by Lily Baxter
Susan smiled. ‘It serves him right for destroying your sister’s hat. He’s got to learn.’
‘You’re a hard woman, Susan Banks.’ Dave tempered his words with a wink and a brief salute. ‘I’ll go and keep Maida company for a while. You will join us when you’ve finished, won’t you?’
‘Of course.’ She plunged her hands into the rapidly cooling water and began scrubbing away at the baking tin. She could hear Dave’s footsteps retreating towards the lounge, followed by the sound of a military band emanating from the wireless, which ceased as he closed the door. She sighed. Her visions of a peaceful Christmas had faded and she was left with a heavy feeling in her stomach. She had been happier living in the tiny flat than she had ever been in the big house with the Kemps, but she had known deep down that it could not last, and now her fears had been proved right. She knew that Maida was an adversary to be reckoned with, and her overt disapproval of their living arrangements had made Susan feel uncomfortable. There had never been anything remotely sexual in Dave’s attitude towards her, but she had seen the way he reacted when she had likened him to a father figure. She had never thought of him in any other way, but Maida’s reaction had turned what seemed natural and easy into something completely different. She tipped the dirty water down the sink and picked up the tea towel. Perhaps Tony could put things straight when he came home. She had a feeling that he could wrap his irascible aunt around his little finger. If anyone could sort out the tangled web of emotions created by her appearance on the scene, she was certain it was Tony.
When he did not put in appearance that afternoon Dave was beginning to fret and Susan was also worried. Dave had attempted to telephone the airfield but had not been able to get through to anyone who could give him any information, and there was nothing they could do other than sit and wait for him to turn up.
Next morning Susan was up early, taking Charlie for a walk on Primrose Hill before getting breakfast for Dave. Maida rose much later and spent a good half an hour in the bathroom before demanding tea and toast, which she ate in the lounge listening to the BBC news. Susan spent the morning in the kitchen, preparing lunch and making mince pies. Preserves had not yet been rationed and she had bought the last jar of mincemeat in the grocer’s shop. Although he would not admit it, she knew that Dave had a sweet tooth and she was pleased to be able to make something that he would enjoy eating even more than the turkey that was sitting in the meat safe outside the back door waiting to be cooked next day.
In the middle of the morning Dave had just sneaked into the kitchen for a cup of tea and a mince pie when the doorbell rang.
‘Tony! He’s here at last.’ His glum expression melted into a huge smile and he headed for the stairs. ‘I’ll let him in. Put the kettle on again, Susan.’
Maida reappeared at the sound of the doorbell like a genie from Aladdin’s lamp, and she stood at the top of the stairs steady as a rock and just about as immovable. Susan remained in the kitchen, and her hands were shaking as she relit the gas beneath the kettle. She spooned tea into the warmed pot and waited.
Maida’s reaction was the first hint she had that all was not well.
‘Who’s this, Dave? Where’s Tony? Has something happened to him?’
Maida’s large body filled the doorway and Susan had to stand on tiptoe in order to catch a glimpse of their visitor, but all she could see was the top of a peaked cap, which was quickly removed to reveal a head of wavy auburn hair.
‘This is Tony’s friend, Colin Forbes. My sister, Maida.’ Dave sounded cheerful enough, but Susan was quick to hear the note of disappointment in his voice.
Maida held out her hand. ‘How do you do, Flight Lieutenant?’
‘Colin, please.’ He shook her hand. ‘Actually it translates as First Officer in the Air Transport Auxiliary, ma’am. I’m delighted to meet you, Miss Richards. Tony has told me all about you.’
Susan could have sworn that Maida blushed, but she soon recovered herself. ‘Where is my nephew? Why isn’t he here?’
Dave shook his head. ‘That’s the devil of it, Maida. Tony’s leave has been cancelled thanks to the Luftwaffe.’
‘The bombing raids on Southampton and Hamble have left a bit of a mess,’ Colin added hastily, ‘and I’m afraid Tony drew the short straw. He asked me to come and see his father and tell him in person.’
‘That was kind of you,’ Dave said gruffly. ‘But where are my manners? Won’t you stay and have something to eat? You must be hungry after your journey, and I’m sure that Susan can rustle up something tasty.’ He beckoned to her. ‘Come and say hello, love.’
