by Mary Wood
‘She told us all what happened to her, as well. Poor girl. We all reckon as she could do with finding a good man to take care of her. Now, I’m off. Mrs Harper will pop in, in an hour, if we don’t see your Aunt Pru is back by then.’
This was something Flora had to get used to. She hoped that Cyrus would, too. For although she’d said that she was used to the ways of streets like this, she wasn’t really. The times she had been with Aunt Pru, the neighbours had mainly been from foreign lands and didn’t have this London way of going on – except for Rowena, of course.
When the next visit happened, it was Mrs Larch again, only this time her voice had a different note. ‘I’m coming up, love.’
Flora couldn’t say why, but the tone this was said in sent a chill through her and told her there was much to fear, as Mrs Larch appeared in the doorway.
‘Oh, love, it’s come. The one we all dread. I took it off the delivery boy and brought it to you meself.’
‘No. No! Oh God, nooo!’
A big, fleshy arm gathered her into a huge, soft bosom. A hand stroked her hair. ‘Read it first, love; it may not be all bad. Some are just missing or injured. It may not be what you think.’
Flora tore open the brown envelope. Her life had come to a halt, and all sound, all movement and all feeling were locked in her world of pain and silenced:
It is with regret that we inform you that your husband, Second Officer Cyrus Harpinham, has been taken prisoner . . .
Though it was not what she wanted to read, Flora breathed once more, releasing the relief that she felt at the news not signalling the complete end of her world. She read on:
We have information that he is to be taken to Beeskow, near Berlin – a prison camp for officers. We believe he will be reasonably treated, in accordance with international agreements.
Flora’s heart dropped. Those words gave her little comfort.
‘There, he’ll be all right, love. Think of it as him being safe. Especially with him being an officer. That Mrs Harper, she can read, you know, and she has a paper delivered. We all go for a cuppa Rosy Lee in the afternoon and listen as she reads snippets out to us. There was an article on prisoners-of-war. It said officers had beds, and the lower ranks to take care of them. That they were fed well, and the conditions were good. There was reports that their only suffering was boredom, and that they played sport to help them with that.’
‘Really? Oh, I hope so, Mrs Larch. I didn’t know, as I have avoided reading too much about the war. I’ve tried not to think of it.’
‘Well, you know first-hand. We all know how you went out as a Red Cross nurse to Belgium, and we all think you’re a brave girl. You’re going to need to be, for your baby, love. We’ll all be ’ere for you, but in the end you’ve to call on the strength that took you to ’elp the Allies that were wounded. We’re all proud to have you amongst us.’
Aunt Pru has been gossiping – is there anything about me that my neighbours don’t know? But them knowing about her, and how different she was from them, and yet still accepting her, brought Flora comfort. And the strength Mrs Larch spoke of did enter her, and made her determined to get through this, as Cyrus had to. And at that moment an idea occurred to her of how she could fill some of her spare time and give something back to her community.
‘When I’ve recovered from the birth and this shock, I’d like to help you to learn to read, if you would like that?’
To Flora’s surprise, tears sparkled in Mrs Larch’s eyes. ‘Oh, love, I would. Mrs Harper ’as never offered. We all think she likes the status it gives her – her being the only one who can read. But to be able to lose meself in one of them People’s Friend magazines, which she reads us a serial from, would be lovely. I could curl up on me own sofa whenever I ’ad a mo, instead of waiting for her to have the time to read the lovely stories to us. She considers the news is much more beneficial to us. Well, I’d like to consider what I want to enjoy, and it ain’t always what is sad about the world. Ooh, love, I’ll tell the others, and you’ll have a class of us to deal with in no time. Perhaps we could use the church hall, eh?’
Taken aback by Mrs Larch’s enthusiasm, Flora laughed, despite the ache in her heart. ‘Yes, we can arrange that, and Aunt Pru is a teacher, so she will help.’
