Having no wish to answer this question, she lifted her chin, determined to remain strong and gave him a bland little smile. ‘How would I know? As you must be aware, I’m not a soldier, merely an entertainer.’
‘Is that how you met Wilhelm, an old friend of mine who was captured and imprisoned some weeks ago by the British?’
‘Yes, he was injured and received medical care in the hospital before being moved to a Nissen hut to recover. He watched the performances we held in the wards following our concert.’
‘And were you so attracted to him that you were happy to entertain him personally, I assume, with your charm?’
Cecily felt her cheeks growing hot, whether with embarrassment or temper was hard to decide. There was an amused glimmer in this man’s dark eyes and before she had time to consider a suitable response, he placed himself onto the corner of the desk and beamed down at her. ‘You’re a very attractive woman so he is obviously captivated by you. Is that the reason you went out for a drive together this evening? Where were you going and why?’
This was certainly not a question she was prepared to answer. ‘The reason I am here in France is because I brought a concert party to support our soldiers. I’m a singer. That is how I entertain men, not in any other way. We also do a little acting and recite poetry.’
He startled her by clapping slowly. ‘Ah, wonderful. Well then, you can entertain us this evening.’
This was something Lieutenant Trevain had warned her could happen. A tremor of fear skittered within her, not at all finding the courage to claim exhaustion after spending the afternoon and evening performing. She could but hope to be released soon and not imprisoned.
He led her to a small room packed with officers seated in armchairs and settees, the place full of smoke and the smell of alcohol, as they all sat chatting and laughing. They leapt to their feet when the Lieutenant Colonel entered.
‘Relax,’ he informed them. ‘This beautiful entertainer has agreed to sing to us. Dinner is over, but we can offer you some food later. Please do feel free to entertain us.’
Cecily noticed Wilhelm Ackermann seat himself next to this officer and leaning close, whisper something in his ear. She desperately wondered what he might be saying, hopefully not accusing her of being a spy. What a horrific prospect. Not something she wished to contemplate. And what on earth could she sing to these Germans? She was tempted to sing ‘When I Send You a Picture of Berlin,’ but decided that would not be at all appropriate, the next line being: ‘You’ll know it’s over, “Over There”, I’m coming home.’ Could a good performance result in her freedom? A part of her fluttered with doubt.
She chose to sing ‘Hello! Hello! Who’s Your Lady Friend’ and ‘Champagne Charlie’. Music hall songs seeming to be much safer and more fun than any of the war songs she’d sung for her fellow British. When they roared with delight and demanded another, she sang ‘If I Were the Only Girl in the World’. Some of them joined in and sang along with her. She continued with one or two more safe songs, noticing how Wilhelm Ackermann kept smiling at her throughout her performance, as well as chatting with this officer.
Eventually, leaping to his feet, the Oberstleutnant clapped his hands and loudly announced, ‘You may all go now. Leave this instant.’
A sigh of relief echoed through her as she quickly turned to the door, anxious to return to the camp. His voice called out, ‘Not you, Miss Hanson, just these men.’ To her dismay, they all departed, including Ackermann, and Cecily found herself left alone with this officer who was clearly in charge. ‘Are you sure you have no wish for a meal?’ he asked.
‘No, thank you. I’m not hungry.’ That was the last thing she wanted, feeling desperate to escape.
‘I’ll pour you a glass of our exceedingly good German beer.’
She graciously declined. ‘May I now leave?’
His gaze slid over her from head to toe, dwelling mainly on her eyes, lips and breasts, which made Cecily shudder with dread. ‘You’re an extremely entertaining woman and far too attractive for me to allow you to disappear so quickly when we could enjoy a most pleasant evening together.’
Putting his arm firmly around her waist, he led her to the settee and pushing her down upon it, placed a glass of beer in her hand. ‘Now drink this, it will help you to relax and do you so much good. It’s far too late for you to drive back to wherever you are situated. I can, however, offer you accommodation. Not in a prison cell. You are welcome to share my comfortable bedroom.’