Somewhat reluctantly, Susan edged past Maida and squeezed into the narrow hallway. ‘Hello, Colin.’
‘Susan,’ he said, shaking her hand. ‘You’re even prettier than Tony said. He told me all about how you met and he was really sorry that he couldn’t get home for Christmas.’
She met his smiling gaze shyly. ‘I’ve made some mince pies and they’re still quite warm.’ She tried not to stare, but he could have stepped from the pages of one of the movie magazines like Picturegoer, which Pamela had read avidly and concealed beneath the pillows on her bed together with bars of Cadbury’s chocolate. His green eyes were fringed with thick, dark lashes and his hair waved back from a high forehead.
‘That sounds fantastic, Susan.’ He glanced at Dave. ‘Is that all right with you, sir? I mean, I don’t want to take your rations.’
‘Go on, old chap. Any friend of Tony’s is welcome here.’ Dave backed towards the stairs. ‘Got some work to finish in the shop but make yourself at home, Colin. I’ll see you later. I hope you’ll stay for supper.’
‘I’ve really got to go and find a hotel, sir. But thanks all the same.’
Maida eyed him curiously. ‘Haven’t you got a home to go to?’
‘Not within easy reach, Miss Richards. My father died a long time ago and my mother remarried. They emigrated to Canada in 1938, and my grandparents live in Scotland, which is a bit far to travel on a forty-eight hour pass, so I thought I’d spend Christmas in London.’
Dave paused at the top of the staircase. ‘You must stay here, son. No question about it. I’m afraid you’ll have to sleep on the sofa, but we’d love to have your company for Christmas. Wouldn’t we, girls?’
Maida pursed her lips. ‘If you say so, David. I’ll leave Susan to sort the bedding out. I think I’ll go for a lie-down before lunch, if you’ll excuse me.’ Without waiting for a response she headed for her room.
‘I wouldn’t want to put anyone out,’ Colin said anxiously.
‘Take no notice of my sister. She’s been bombed out and hasn’t quite recovered from the shock.’ Dave started down the stairs. ‘Look after him, Susan.’ He disappeared into the gloom below, leaving Susan standing awkwardly on the landing with Colin. She retreated into the kitchen.
‘Would you like a sandwich, Colin? Lunch won’t be ready for another couple of hours at least. The gas pressure is pretty low today.’
‘Actually I had something to eat at Waterloo.’ He took a seat at the kitchen table. ‘But a cuppa would be most welcome.’
Susan busied herself making the tea. ‘You ought to have my room, but that would mean Charlie would be running loose in the flat.’ She paused, realising what she had just said. ‘Charlie’s a puppy. I’m afraid I let Tony think he was my boyfriend.’
‘Yes, he told me about your little joke,’ Colin said, laughing. ‘Don’t look so worried, Susan. His father explained everything, and Tony’s a very understanding bloke.’
She almost dropped the milk jug. ‘I didn’t mean it to happen like that. I was embarrassed, and I said the first thing that came into my head.’
‘He saw the funny side of things. Anyway, he’s a big boy; he can take a knock back or two. There are plenty of girls who fall for the uniform, so it probably did him good when you didn’t collapse at his feet.’
The image this conjured up in her mind made her giggle. ‘Has he got many girl friends?’
‘One or two, but nothing serious.’
Susan digested this in silence while she made the tea. She had been longing to see Tony again, but she was faced with this handsome stranger who was looking at her with a twinkle in his eyes and a charming smile that made her head spin. She poured his tea and placed it in front of him. ‘If you don’t want a sandwich, would you like a mince pie?’ It seemed a bit feeble as far as conversation went, but she could not think of anything else to say. He must think she was a complete idiot.
He smiled. ‘I’d love one. I could smell them as I came upstairs, and it took me back to my childhood. Mum was a wonderful cook and her pastry just melted in the mouth.’ He took one from the plate she passed to him.
‘It’s not easy to make pastry with so little fat,’ she murmured, watching anxiously while he took a bite.
‘Then you’re a magician,’ he said, licking crumbs from his lips. ‘These are just as good as Mum’s. Maybe even better.’
