by Rosie Clarke
‘Poor little Miss Gibbs. I’ve always liked her,’ Marco said, nodding in sympathy. ‘I understand she is nursing now?’
‘Yes, she is – and she didn’t come home even for the funeral. She says she’s needed where she is.’
‘I’m sure she is,’ Marco said, looking sombre. ‘I’m very sorry to hear about our losses. We all know that too many men are dying out there, but it brings it home when it’s someone you know, doesn’t it?’
‘Yes, very much so.’
For a moment, something in his face seemed to crumple and she thought he was close to tears, but then in an instant he had conquered it. ‘I noticed the window dedicated to the women of the Voluntary Aid Detachment. Whose idea was that? Let me guess – did it come from you?’
‘Marion Kaye and I came up with the idea together. We wanted to honour our girls as well as our men – we have two young women out there now in the nursing corps and, of course, there are many others doing a wonderful job, helping with canteens and driving the trams in their spare time.’
‘I loved the look of it,’ he said and gave her a little clap. His smile dimmed and he became thoughtful as he asked, ‘Is Mr Harper around anywhere?’
‘Ben is working, I’m afraid,’ Sally replied. ‘He will be home this evening – why don’t you have supper with us?’
‘That is the best offer I’ve had in months,’ Marco replied with a twinkle in his eyes. ‘I shall leave you – and take a few minutes to speak with Miss Kaye. I shall compliment her on the windows – and pass on a couple of ideas she might like if she gets stuck for inspiration.’
‘I know you’re doing your duty in the Army,’ Sally said regretfully. ‘But I do wish you’d never joined up…’
Marco looked at her oddly and then smiled. ‘Do you know, Sally Harper – there are times when I wish the very same thing…’
Sally took her time nursing Jenny, changing her nappy and making her warm and comfortable, standing over her cot until she settled and slept. Even then, she waited a while before returning to the sitting room. It had been obvious to her that Ben and Marco had something important to discuss and she’d taken Jenny’s cries as an excuse to leave them alone.
Judging that they must have had enough time by now, she walked slowly back, pausing outside the slightly open door as she heard the serious tone in their voices.
‘I guessed what you must be doing when I saw you at that front-line hospital,’ Ben said. ‘Until I was briefed this morning so that I could fill you in on the new mission, I didn’t dream you were in Pont le-Neuve. That was behind enemy lines at one time and I understand the Germans still think of it as their own, even though we drove them back ten miles, months ago.’
There was a smile in Marco’s voice as he said, ‘The Allies can’t continually patrol that line that far up and so the Germans move back in and use the town as their own under cover of darkness. I call it a town, but it’s little more than a big village really – perhaps three hundred people live there and another three hundred or so on the farms in the area. Some of them were born the Belgian side of the border but married into French families. It’s always been a bit of a mixture – quiet, sleepy place with perhaps a dozen shops and a couple of inns – and if it weren’t for that nightclub, it would probably have been ignored by the Germans.’
‘You did so well to get that information back to us,’ Ben said. ‘I’m not sure if the Brass Hats will act on it all, but we’re certainly going to.’
Sally decided she’d better not listen to any more because she might hear too much. She’d already heard more than she should and felt shocked as she realised for the first time where Marco’s tan had come from – he’d been working undercover on the Belgian/French border!
Giving a discreet cough, Sally smiled as the men paused and then Ben changed the subject.
‘I’m glad you approved of the window dedicated to our young women, who are doing such wonderful work, Marco – but I know Sally misses your special touch.’ He looked up and smiled as Sally entered. ‘Is Jenny settled now, darling?’
‘Yes, she’s sleeping,’ Sally replied and nodded to the two men. ‘Would you like some fresh coffee?’ It was an excuse to leave them alone together if they needed more time to discuss what was clearly secret business, but Marco shook his head.
‘I must go now, Sally. Thank you for a lovely meal – and a pleasant evening. I have someone I must see this evening – but I did enjoy myself and it was wonderful to see everyone at Harpers looking so well.’