Tremors of alarm and terror flickered through her, as she realised she was in serious danger of being raped. How on earth could she get out of this mess? She remembered her mother’s reaction that time she was due on stage and Cecily had offered her a glass of water in order to stop her drinking. Feeling a strong desire to protect herself, she now repeated Queenie’s tantrum by tossing the glass of beer over his head. He furiously pushed her down and flinging his weight upon her, pulled up her skirt to rub his hand between her legs. She screamed out loud. The door flew open and Wilhelm stormed in.
‘Was zum Teufel machst du mit meiner guten Freundin?’ he shouted.
The officer laughed. ‘Ich mache mit ihr genau das, was ich möchte. I am doing exactly as I please with her. Are you a spy, girl? If so, you are not fit to be a friend of his.’
‘I’m certainly not either of those.’
‘She is a noble and generous woman who saved my life and now rescued me. Not someone you should be assaulting.’
Their conversation swiftly reverted to a furious row in German. Cecily could not understand a word, nor felt any desire to argue in English. Jumping up, she straightened her skirt, struggling to calm the pounding in her chest, deeply aware that Wilhelm Ackermann must have been hovering by the door either to support her or because he fancied her for himself. Taking hold of her arm, he left the Lieutenant Colonel glowering with fury and led her away down the back passage. Would he now demand his own wicked way with her? An equally terrifying prospect. To her relief, he did not take her to his bedroom but led her out into the yard. Saluting the guards, he issued instructions and they quickly opened the barrier to allow them out into the forest. It felt quite cool, leaves blowing down from the trees in the night wind, and relief flooded through her.
‘Your wagon is only a short distance away. I made it clear to these guards that you were helping me to escape, not capturing me, so you are free to go. Do you think you can find it all right?’
‘I will. Thank you so much for saving me.’ Feeling greatly appreciative, the urge to give him a hug was quite strong in her. Thankfully, she managed to control this foolish notion.
He gave her a warm smile. ‘Considering how you saved my life, it seemed right for me to save yours. Were it not for this war, our different nationalities would not be an issue. May God preserve you, Cecily. I did, however, give the Oberstleutnant the impression that I was taking you to share my bed instead, so I would recommend you hurry back to camp before he notices you have gone. Otherwise, he could well dispatch you off to a concentration camp.’ Then giving her a wave, he slipped back through the barrier into the base.
Battling with a spasm of cold fear, Cecily ran as fast as her legs could carry her, jumped into the wagon and quickly started it. She drove the first few yards quite slowly so that no one would hear her departure, then when she felt far enough away, speeded up to head back as fast as she possibly could.
Following the fright of her capture, Cecily at last revealed the truth to Merryn of what she’d done. She explained how she’d felt the need to help British and French prisoners escape, in spite of the risks involved. And how Lena took more risks by visiting them in their internment camps in the German-occupied zone to hint at what she could do for them, working with a network whose names Cecily didn’t know. She described her drive into the forest where a rescuer would then smuggle the young escapee along a secret track to the Netherlands, and what a shock it had been to find that German PoW hiding in the back of the wagon. She we
nt on to tell how she was captured and what the officer had done to her.
‘Oh, how terrifying,’ Merryn said, holding her close when she saw tears flood down her sister’s cheeks.
‘I was indeed scared stiff when that appalling Lieutenant Colonel almost raped me.’ She went on to explain how she’d tossed the beer over him, which brought forth a smile of surprise and approval from Merryn. ‘I had become confused over whether or not I could trust Wilhelm Ackermann, but when I screamed out loud, he bravely came to rescue me. He apparently did this in gratitude for my having saved his life. I have to admit I hadn’t agreed to rescue him a second time, and chatting with enemies is not something I would ever wish to do again. I will, however, continue to help Lena save our own escapees.’
Merryn gazed at her, utterly astounded, with pride and admiration in her eyes. ‘What a darling, brave woman you are.’
