by Anne Bennett
Molly’s address wasn’t printed in the paper, but in her account she said she worked in the Naafi at the RAF base at Castle Bromwich. The very next morning Hilda decided she would go out to the place and see if she could see the girl, if only for a few minutes.
Paul Simmons was another who read the paper in open-mouthed astonishment. It put him in such a rage he attacked Tom in a blistering letter, which Tom opened in the cowshed.
What in God’s name were you doing letting Molly, a young and defenceless girl, go alone to Birmingham, a city that has been bombed to blazes? Your irresponsibility in this matter beggars belief. When your mother took on guardianship of Molly, I consoled myself that at least the child would be cared for adequately and now I find you have failed in that duty too. You are an absolute disgrace and I would be surprised if you could sleep in your bed at night.
And just in case you think I am overreacting and possibly Molly has not kept you up to date, I am sending you the cuttings of the trial. There were reports in the Despatch and the Evening Mail, which you can read for yourself, while I shall make arrangements to contact Molly without delay.
Tom read all the cuttings and then, unable to believe it, read them again. He imagined Molly standing there, having to say these things, his little Molly, who would never harm a fly, and for these dreadful things to happen to her.
He didn’t blame Paul Simmons for the tone of his letter; Tom felt he deserved that and more. He had failed Molly, and failed her badly, and he was still failing her. He sank back onto the milking stool, put his head in his hands and sobbed.
He couldn’t even seek Molly out either, while his mother chose to cling to life.
The doctor was baffled at Biddy’s resilience. ‘I would have said she wouldn’t have lasted so long,’ he’d confided just the other day. ‘She might go on till after Christmas at this rate.’
Tom wondered why she didn’t just die and get it over with. Despite her age, her eyes were as bitter and malicious as ever and her voice as recriminatory. It was Gloria that she really seemed to have it in for, whom she was really vicious with. She had no patience with the boy, Ben, either and would scream at him constantly and often administer the odd sharp slap, for all Joe remonstrated with her.
Tom knew that much as he wanted to drop everything and run to his young niece’s side, he would be unlikely to be able to leave the farm until at least the New Year.
TWENTY-EIGHT
The next morning Molly knew from people’s reactions that many had read the papers. Her neighbours, for example, greeted her quite pleasantly, though this was done in a patronising way and using a conciliatory tone, as if she had just recovered from a long illness, or was mentally defective, and Molly was left wondering if their previous silences hadn’t been preferable.
Many greeted Molly in the camp, but that was normal, and the consensus of her friends in the Naafi seemed to be that she was incredibly brave and it was disgraceful that such things happened in this day and age.
Molly didn’t want to rehash the whole thing again. She had done all the talking she wanted to do in the courtroom; she just said she was glad it was over and she could get on with her life. In fact, what was filling Molly’s mind at that moment was her feelings about Mark, for she could no longer deny the attraction she had felt for him and yet the thought of any man touching her still filled her with abhorrence. She didn’t know what to do about that.
While she was still wondering, one of the guards from the gate tapped her on the shoulder. ‘Woman at the gate asking for you,’ he said. ‘It’s strictly against orders but I can let you have a few minutes.’
Molly frowned. ‘But who is she?’
‘She says her name is Hilda Mason.’
‘Hilda!’ Molly shrieked. ‘Are you sure?’
‘That’s what she said.’
‘Oh, Almighty Christ, she’s alive,’ Molly cried. She put her hands to her face and wiped away the tears that had seeped unbidden from her eyes. ‘I can’t believe it.’
‘I take it you want to see her then,’ the guard said.
‘You bet I do,’ Molly said, tearing off her overall as she spoke. ‘I mean that’s if …’ and she looked to the others.
‘Go on,’ said Edna. ‘Good friend of yours, by the sound of it.’
‘Our neighbour. She was like a second mother,’ Molly said, sticking her feet into her boots and struggling into her coat as she hurried after the guard.