‘Those of us who have our normal jobs and lives are lucky,’ Sally replied carefully. ‘We have to thank all the brave men who are out there keeping us safe – and I know my husband is one of them, even though he still thinks he should have a gun and go and shoot the enemy.’ She gave them a teasing look and they both laughed.
‘Ben is a hero in his way,’ Marco replied. ‘From what I hear, you’ve been doing your part too, Sally, helping seriously injured men to face up to life again – and keeping Harpers going so that we all have a job to come back to when this is over.’
‘I wish it would be over,’ Sally replied. ‘I do very little. I know there are others who do so much more and we don’t even know about it…’ It was the closest she could come to telling him she knew he was a hero too.
‘We all wish it was over,’ Ben replied and shook hands with Marco. ‘I’ll see you again.’
A look passed between them and Sally knew that they were involved in another scheme, perhaps to resupply the field hospitals, but if that was so, Ben would probably tell her a bit of it – but if it was secret, he would wait until it was no longer secret. She often learned about things the same day as the papers got hold of the story and she understood that there was a great deal about Ben’s work that he wasn’t allowed to tell her. She knew that much of it concerned deals with America, but that was as far as it went.
‘Jenni’s ship should have docked at Liverpool this evening, according to the last we heard,’ Sally said, feeling she needed to say something after Marco had gone. ‘I’m really looking forward to seeing her, Ben.’
‘You heard, didn’t you?’ Ben said, looking at her hard. ‘How much?’
‘Just about where Marco was working and that he got some information for the British – no more, Ben, I promise you.’
‘Good. I know you’re not going to pass it on intentionally, but sometimes things slip out – you know you can’t tell anyone what Marco is doing.’
‘I wouldn’t dream of it,’ Sally said, ‘and I promise I won’t whisper it to Beth or anyone. If it got to the wrong person, it could cost his life.’
Ben nodded, serious. ‘There are spies even here in London, Sally – people you wouldn’t dream would give our secrets away. I laughed in disbelief when I was first briefed, but I know it to be true. I’ve known some of the men who were arrested and interrogated. Some people think we should have sided with the Kaiser…’
‘How could they?’ Sally couldn’t understand that attitude. ‘I don’t want a war either, but we are at war and we must all be patriotic and loyal, even if we don’t like what is happening.’
‘Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way,’ Ben told her. ‘We have a lot of brave men risking their lives for us, Sally, and not all of them are in the trenches…’
‘Yes, I know, Ben.’ She hesitated, then, ‘Are you content with the part you’re playing now?’
‘Yes, because I know that what I do counts. I did think at first that I should be out there shooting a gun, but I’ve realised since that we all do what we do best – and seeing Marco out there, knowing what he must be doing, helped me to realise it. He wasn’t using a gun, but his life was in constant danger and it will be again, so, protect his secret well, my love.’
‘Of course,’ she said and smiled up at him. ‘I really don’t know much at all and I’m glad I don’t. It must be hard keeping a lot of secrets.’
‘Especially when I have a bright and beautiful wife, I should like to talk to a
bout them,’ Ben confided with a wry look. ‘Don’t think I like keeping anything from you, Sally. I don’t.’
‘I know,’ she said and put her arms about him, giving him a hug. ‘All I want is for us to be safe and together as a family again. If your work is helping, then I’m content not to know. Jenni will be here tomorrow evening if her ship docks on time and she is going to want to know everything.’
‘I think Jenni has some secrets to tell herself,’ Ben said and frowned. ‘I’m just hoping she and Henry are all right… I’ve never been sure he was right for her.’
Marco left Sally and Ben’s apartment smiling to himself. Sally Harper was a minx and he suspected she’d heard a little more than she ought, but he didn’t mind, because he knew wild horses wouldn’t drag it out of her. She was a delightful woman and Ben was lucky to have a wife he could rely on like that.
Marco’s thoughts were pleasant as he approached the Mayfair hotel where his meeting was due to take place. It was the fourth he’d had since his return from France, counting his talk with Ben; the first was mainly a debriefing, then he’d been summoned to meet the Prime Minister and been told the country appreciated his work and hoped he would continue to serve.