Smiling at her beloved sister, Cecily gave her a hug. ‘So good that we are friends again. Do believe that I am not at all interested in Johnny. If you and he are becoming quite close, that’s your choice. Just be sure it’s the right decision. Mama tried to chat him up on one occasion and gave him a little kiss. I didn’t mention it at the time and we know how she loves to do that with various young men. Is she aware of this growing relationship between you?’
Merryn shook her head, looking slightly bemused by this information. ‘We’ve carefully kept it a secret because you’re fully aware how she demands we choose a man who is rich and high-class. Queenie has been entirely disapproving of every sweetheart you and I have ever had.’
Cecily found herself chuckling. ‘She has indeed. Then you’re probably right to keep quiet about this relationship, at least until this war is over. I won’t say anything either, lovey. I just want you to be certain that you’re making the right decision to feel this affection for him.’
‘Oh, I most definitely am,’ she said, her lips widening into a glorious smile. ‘I love him, and I believe that he feels the same about me.’
Gently putting her arms about her sister and having expressed her concern, Cecily ensured that Merryn did not see the flicker of doubt in her eyes. She disliked the way Johnny had attempted to flirt with her, but it might have been a joke. She could but hope that Merryn’s belief in him was justified. Her darling sister was young but deserved to find the love she longed for. Facing the possibility of living a lonely life, at times Cecily yearned to find such pleasure for herself while sensing she stoutly resisted the possibility of that ever happening.
EIGHTEEN
SUMMER 1918
OVER THE coming weeks, Cecily helped several more prisoners escape. As a result of sharing her secret information with Merryn, whenever a wounded soldier came to join them for their performance her sister no longer asked his name or why he was here, merely offered him easy jobs to do. Cecily would simply inform her mother and Johnny that these young men liked to help, as it gave them a little respite from whatever trench or battle they were caught up in, or wounds they were suffering from. Not exactly the truth, but they accepted it as reality in this difficult world. If she disappeared for a short while after the show, Cecily would claim to have taken a walk around the camp for the purpose of exercise or to talk to the Tommies in the base hospital.
She always strove never to be late back, being familiar now with the rough track through the woodlands and took great care as it was not as safe a forest as the one near Saint-Omer. One night she accidentally hit a stone and the front tyre of the wagon suffered a puncture.
‘Blast!’ she cried. It took her some time and effort to replace the tyre, constantly glancing around through the darkness of the trees, fearing the approach of enemy guards or that terrifying Oberstleutnant. In view of what she’d suffered, she sensibly kept well away from that area, although the enemy front line was never far away. Once the job was done, she flung the battered tyre into the wagon and drove rapidly back to camp. Parking, she felt surprised and irritated when she saw Johnny come marching over. Damnation, why was he wandering around at this time of night? She then noticed a nurse hurrying away. Had he been chatting or flirting with her?
‘Hello,’ he said, yanking open the door and teasingly remarking, ‘Have you been off somewhere, secretly engaged in an affair with those Tommies who work with us?’
She laughed. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just being helpful to them, as they are with us.’ Then narrowing her eyes, she said tartly, ‘You did once stupidly flirt with me, which was a bad mistake or a stupid joke. Considering you and my sister are apparently growing quite close, I do hope you aren’t having an affair with any of these nurses. I did see you with one just now.’
‘Indeed I am not. Merryn and I are close and have fun together, although she is a bit exhausted, as we all are right now. If we were properly granted a sum of money for the work we do, I’d take her away for a short break and a rest.’
‘We’re volunteers, if you remember, so aren’t paid anything.’
‘Your family has plenty of money. Being rich and selfish, your mother could provide us with some, but I can see that doesn’t matter to you. However, I’m not at all well-off,’ he coldly remarked.
‘At least you are generally smartly dressed, aren’t limping these days, and rarely wear those spectacles. I accept you may have used those as a ploy to avoid being recruited, so why would I believe your denial over your possible association with that nurse. Please do be honest and faithful with my sister. That’s all I ask. And I’ll make sure Merryn has time for a rest.’