Poor Aunt Pru; she’d found it impossible to get a position teaching in a school, and had taken three jobs to help her cope. Mornings were given over to two cleaning jobs, and her afternoons to working in the tearoom at the corner of Flora’s street. Though whether she’d still have that, after taking this afternoon off, Flora didn’t know. But she’d been glad that Aunt Pru had taken to calling in to see her every day before going to the cafe, especially today.
Left alone once more, Flora was assailed by mixed emotions. Yes, it might be years before she saw Cyrus again, but if what Mrs Larch said was true, he would be safe. The constant worry of wondering if he was dead or alive would leave her. And that would be a blessing. But a huge part of her wished there had never been a war, and for her Cyrus to have never left her side. Oh, Cyrus, my love, my love . . .
PART FOUR
The Somme, 1916
Flora and Freddy
Hearts and Lives Torn Apart
Chapter Twenty
‘He’s gone – oh, Flora, he’s gone.’ Aunt Pru’s scream as she came through the door of Flora’s home got her staring in shock.
It took a moment for her to reply. ‘When, how? Oh, Freddy, no. No.’
‘I came home to find this. It were propped up by me milk bottle, and there was a bunch of flowers next to it. I were that angry, I threw the flowers into the grate. Eeh, Flora, what am I to do, lass?’
Flora didn’t know what to say. The appeals for young men to join up had moved to an almost brainwashing pitch, with posters everywhere pointing an accusing finger, and recruitment officers visiting factories, upper schools and universities. She and Aunt Pru should have known that Freddy wouldn’t resist and should have been more vigilant with him.
‘How can they take them so young – Freddy’s only sixteen! I thought the conscription of married men had made the difference they needed. Oh, Aunt Pru! We will have to contact the powers that be and tell them his real age.’
They were in each other’s arms, clinging on to their love to help them, but it didn’t, not really; nothing could ease the desolation they felt.
Aunt Pru pulled away and shook her head. ‘Naw. I must let him take this step. I’ve allus said as he’s to make his own decisions. All we can do is pray he will change his mind once he gets in the thick of it – a lad who used to be at my school did. He told the truth of his age and they sent him home. But oh, Flora, what if he doesn’t? I can’t bear it, I can’t.’
‘You will find a way, Aunt Pru – we women have to.’
‘Eeh, hark at me, and you haven’t heard nowt in these last six months about your Cyrus, poor lad. I’m sorry, lass. Like you say, we’re to get on with it.’
‘I wish I could hear. I have sent parcels to the Red Cross for him, but haven’t heard from them as to whether they were able to get them through. Anyway, we have a more pressing need, in what Freddy has done. We need to contact him and . . . well, Aunt Pru, you may not like what I’m going to say, but we need to offer him our support. He will need it.’
‘Aye. I’ll go and put his flowers into a vase. Will you come for your tea? It’s nice enough to sit out. A lovely June day, and here we are in the doldrums.’
‘That will be nice. I’ll see you later.’ The hug Aunt Pru gave her held tension. For all her brave words, it was going to take a lot for them to come to terms with Freddy going and, she knew, a lot of agonizing in the future after he was posted.
As they sat in the garden, Flora broached the subject that had been on her mind for a while. ‘Aunt Pru, I would like to go back to work. I was wondering, now that Alice is weaned from my breast, if you would become her nanny? It would be full-time. And you would have to take over the reading lessons in the church h
all, but Alice is used to going to those and loves all the attention she gets.’
‘Oh, Flora, that would be my salvation, lass. Aye, I would, but can you afford to pay me? You knaw as I would do it for nowt, but I’d have to give me jobs up. Eeh, I’d love to do the class an’ all. I’ve envied you doing that, while I were at the cafe working.’
‘Yes, I can manage to pay you. I’ll match what you get now and a bit over, and the women are getting on so well, especially Mrs Larch, so I would hate for the classes to have to stop. They pay ten pennies a month – well, those who can afford it. They buy their own pencils and notebooks, though some make the best out of anything they can get their hands on: the backs of letters, and sheets ripped out of their grocery order books. One came in stinking of fish one day. She’d only cut up the wrapping off the fish she’d brought from the fishmonger – there was a ruckus about that, I can tell you!’