Basking in the warmth of his enthusiasm, Susan could not feel completely at ease until she was certain that he knew the truth about her. ‘Tony did tell you everything about me, I suppose?’
He sipped his tea. ‘If you mean that business about the family you worked for, then yes, he did. Forget it, Susan. We all do and say things on the spur of the moment and regret them later.’
‘It was a stupid thing to do.’
‘If I had a pound for every idiotic thing I’d done in the past, I’d be a rich man.’
A huge weight seemed to have been lifted from her shoulders and she smiled with relief. ‘Have another mince pie, Colin.’
‘No, thanks. That would be sheer greed, but I would like another cup of tea.’ He pushed his empty cup towards her. ‘Would it put you out if I stayed here for a couple of nights?’
Startled by the question, and unused to being asked for her opinion, she poured the tea, adding a dash of milk. ‘It has nothing to do with me. If Dave says it’s all right, then it is.’
‘But you live here too, and you’re the one who will have all the extra work. I can’t imagine Miss Richards setting to and washing dishes or peeling potatoes. She doesn’t look the domesticated type.’
This made her laugh outright. ‘She is a bit fierce, but then it’s not my place to say so.’
Colin frowned. ‘Stop it, Susan.’
‘Stop what? What did I say?’
‘Tony told me how that family treated you and it’s left its mark. Don’t take this the wrong way, because I know we’ve only just met, but your opinion is as good as anyone’s. As to everyone knowing their place, I think that old-fashioned nonsense will be as dead as the dinosaurs when this war is over.’
She stared at him in amazement. ‘Mrs Kemp would have you shot at dawn for saying things like that.’
It was his turn to laugh. ‘Well, the Mrs Kemps of this world will soon be history too. Now, I’ve got a suggestion to make. What do you say to a night out in town?’
‘With you?’
He looked round the kitchen with an expansive gesture. ‘I don’t see anyone else. Yes, with me. It’s Christmas Eve and I was planning to go somewhere nice this evening for a meal and perhaps some dancing; that is if I could find a girl who didn’t mind her feet being trodden on occasionally.’
‘I can’t dance,’ Susan said hastily. ‘I wouldn’t know how.’
‘Then it’s high time you learned. I’ll take that as a “yes”, shall I?’
‘I can’t. I’ve got to make supper for Dave and Miss Richards.’
‘I’m sure they could manage with fish and chips for one night. I’ll go out and get it myself.’
She was tempted. She had never been to a restaurant, let alone a posh one up West where they had a dance floor, although she had seen them at the pictures. But then reality struck and she shook her head. ‘I haven’t got anything to wear.’
‘You’re pretty enough to get away with wearing a sack, not that I’d suggest it was the latest fashion, but I’d be proud to have you on my arm no matter what.’
‘You would?’
He nodded emphatically. ‘And Tony will be green with envy when I tell him I’ve taken you out for the evening.’
‘Will he really?’
Colin’s lips twitched but his expression remained serious. ‘Of course. He couldn’t stop talking about you when he came back from his last leave.’
‘What did he say?’
‘Now that would be telling.’ Colin drained his teacup and stood up. ‘Shall I go and ask Mr Richards if he’ll allow you to have an evening off?’
Susan nodded wordlessly.
In her red woollen dress with her hair swept up at the sides and hanging in a loose pageboy at the back, Susan felt like a different person. She could only see herself in sections using the hand mirror in her room, but even so, the result was startling. The schoolgirl image had given way to that of a young woman with style. She might not be the best dressed female in the restaurant of Colin’s choice, but she would not disgrace him. She sat down on the bed to put on her tan leather sandals and was dismayed to see that they looked completely wrong. Her brogues were even more unsuitable. She was on the brink of tears when there was a knock on her door. Charlie leapt off the bed and scratched at the paintwork.
‘Come in,’ Susan murmured, dabbing her eyes with a hanky.
Dave put his head round the door. ‘Are you ready, Susan?’ He frowned. ‘What’s up, love? Why the long face? You look smashing.’
She wiggled her bare toes. ‘I can’t go out, Dave. I haven’t got any stockings and my shoes are all wrong.’