As she walked smartly away, Cecily heard him give a grunt of fury. She still couldn’t persuade herself to trust this self-obsessed man, let alone his attitude towards women. Her sister clearly adored him, so she could be entirely wrong over her poor opinion of him. And yet he seemed to be making a demand for money from them. What a worry that was. Creeping into her tent, she quickly tucked herself into bed, shivering a little in the cold, then comforted herself with a spark of pleasure at her success at saving so many escapees.
The next one turned out to be a brazen fellow who insisted she deliver him to the right place before the performance, as dusk was already upon them. Cecily attempted to persuade him to wait until later, but he insisted they leave right now. As he firmly walked off along the rough road towards the wagon, he furiously kicked piles of spent cartridge cases along the way in search of bullets, then lit himself a cigarette.
Cecily hurried to catch up with him. ‘Please don’t kick those cases as some could be live with an explosive. And put out your cigarette. The light from it might be spotted by the enemy who are situated dangerously close by.’
‘Nonsense,’ he impatiently stated. ‘Start driving, girl. I do what I feel the need for and certainly don’t have the patience to wait any longer.’
Heaving a sigh, she turned and rushed back to the tent to fetch the key, wishing he’d agreed to attend their performance and leave when it was over. It wouldn’t take too long for her to deliver him to his rescuer, and her mother would readily start the singing if Cecily failed to arrive back in time. Snatching up her bag and setting off back up the road to the wagon, she saw a sniper’s bullet zip across in front of him. He instantly flung himself into a hole that had previously been cut into the ground by shellfire. Then something exploded and black smoke sheeted over the entire road. Cecily found herself coughing and choking, fear escalating through her as it had done on previous terrifying occasions. Eventually, once the smoke had diminished and the sound of gunfire had stopped, she staggered to her feet and ran over to rescue him. Lena was beside her in seconds, dismay echoing in both their eyes as they found his dead body in the hole, his legs missing and the cigarette still in his mouth.
‘Oh my God, I did try to stop him smoking and warned him not to kick those cartridge cases in case one was live. He didn’t listen to a word I said,’ Cecily cried, tears running down her cheeks.
‘Not your fault, love. He wasn’t an easy man, never accepting anything I said either
. He’s maybe a deserter who secretly injured himself so that he could escape. I’m afraid he’s paid a dreadful price for his arrogant stubbornness.’
Cecily struggled to accept this, aware she was still engaged in a horrifying routine.
In July, the battalion moved back to Saint-Omer and their concert party happily went with them, filled with relief at leaving this camp in Ypres, so close to German territory and the front line of numerous battles: Lys, Bailleul, Kemmel, Passchendaele and many others. They had seen many soldiers killed or blinded by tear gas, poor men, their own hearts constantly pumping with fear. Lena joined them, feeling a similar need for a change of region. It felt good to be back in a place they were more familiar with. How long they would stay there was not clear, Cecily having received a note from Lieutenant Trevain that he was keen for them to move on to Malta at some point soon, a hospital region desperate for entertainers. She had contacted him with letters of her news about Wilhelm Ackermann, how he’d bullied her into helping him escape then had saved her from rape and internment. She also described the work she was now involved in, which apparently met with his approval.
Today, Cecily was seated beneath a tree planning the next concert when Louis appeared, a smile lighting his cleanly shaven face. ‘May we have a word? There’s something I’d like to ask you.’
Her senses skittered with excitement at the sight of this handsome Canadian and considering the work she was engaged in, she also felt a flicker of alarm. Did he too wish to escape, as so many soldiers longed to do? ‘I hope you don’t have a problem.’
Seating himself on the grass at her feet, he gave her a wry smile. ‘The fact is, Cecily, I’ve just been informed that I’m about to be moved on.’
‘Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. We’ll be moving too in due course. Are you allowed to say where you’re being sent?’
Girls of the Great War Page 16