They both laughed. For Flora, her laugh held relief, for she had longed to get back to work. She’d gone into the hospital and had played the piano once a week for the injured – those nearly blind and the poor souls who were fully blind, who had found solace in her music, and they all loved to hold Alice. But that had only served to show Flora just how short-staffed they were at the hospital, and had set up a need in her to get back to doing more for the war effort.
Flora found that she was readily taken on at Moorfields Hospital, and her step was light as she approached it a week later. But her heart lifted with joy when she entered the ward. ‘Ella! Oh, Ella, what are you doing here?’
‘Flors! Flors – oh, it’s good to see you. I was going to try to look you up, but I’ve had no time.’
The tut-tut of the sister in charge had them moving out of their hug and standing to attention.
‘I gather you two know each other?’
‘Yes, Sister, sorry, Sister – we were in Belgium together.’
‘Well, I have to say: well done for that. We all heard about the plight of the Red Cross nurses caught out there.’ She looked at the watch pinned to her frock. ‘I expect you need to catch up. Pop along to the canteen, but don’t take long. Bedpan duty will be in ten minutes and I want you both attending to it.’
They almost tripped over each other as they rushed out of the door into the corridor. ‘Ella, I can’t believe it. Where have you been? Did you get my letters?’
‘Only just, and I was going to contact you. I’ve been working in a field hospital in France. I have been sent back here to learn how to look after those with eye injuries. I will be going back in about six weeks, but I am a bit frustrated, as Sister uses me more as a ward orderly rather than letting me near any treatment. I have contacted the Red Cross General Office about it. But what about you? Married – and to that bloke we met at the frontier! You dark horse – are you happy?’
As they sipped the strong, stewed tea, Flora told her own and Cyrus’s story. Ella was so sorry to hear of Cyrus’s plight, but was thrilled to learn of Alice and asked question after question.
‘Hey, I feel as though I’m being interrogated here.’
‘Sorry, just one more. Have you heard from Mags, Flora?’
‘Not much. It saddens me, but she doesn’t seem to want to know. All I can glean is that she is helping her father. She hasn’t met anyone, and doesn’t intend to. I wish I could help her.’
‘I will write, too, while I am here. Maybe on one of our weekends off we could travel up to the North to see her?’
‘That would be lovely. I have a brother who goes up regularly to the family-owned mill. He’s thinking of living up there. I see him occasionally – well, you know how my family situation was, and it has worsened since, but for some reason my oldest brother seems to want to keep in contact. I sometimes wonder if he is my father’s spy, keeping an eye on what I am up to. Anyway, I could ask him to take us.’
‘Oh, let’s. That would be wonderful. I’ll write to Mags later today and put the feelers out. In the meantime, you can seek out your brother and see if he will help us.’
‘I will. Oh, Ella, it’s good to see you. You seem to have grown – not in height, but in confidence, and it’s good to see.’
‘I could do with a few inches, but no, I’m stuck as I am.’ They giggled at this. ‘Joking apart, I have seen some terrible things, Flors. Far worse than we ever experienced. I have had to toughen up and stand on my own two feet. You’re often called upon to make life-and-death decisions, and can’t always defer them to others. You should come out, Flors: we need you.’
This last sentence settled in Flora, and she pondered it for most of the day. Could she? It would be a wrench leaving Alice, but she would be fine with Aunt Pru. I so need a huge distraction from the heartache that is my constant companion. But then hadn’t she read that the Red Cross wouldn’t take married women?
Harold flirted with Ella on the journey up north, hardly taking any notice of Flora. He knew of Mags’s family and their mill, and when Flora had asked him for a lift, he’d told her, ‘I heard that Witherbrook had a daughter who thinks she could run his mill. Ha, women today think they can do anything. Give me a feminine woman, who just wants to run my home and sit and sew, or something.’
‘And who lets you have your mistresses.’
He’d become angry at this retort from Flora. ‘That’s another part of a man’s life that a woman is advised not to interfere with. Mother has made that mistake.’