‘I’d like to join the ranks and face the enemy on the battlefield,’ Marco had told him, the anger still hard inside him. However, he’d been informed that they had other work for him and he would be liaising with a friend of his for the next briefing.
‘I believe you worked closely with Ben Harper?’
‘Yes, sir. We’ve been friends for years; we met when I was working in America for one of the larger stores in New York.’
‘Then you’ll understand that Mr Harper has been very useful to us with his contacts in America – his family were, and are, influential. His sister is married to an important general and has the ear of the American President.’
‘That must be useful, Prime Minister…’
‘Yes, it may prove to be so – though as yet we haven’t been able to persuade our friends to join us in this fight. We have, however, received help of a substantial nature and much of it came through Mr Harper’s contacts.’
‘Yes, sir. I imagine we need money as much as anything to fight this war.’
‘It’s a damned costly business.’ The Prime Minister had nodded and smiled earnestly. An earl and a man of education, he had overseen the war thus far but been forced to seek a coalition because of the increasing severity of the conflict. ‘Well, sir, we are glad to have you back safely, but I’m afraid we’ll be asking you to go back out there soon.’
Marco had shaken hands then with mixed feelings. It was an honour to be received by such a man, but he’d hoped to go back to France with a gun in his hands, to be a part of the British fighting force – though perhaps he was more useful in other ways. Whatever, he had a score to settle for Pierre’s untimely death.
He frowned as he went into the hotel and gave the name of the General he was meeting that evening. He had a feeling he was not going to like the outcome, but he’d found himself unable to refuse Prime Minister Asquith when he was asked if he would continue his valuable work and so he would have to grit his teeth and get on with it wherever they asked of him.
31
Sally was ready and waiting when the doorbell rang and hurried to answer it, knowing it was her sister-in-law. She flung the door opened and held out her hands in welcome. ‘Jenni, darling!’ Sally rushed to embrace her, drawing her into the hall of their apartment. She kissed her cheek and Jenni kissed her back, but she felt a slight hesitation, as if something wasn’t right and, drawing back, she looked at her again, seeing dark shadows beneath her eyes. ‘You’ve been ill – why didn’t you tell us?’
‘I didn’t feel like putting it on paper,’ Jenni said and her eyes were filled with tears. ‘I lost my son…’ The words caught in her throat. ‘I don’t mean Tom – I mean my baby…’
‘Oh, Jenni…’ Sally put her arms around her carefully. She hadn’t known for sure that her sister-in-law was pregnant. Jenni had mentioned she thought she might be about three months ago, but she must have miscarried. Now Jenni felt thin and fragile in Sally’s arms and she trembled slightly, as if she were holding herself on a thin string. ‘I am so terribly sorry. I know that doesn’t help, dearest, but my heart breaks for you.’
Sally couldn’t imagine how she would cope with the loss of her baby. To never be able to hold her little Jenny again or kiss her or see her smile, it was unthinkable, and Jenni must feel the same, even though she hadn’t carried full term.
‘Thank you,’ Jenni said. ‘It was so devastating, Sally. I was ill – we thought it was just a little chill at the start, but then pneumonia set in and I miscarried; the doctors didn’t know why…’
‘Jenni love.’ Sally embraced her again. She looked past her, but there was no sign of Jenni’s husband. ‘Henry isn’t with you?’
‘He had meetings in London this evening…’ Jenni swallowed hard and Sally could see tears hovering. ‘Tom is with the nurse we’ve employed – I couldn’t look after him for a few weeks. I collapsed and went to bed after my…’ She stopped, unable to say any more because it hurt too much. ‘I never believed it could happen to me, Sally. Everything has always been so easy since I started working for my uncle – but it did…’ She gave a sob of grief. ‘I feel as if the world fell apart around me.’
‘Of course, you do…’ Sally looked at her with love and sympathy. ‘What does Henry say?’