Hilda was shabbily dressed in a shapeless grey coat and scuffed boots, a scarf covering her grey hair, but to Molly she looked beautiful and she waited impatiently for the guard to open the gate. Then she was in Hilda’s arms with a sigh of contentment.
‘God, girl, but you are a sight for sore eyes,’ Hilda said, wiping her damp cheeks.
‘And you,’ Molly said. ‘The neighbour said you were dead, or said she thought you were dead. I didn’t think I would ever see you again. This is wonderful, just wonderful, and we have so much to say and no time to say it because I can only take a little time. They are rushed off their feet in there.’
‘What time do you finish?’
‘Five tonight,’ Molly said. ‘But I live close at hand.’ She gave Hilda directions to her house.
‘Right, bab,’ Hilda said, giving Molly a kiss. ‘I will up this evening and we’ll have a proper old chinwag.’
It was as Hilda was walking away that she passed the well-dressed man walking towards the air base. His face was familiar but she didn’t realise who he was straight away.
‘Mr Simmons,’ she said suddenly.
Paul turned and looked at Hilda quizzically and she knew that he didn’t recognise her. ‘Hilda Mason,’ she said, extending her hand. ‘Neighbour to the Maguires.’
‘Of course,’ Paul said. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘No need to be,’ Hilda said. ‘Why would you remember me? Are you hoping to see Molly?’
‘Yes, if it’s possible.’
‘Not a chance, I would say,’ Hilda said. ‘But I have her address and I am going there this evening when she finishes her shift. Why don’t you come too?’
‘That’s a very good idea,’ Paul said with a smile. ‘And you can give me the address while you share my taxi for the journey home,’ Paul said. ‘How does that suit?’
‘It suits very well,’ Hilda said with a chuckle. ‘And now I know why Ted Maguire said you were always a true gentleman.’
To say that Molly was surprised to see Paul Simmons with Hilda at her door later that evening would be untrue, for she was much more than surprised: totally amazed, in fact. She hadn’t thought of Mr Simmons in years and Kevin could never remember seeing him at all.
However, Paul soon put them at their ease, and when Molly confessed that she still felt shame about the whole Collingsworth episode, he took hold of her agitated hands.
‘Listen to me, Molly,’ he said. ‘If you believe nothing else in your life, believe this: you were not to blame, not in the slightest, and never forget that.’
‘It’s just that—’
‘Enough,’ Paul said firmly. ‘The perpetrators of this business are base and corrupt, and totally without either morals or a conscience. If it hadn’t been for the courage of that other chap, Will, you could have easily lost your life. I would very much like to meet him and shake him by the hand, and when this little lot is over, there will be a place for him in my firm if he wants it.’
‘I’m sure he will be delighted,’ Molly told the man. ‘You are as good and kind as my father always said. I am sure that I can arrange a meeting with Will if you want one, but as for me … do you know, they don’t even know in Ireland? I couldn’t bring myself to tell them everything.’
‘Well, that uncle of yours knows now,’ Paul said. ‘I sent him the cuttings from the newspaper, along with a letter. I’m still so angry with him. I can’t believe he let you come on your own.’
‘He couldn’t have prevented me,’ Molly said emphatically. ‘There wasn’t a person living wh
o could have done that, more especially after the cryptic note from Kevin asking me to come and get him.’ She faced Paul and said, ‘What would you have me do, Mr Simmons? I know I couldn’t have taken any other action than the one I did and it is my fault it turned out badly. No blame here can be attached to my uncle, who had a farm to run and a crabbed old woman to see to, and I will write and tell him so – Nellie and Cathy too, because if my uncle has told anyone, then it will be them.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Paul said. ‘I see now that you had no other course open to you and—’
There was another knock at the door and Molly said, ‘Well, I don’t know who that is, but I had better see to it. Can you talk to Kevin? He doesn’t remember you at all and maybe you can tell him about Dad. I’m sure he would like that, because he can’t remember everything. That terrible day blotted a lot out for him.’
