‘I’m going to get a rope,’ said Sir Charles. ‘Freddy, we need a rope.’
‘Sergeant, back to the lorry, at the double. We need a rope.’
‘Shall I get one with a noose in it, sir, ready for the German if he crash lands?’
‘If he gets home,’ said Lord Frederick, ‘that fellow will be the toast of his mess. “I made the British army run like rabbits”, that sort of thing. He’ll be drinking schnapps on the back of his foray across the North Sea for the rest of his life.’
Thursday 7th September 1939
1
‘Are you free to punt the pill?’ asked the familiar voice.
‘Give me time to check the weather,’ said Sir Charles. He pressed the red button. ‘Go ahead, Freddy, I’m on the scrambler.’
Over lunch Sir Charles told his wife, ‘While you were out learning how to bandage a wound, Freddy rang. Don’t look so alarmed.’
‘When Freddy rings it means trouble. Why are we using the Royal Worcester and not the tin mugs?’
‘We are using the Worcester to put up two fingers to Hitler.’
‘Don’t be rude, Charles. You have been tainted by the Americans.’
‘At least they’ve gone.’
‘Thank goodness for that, though I did like Marigold. Harry was quite smitten … wouldn’t it be ever so nice if they were to form an attachment, don’t you think?’
‘Harry was the reason Freddy phoned. He was using the scrambler to stop anyone earwigging that Harry’s going to give us an air show this afternoon. He’s flying a Spitfire down from Scotland … going to fly low over The Hall, fifteen hundred hours, raise everyone’s spirits. Show the people that when Hitler’s Luftwaffe attack we have the wherewithal to give the blighters a bloody nose. The boys will enjoy it, which reminds me, I promised to arrange for Jack to have a ride in Harry’s kite; he won’t have forgotten … memory like an elephant. Where are they by the way?’
‘At the Big Lake.’
‘Fishing?’
‘Yes, they were excited.’
‘About fishing?’
‘Yes.’
‘That pleases me very much.’
‘Why?’
‘Do you remember that storm, the day Freddy rang to tell us about the Hitler Youth? How it flattened the flowers? How the next day was warm and sunny? How the plants picked themselves up, kind of shook off the rain the way dogs shake off water after a swim? After the “storm” of events the boys have been through, the fact that they are excited about a fishing trip tells me that, like the plants, they have come through … that is why I’m pleased.’
‘Have you come through?’
‘I am, my dear, the worse for wear.’
‘It was nice of Jack to give Moses to the newspaper seller. Why are you smiling?’
‘When I took George and Jack into town to say thank you to Chronicle the ferret Jack handed over to that good man wasn’t Moses.’
‘Jack still has the horrid little beast?’
‘Yes. I’m afraid we will still have to be on our guard. The ferret we gave Chronicle was a substitute provided by Mike. Jack regards Moses as his lucky mascot.’
‘To avoid misfortune one should be practical and not rely on lucky mascots.’
‘Like reading tea leaves?’
Lady Elizabeth looked at her husband, took a deep breath and said, ‘You have a point. CB’s funeral was sad.’
Sir Charles nodded. ‘It seems longer than yesterday.’
‘A father and daughter, one grave, two bodies. The vicar was nice but he did keep casting glances at Emily.’
‘Sergeant Belt won’t like that. If the sergeant and the vicar come to blows over her, who will do the quelling? I was pestered by one of CB’s cousins.’
‘You told me.’
‘All the CBs must come from the same stable. This chap’s been to London to see about a command … wants to do his bit. Only some chap called Montgomery told him he was too old, that the TAs were amateurs and that the Germans were professionals. He’s rather fuming. He wants me to write a letter to the General Staff complaining about his treatment. I don’t know who this Montgomery chap is, but I have to say that I think he’s right. The silly fellow told me he was all packed for the off, had his cricket bat strapped to his kit bag. No German officer would take a cricket bat to war.’
‘Charles, you know as well as I do that Germans don’t play cricket.’
‘I want everyone out,’ Sir Charles told Bert, ‘on the front lawn. Here’s a box of Union Jacks. I want everyone to have one.’
‘Everyone, sir? Phyllis won’t be happy, sir, to leave her kitchen at this time in the afternoon and stand on the front lawn waving a flag.’
‘Leave Phyllis to me. Elizabeth, be a dear, go down to the kitchen, tell Cook what she is going to see. In the coming months all of us will have our noses put out of joint. It’s something we’d better get used to.’
They heard the Spitfire before they saw it.
‘That’s thunder,’ said Phyllis looking for clouds in the blue sky.
‘That’s not thunder, Phyllis,’ said Bert, taking the liberty of linking arms with the cook, ‘that’s a Spitfire.’
Out of nowhere, on the stage of the sky, a great actor appeared. When it dived low over The Hall, Sir Charles cheered and shouted as loud as anyone. Later he locked himself in his study and wept.
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