‘Not very much.’ Jenni’s head came up and now her eyes sparked with anger. ‘He said he was sorry when it happened – but then, after a couple of weeks, he told me I should pull myself together and remember that life went on…’ Jenni gulped and wiped her cheeks. ‘I wanted you so much then, Sally. Henry didn’t want me to come to England; he said I wasn’t well enough – but I knew I needed you and Ben.’ For a moment, her eyes were bleak. ‘I made a mistake, Sally. I should never have married him. Ben said he was a cold fish. I didn’t believe him but he is…’
‘Oh, Jenni, you don’t mean that,’ Sally said, because Jenni had known and loved Henry all her life, even when he was married to someone else.
‘Yes, I do,’ Jenni said and sniffed hard to hold back the tears. It was as if the rose-tinted glasses had suddenly been snatched away and she was seeing things with new eyes. ‘I thought he would learn to love me…’ She looked at Sally, her distress obvious. ‘I knew he didn’t love me when we married; he wanted a mother for Tom and Tom loves me…’ Jenni gulped back her tears. Tom was the child of Jenni’s close friend who had died in the Titanic tragedy and she’d taken on the role of mother to him voluntarily. He’d had nightmares about being shipwrecked and his mother’s death and Jenni’s heart had bled for him. When she’d married Henry, it had been for love, but it seemed he saw her more as a substitute for a paid nanny – and that must hurt Jenni so much.
‘My dearest sister,’ Sally said, holding her close. ‘You must stay here with us for as long as you wish.’
‘Yes, I’m going to,’ Jenni said and raised her head, brushing the tears from her cheeks. ‘I shall try to keep Tom with me – but Henry may insist on taking him back to America. I’m not going – not until I feel better, if then…’
Tom was Henry’s son and Jenni couldn’t force him to leave Tom in her care, even though he had little time for the boy. The decision would be his and even if it hurt Jenni, she could do nothing if Henry decided to take his son back to America.
‘Don’t let him use Tom to make you go back,’ Sally advised. ‘Give yourself time to think what you’d like to do with your life.’
‘I’m Henry’s wife. I’ll have to go back eventually. It’s important to him to have the right kind of wife and I know now that it was one of the reasons he asked me to marry him. For Henry’s sake, there must be no hint of scandal or discord between us, at least publicly. I have tried to be a good hostess and mother, as well as a loving wife, but he wanted little in the way of love from me and gave
me only a careless respect.’ Her voice broke on a sob. ‘I did try, Sally, I really did.’
‘Perhaps.’ Sally knew it would be expected, but her mind rebelled because she didn’t want to see Jenni lead a miserable life with a husband who didn’t truly love her. ‘If you stay here when he goes back, Henry may come to realise that he misses you and begin to appreciate what he has…’
‘Maybe,’ Jenni said and smiled at her. ‘I knew you would make me feel better. I do already.’
‘Good.’ Sally squeezed her shoulders. ‘Ben will be home soon and…’
‘You mustn’t let Ben guess how unhappy I am,’ Jenni said quickly. ‘He has to deal with Henry and you British need whatever it is they’re negotiating. If my brother knew how I feel, he’d half kill Henry…’
‘Oh, Jenni love.’ Sally smiled at her sadly. It was true. Ben cared for his sister a great deal and he might not be able to resist quarrelling with him. ‘Do you think he won’t know?’
‘About my miscarriage? Yes, he has to know – but what I told you about making a mistake is between us, Sally. You have to keep my secrets, please.’
‘Of course, I will,’ Sally promised, but she felt doubtful. Ben was going to pick up on his sister’s unhappiness immediately. He might accept that it was the loss of her baby, which was enough to make anyone unhappy for a long time, but Ben knew his sister too well and after a while he would pick up that things were not right with her and her husband, especially if she stayed in their spare room after her husband returned to the States. Jenni wasn’t thinking clearly or she would realise that, but it wasn’t surprising when she was in such a state. ‘Come and have a cup of coffee, Jenni – or perhaps a glass of wine?’
‘You have some of the coffee I sent?’
Sally nodded, because Jenni didn’t think much of their English brands.
‘Then I’ll stick to coffee – if I start drinking alcohol, I might have too much…’ She painted on a bright smile. ‘And now I want to see your darling little Jenny. She must be growing by now.’
