worry about if I’m doing the right thing or not? But I couldn’t bear to not be working here, I’ve been here since the beginning and I want to stay for as long as I can.’

  Frankie put her arm around Winnie’s shoulders, her friend’s once stiff-upper-lip attitude had softened dramatically since she’d become pregnant and she was much more prone to tearfulness these days. ‘But what about the V2s?’

  Winnie pulled a face. ‘If one’s got my name on it then so be it, it will be over before I know it.’

  ‘And what about the baby?’ Bella probed.

  Winnie folded her arms firmly across her chest which emphasised her rounded belly under the tunic. ‘Please, just leave it. I must stay, because what else would I do?’

  Bella left her post by the door and came over and put her arms around her friend. ‘I’m sorry, I’m just worried about you, that’s all.’

  Winnie wiped the tears from her eyes. ‘You two are the best friends I’ve ever had, and I appreciate what you’re both doing for me, covering up my secret. I couldn’t do it without you, you know.’

  Frankie smiled at her. ‘Right, take that tunic off so I can sew the alterations before the boss gets back, and then you can start wearin’ it later and no one will be the wiser to what’s going on underneath.’

  ‘So I don’t have to stand still any longer?’ Winnie smiled and began to undo the brass buttons on the front of the tunic. ‘I never usually have trouble keeping still, it’s only when someone tells me I’ve got to.’

  Bella rolled her eyes. ‘You and your inability to do as you’re told, I hope that your baby doesn’t take after you in that way.’

  Winnie laughed. ‘So do I, I hope it will be as delightfully easy going as its darling father.’

  Chapter 53

  Bella shook the drops off her umbrella before going in the front door of Connie’s house, glad to be out of the miserable February rain. She’d just done a shift volunteering at the Red Cross POW parcel packing centre and planned to spend the rest of the day working on a new story.

  She’d just shrugged off her coat and hung it on the carved coat stand when the door of the sitting room opened and Trixie shot out, closely followed by Winnie.

  ‘Hello, Trix.’ She bent down and stroked the little dog, whose tail was wagging in a golden blur of joy.

  ‘You’ve got a visitor.’ Winnie smiled. ‘Stefan’s here. I’ve given him some tea while he waited.’

  Bella’s heart skipped at the thought of seeing Stefan. She wasn’t expecting him but time off from his job could be erratic, so perhaps he’d been given some unexpected leave for a few hours. ‘Thanks, how long has he been waiting?’

  ‘About half an hour.’ Winnie bent down and scooped Trixie up into her arms. ‘I’m going upstairs for a bit, we’ll leave you two lovebirds in peace.’ She raised her eyebrows cheekily at Bella then headed for the stairs.

  Bella smoothed down her hair before going into the sitting room, her stomach doing its usual flip at the sight of him. As always, he stood up when she entered the room. He bowed, clicking his heels before opening his arms to embrace her.

  ‘Stefan, I didn’t know you were coming, I’m sorry I wasn’t here.’ She went across to him and hugged him back and then loosened her arms and looked up at him. He smiled at her but it didn’t reach his eyes, and she instantly knew something was wrong. ‘Are you all right?’

  He shook his head and sighed. ‘Is not good. You heard on the wireless the news about Yalta and what they decide to do to Poland?’ His voice cracked, tears filling his eyes, making their blueness even more striking.

  ‘Let’s sit down.’ Bella pulled him down to sit beside her on the sofa. ‘I heard the news, yes. I’m so sorry, I know that’s what you didn’t want to happen.’ She gripped both his hands in hers.

  The Prime Minister, along with President Roosevelt, had met with Stalin at Yalta, and agreed that eastern Poland should be given to Russia and the control
of the rest of the country handed over to a provisional Soviet-style Communist government, crushing the dream of a free Poland that so many Poles like Stefan held dear. She knew that dream had kept him going, especially after he’d heard the dreadful news that his parents had been killed in the Warsaw uprising last year, the news filtering out via the Red Cross. He had lost his family and now his country.

  ‘It never should happen!’ Tears spilled over and trickled down his cheeks. ‘All this time we fight for Poland to be free and this . . . ’ He hung his head.

  Bella moved closer and put her arms around him, pulling him towards her and gently stroking his back as he wept. It seemed odd to see a man cry, but she’d learned that Polish men were not ashamed to show when they felt something, and this betrayal of Poland’s freedom that servicemen like Stefan had fought so long and hard for, many of them dying in the process, was devastating for him.

  ‘Here, let me.’ Stefan sat up and looked at her and she gently wiped away the tears with her handkerchief.

  ‘Thank you, I wanted to see you.’ He reached out and took her hand and kissed it. ‘To be with you.’

  ‘I wish I could make it better for you, I know how much you love Poland. Perhaps there is something you can do about it when you go home after the war.’

  His shoulders slumped. ‘I have no home to go back to, I cannot return to Poland if it is under Stalin’s watch. Many of my fellow Poles think the same.’

  ‘What will you do? Where would you go?’

  ‘I stay in England, join English RAF if I can.’

  ‘I’d love you to stay here.’

  ‘You would?’

  She nodded. ‘If you can’t go back to Poland, then the idea of you staying here makes me happy.’ They hadn’t talked about the future, about what would happen when he went back to Poland after the war. Bella had just been enjoying the time they had and not dared look too far ahead. For once in her life, where Stefan was concerned, she hadn’t worried about the future. She had just revelled in the delight of being with him and feeling swept away by the unexpected joy he’d brought into her life. ‘If you stay here then at least I will still be able to see you.’