He thought for a moment. ‘There are Christine’s things. I know you don’t like the idea, but if she was here now I know she’d be only too pleased to kit you out.’
‘I don’t know. It doesn’t seem right.’
He bent down to pat Charlie on the head. ‘I came to collect this little fellow for his walk, but he can wait for a bit. Come with me, love.’ He left without waiting for her answer and Charlie followed him, wagging his tail, leaving Susan no alternative but to go after them.
In his room Dave had opened the wardrobe door and was rifling through the box of shoes. ‘There are all sorts here, some of them hardly worn. Have a look through and see if there’s any you fancy.’ He stood aside and went to sit on the bed.
It was too tempting an offer to refuse and Susan went down on her knees to pick over the pairs of shoes packed neatly in paper bags.
‘What’s going on?’ Maida marched into the room, standing arms akimbo and frowning at Susan, who had a pair of high-heeled black court shoes in her hand.
‘None of your beeswax, Maida,’ Dave said cheerfully.
‘Don’t tell me that you’re still hoarding Christine’s things.’
‘I know it’s time to let them go. I’ve been living on memories far too long.’ Dave nodded to Susan. ‘Take what you like, love. I should have got rid of them years ago.’
‘I’ve been telling you that for ages.’ Maida went to the wardrobe and sorted through the clothes. She pulled out a short fur jacket. ‘You can start by throwing out this moth-eaten old thing. I don’t suppose the girl has a warm coat.’
‘The girl has ears, Maida.’ Dave grabbed Charlie by the collar as he lunged at a shoe. ‘But you’re a genius, old girl. That little coat will be just the thing on a cold night and it will suit her down to the ground. You take it, Susan. You’ll knock ’em dead in the Ritz or wherever young Colin takes you.’
Maida sniffed. ‘I hope he realises that this is a respectable household.’ She tossed the fur jacket at Susan. ‘And you’re to be back at a decent time, young lady. No gallivanting until the early hours. I’ve already warned Colin that there’s to be no funny business. You’ve taken responsibility for a minor, David. It’s up to you to see that she doesn’t come to any harm. Heaven knows I don’t approve, but there’s no fool like an old fool.’
‘Please don’t speak to Mr Richards like that.’ Susan leapt to her f
eet with the shoes still clutched tightly in her hands. ‘And I’m not stupid. I was brought up to know right from wrong in the orphanage and I’m certain that Colin is a gentleman, or I wouldn’t have agreed to go out with him. You’re insulting both of us if you think we’d do anything we shouldn’t.’
‘Well said, love.’ Dave clapped his hands but in doing so he let go of Charlie’s collar and he made a dive for the fur jacket. It took the combined efforts of Susan and Dave to wrestle it from him without damaging the lining.
‘He has to go,’ Maida said icily. ‘And I’m shocked that you allow a slip of a girl to speak to me in that tone of voice.’ She eyed Susan with a disdainful toss of her head. ‘You’d better watch your tongue, or you’ll be out on your ear before you can say Merry Christmas.’ She stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Susan wiped the dog spittle off the gleaming brown fur. It smelt decidedly of mothballs and there were worn patches under the sleeves, but it was still the most glamorous garment she had ever held in her hands. ‘It’s not going to work,’ she said sadly. ‘Your sister is never going to approve of me, no matter what I do.’
Dave rescued another shoe from Charlie and put it back in the box. ‘Give her time, love. She’s not a bad old stick when you get used to her.’
Susan slipped her feet into the court shoes. They fitted exactly but she could feel the indentations of the dead woman’s toes and it sent a shiver down her spine. ‘I can’t take your wife’s things, Dave. It doesn’t feel right.’
He moved to the door and opened it. ‘Don’t let it spoil your evening, love. Go with Colin and have a lovely time. It’s Christmas Eve and you’re both young. You should be out enjoying yourself.’
She glanced at Christine’s photograph on the dressing table, and she seemed to be smiling directly at her. ‘Thanks for everything. I won’t let you down.’
‘I know you won’t.’ He took a key from his waistcoat pocket and pressed it into her hand. ‘Let yourself in, and I’ll keep Charlie with me tonight so he won’t give the game away by making a noise. Have fun, love.’