She’d been surprised that he hadn’t mentioned the mysterious older brother again, but was glad when he had agreed to take her and Ella to see Mags. And even more pleased to hear that Mags wanted to see them.
Harold’s attention towards Ella had worried her, as she knew Harold would eat the Ellas of this world for breakfast; but his reaction when he met Mags was as if someone had hit him with a sledgehammer. Even more disconcerting, Mags had the same reaction to him.
They stared at each other, and hardly took any notice of her introductions. Before Ella and Flora could say hello to Mags, Harold had invited them all out to dinner with him that evening. She and Ella exchanged glances. Ella’s held amusement, but to Flora it seemed like a clash of giant personalities that would end in hurt for Mags, and she intended to disillusion both girls about her brother.
Once he’d left to go and see to the business he had at the mill, the three of them hugged, shed tears and chatted, all at the same time.
To Flora, it was like coming home for a second time; home to her sisters, as she’d never stopped thinking about them in that way. It felt so good to be with them again.
Mags took them into her beautiful home, surrounded by magnificent scenery of rugged, mountainous hills and green fields. The house was more a mansion, and yet had a homely feel, smelling of polish and fresh flowers, with bright colours giving it a light, airy look. The furnishings were modern, ornate and grand, with high-backed chairs with thick gold velvet cushions in an elaborately carved wooden frame giving a touch of elegance.
Mags’s mother was welcoming and an older version of Mags herself – tall and self-assured, giving the impression that she was in charge of any situation. She greeted them as Mags had done when she first met them, with a big hug, before showing them into the garden.
Once they were seated under a sunshade, Flora looked at Mags and thought how different she looked in her summer attire. Her dress was of cream cotton, with a pattern of tiny rosebuds in pinks and yellows. It was cut to fit the bodice, with long sleeves and a feminine neckline that showed a tiny glimpse of her cleavage; the skirt flared out and flowed to the floor. ‘You’re looking so well, Mags. With so little news of you, I’ve been frightened as to your true welfare.’
‘I’m all right, Flors. Sorry, but I found it difficult to write. My pen wanted to go on its own and pour out things that I didn’t want to revisit, so I avoided picking it up and instead threw myself into my work. Sometimes I had the feeling that I wanted to forget it all, and that meant both of you, too. But that passed and I’ve loved hearing all your news,
and am so happy that you asked to come up and see me.’
‘We wouldn’t have given up on you – we understood.’
‘I know. And as for your letter about your marriage, well! Though none of it surprised me really. You are impetuous and you fell in love at first sight. We knew that, didn’t we, Ella?’
Ella nodded and smiled.
‘Well, I’m jolly glad it has worked out for you . . . I – I mean . . .’
‘No, don’t worry, Mags. I don’t want you to feel awkward at talking about Cyrus. I want to talk about him. I long for the day he will come home. I just wish I knew how he was being treated.’
‘I’ve read that officers are treated with respect, Flors, so try to hang on to that. And what about you, Ella, going back into the field? I couldn’t do that. I so admire you.’
The chat went on for a while, mostly about their exploits in Belgium, which now seemed to have been an adventure, instead of the terror-filled hours they really had been.
It was Mags who changed the subject. ‘Tell me about your brother, Flors. I was surprised when you wrote that he was bringing you, as I thought, when you said you were now fully estranged from your family, that you meant all of them. I’m glad you didn’t. I think Harold a handsome man, and it’s interesting to me how much involvement he has in the mill industry. Is that why he hasn’t gone to war – essential work, and all that?’
Although Flora wouldn’t want Mags to fall for Harold, she was glad to hear her taking an interest in any man. She’d had the impression that, since her terrible experience, Mags had avoided any romantic entanglement. ‘Oh, he’s all right. I wouldn’t say he’s avoided the war – well, maybe. But although he’s handsome, I’d advise any girl to give him a wide berth; he’s not great husband material.’
‘Hmm, maybe he can be brought into line.’
They all laughed at this.
‘Anyway, I bet it would be fun trying. Have you told him anything about what happened – you know . . .’