‘I’ll do that with pleasure,’ Paul said. Molly watched him make his way over to the young boy, who was chattering nineteen to the dozen with Hilda.
It was Will at the door. Molly was surprised to see him, for he didn’t make a habit of visiting her in the evening.
She drew him into the hall, out of the bleak winter’s night as she said, ‘There’s someone here wants to see you, shake you by the hand, in fact. Anyway, take off your coat or you will not feel the benefit later.’
‘Who wants to shake my hand?’ Will said, doing as Molly bade him. ‘I’m not averse to a little commendation now and again.’
‘Bighead,’ Molly teased with a smile. ‘The man in question is my father’s ex-employer, Paul Simmons, and I think I told you how good he has been to us all.’ Will nodded and Molly went on, ‘He told me that he may have a job to offer you after the war.’
‘Did he?’ Will said. ‘I would be interested in that.’
‘Right,’ Molly said. ‘But since you didn’t know there were people in my house waiting to tell you how marvellous you are and offer you employment, what are you doing here?’
Will smiled, ‘Well,’ he said, ‘as I didn’t see you at the Naafi today, I came to tell you that I am leaving at the weekend because the other chap will be back.’
‘Oh, it will be strange not seeing you around the place.’
‘We were a good team, Molly,’ Will said, ‘better than you think. Norton came today and said numerous people are coming forward now and saying things against Collingsworth and his cronies. He came to see if I had any information on some of the claims people are making and I was able to help him a bit. He said all of Collingsworth’s lot are looking at hefty prison sentences.’
Yet another knock at the door caused Molly to raise her eyes to the ceiling. ‘Go in and see Paul,’ she said to Will. ‘He is dying to meet you.’
This time Mark stood outside the door. Molly willed her voice not to shake as she said, ‘Come in.’
‘I came to see if you were all right.’
‘You did that yesterday,’ Molly said with a smile, hoping he was unaware of her heart thudding against her ribs. ‘No fish and chips tonight?’
‘’Fraid not.’
‘Never mind. Come on in and join the party.’
Paul and Will were dispatched for beer, though Molly intended to stick to tea and ensure that Kevin did the same, and it was as she was making the tea that Hilda caught up with her and, being Hilda, got straight to the point.
‘Who’s Mark?’
‘Just a friend, like I said when I introduced him.’
‘My eye he’s just a friend. I wasn’t born yesterday, you know.’
‘Honestly, that’s all he is,’ Molly said. ‘I was with his young sister in the hospital and, with visiting and all, I got to know her mother, Helen, and her brother, Mark.’
‘Maybe all that is true,’ Hilda said, ‘but I am telling you that that young man is eating his heart out for you. Don’t you feel the same?’
‘I don’t know,’ Molly cried. ‘No, I am kidding myself. I feel something deeply for Mark. I don’t know if it is love. How does anyone know?’
‘Well, how does he make you feel?’
Molly thought for a moment and then said, ‘When I opened the door to him tonight I trembled all over and my heart was going ten to the dozen. It was hard to act naturally. Sometimes,’ she admitted, ‘when I look at him, my legs feel as if they are made of water. Does that sound like love, Hilda?’
‘I’d say so,’ Hilda said with a chuckle. ‘And a bad attack of it too. So what are you going to do about it?’
Molly shrugged and Hilda burst out, ‘What’s up with you, girl? He’s a fine young man.’
‘I know.’
‘Then what’s the problem? He ain’t got a wife tucked away somewhere?’
‘No,’ Molly said with a smile.
‘Well then, is he a nancy boy?’
‘No, definitely not.’
‘Come on, girl, help me out,’ Hilda cried. ‘There you are, two young unattached people and he loves you and you love him, so what in God’s name is the problem?’
Molly struggled with herself because she had never told anyone the revulsion she felt when a man tried to become even slightly physical, but eventually she confessed, ‘The problem is me, I can’t let a man touch me in that way.’
‘What way?’
‘You know.’
‘Tell him how you feel, ducks,’ Hilda advised. ‘He looks the understanding sort.’
‘I can’t, Hilda,’ Molly said. ‘However understanding he is, he will want to do more than hold hands eventually. I mean, I could manage that, but anything else reminds me of Collingsworth and that awful, dreadful night.’
‘I can’t believe this. You are letting that louse of a man pollute the rest of your life.’
‘Maybe I am, but how can I do that to Mark?’ Molly cried. ‘What if I was never able to let him near me? I care for him too much to do that to him. It would be better if he found another girl who could show her love properly.’
‘Shouldn’t I be the judge of that?’ said a voice from the doorway.
Molly spun around. ‘Mark,’ she breathed, ‘you heard?’
He was across the room in two strides. ‘I want no other girl,’ he said. ‘I only want you. I heard you say that you care for me. Is it true?’
‘Oh, yes, Mark, it’s true.’
‘D’you think you could love me?’
Molly hesitated, then slowly nodded. ‘I think I could, but it wouldn’t be fair. You see …’
‘Oh, darling, I love you, heart, body and soul,’ Mark told her. ‘I think I have from the first moment I saw you. I know why you have been so reticent with men and quite understand it. Never fear me, for I will never ask you to go further than you want to, or at a faster pace.’
That was so exactly what Hilda had said that she looked back to find the room empty except for the two of them. ‘When did Hilda leave?’
‘I don’t know,’ Mark said, ‘but maybe she thought we needed time on our own.’
‘Hilda,’ said Molly, ‘was always a very wise woman.’
She gazed in this new realisation that she really and truly loved Mark and she was filled with the newness and the joy of it. Carried away with emotion she suddenly said. ‘You can put your arms around me, if you like.’
‘Are you sure?’
Molly was anything but sure, but she wanted to please Mark and so she nodded anyway and waited to feel her body tense up and the bile rise in her mouth, as Mark’s arms encircled her. But nothing happened, and in fact it felt quite wonderful. She sighed and laid her head on Mark’s chest and he felt her heart beat and tentatively held her tighter.
‘Oh, Mark,’ she said in utter contentment and just the way Molly spoke his name made Mark’s heart beat faster
It was evident that something of major importance had happened in the kitchen between Mark and Molly as they came out hand in hand and slightly embarrassed. Hilda smiled her approval and Kevin looked them both up and down and then his eyes slid to Hilda’s beaming face and then ba
ck to Molly and he said, ‘You two going out, dating, like?’
‘We will be,’ Molly said. ‘Will you mind?’
‘Are you kidding?’ Kevin said. ‘It will be great having a pilot in the family, and when you get married—’
‘Hey,’ Molly protested, ‘who said anything about getting married?’
‘No one,’ Kevin admitted cheerfully. ‘But you will in the end, won’t you? Otherwise what’s the point of it all? All I wanted to know is, where am I going to live after?’
‘I think that is quite a reasonable question,’ Hilda said.
Molly did too. It was obvious Kevin might be anxious about that. ‘With me,’ she said determinedly. ‘Wherever that happens to be.’ And she saw her brother’s shoulders relax with relief.
* * *
The news flew around the camp of the courtship of Mark Baxter and Molly Maguire, and it got the seal of approval there too.
‘At least he’s a free agent,’ May said in relief. ‘I did think she might have fancied the other fellow, for all she claimed he was just a friend.’
‘No, she’s too sensible a lass,’ Edna replied.
‘Sense has little to do with it when a girl fancies herself in love,’ Doris commented.
Edna gave a chuckle. ‘I can just remember feeling like that myself,’ she said, ‘and you are right, sense, and everything else to come to that, does go out of the window.’
‘Aye, and faster than the speed of light too,’ May agreed.
Molly was glad her friends were pleased, but she worried over Helen’s possible reaction, knowing that many mothers resented their son’s girlfriends. However, Helen kissed Molly and told her that all she desired for both her children was happiness. She admitted she had known how Mark felt about her for some time anyway, and Lynne said she hoped Molly joined the family because she would love a sister.
