Alex held her to him and did not say a word. The same thoughts had not been far from his mind also, and he had similar fears. They were holding each other when the rain came, but they were oblivious to it.
*
It was while listening to the wireless later that evening that Alex broached the thorny subject that he had been procrastinating over. ‘My Uncle Walter is concerned for my mother’s safety in London when the bombing starts, and he is looking to buy a property in the country where he believes that she will be safer. My mother, on the other hand, fears being bored to death away from London, while he is in town. Mother suggested that she would like somebody to go with her so that she can enjoy stimulating conversations while she is there – and she wondered whether you might consider the prospect?’
There, it was out; to Alex’s surprise, Teddy did not dismiss the notion out of hand.
She raised the other matter that had been troubling Alex. ‘Exactly what is the relationship between your mother and your uncle?’
‘In all honesty,’ Alex began, ‘I do not know. I think my mother is extremely grateful to Walter and would do almost anything to please him; I think Walter finds my mother attractive, and he has been a widower since just after we arrived in England. Perhaps our love is the spark for their happiness? But I honestly don’t know.’
‘Alex,’ Teddy responded, ‘I like your mother very much, and it is a very generous offer, but my life has always been in the city, and I do not know how I would cope with living in the country. The thought of London under bombardment scares me, I admit, and I can see that being in the country would be safer. I need to think before I give my answer.’
Alex agreed. ‘I do not think there is any urgency, so take as much time as you need. I don’t think my mother will take offence if you decide against the idea, but, in the same way that you will worry about me when I am not here, I shall worry about leaving you in London. On hearing about the bombing in Poland, I wonder how many people will survive, and if Hitler decides to invade England, it will most likely be the same, if not worse.
‘The decision is yours, my darling,’ reassured Alex, ‘and I will agree with whatever decision you reach.’
*
Having nothing planned for the next day, Teddy suggested that they might treat Alex’s mother to luncheon, and she also indicated that if Uncle Walter was also free, then he might join them as a thank you for Alex’s birthday meal. Alex telephoned his mother, and she agreed; then he telephoned Uncle Walter, who had not yet left for his office, and he, too, agreed. Everything was a little too easy, almost as if some unseen hand or power were guiding chess pieces on the chessboard of life.
They had booked lunch at the very chic, art deco Rainbow Rooms on the fifth floor of Derry and Tom’s department store in Kensington High Street. Teddy had mentioned that she wanted to visit the recently opened roof garden, and Alex thought the prospect of seeing the gardens afterwards might be sufficiently distracting to divert attention away from what he thought was the main reason of the luncheon, to probe the relationship that existed between the countess and the count. Uncle Walter was making his own way from his City of London offices, and Alex had suggested that they collect his mother en route. The table reservation was for 1.00pm, and when Alex and Teddy arrived at Onslow Gardens just before 12.15pm, the countess was not anywhere near being ready.
Teddy went upstairs to Alex’s mother’s boudoir, one of the spare bedrooms, to discover clothes scattered all over as she tried various outfits on, trying to find something that she felt was appropriate. With Teddy’s guidance, she chose a slightly out of fashion peacock-blue dress that shimmered gloriously and which, on Tatiana Ivanovna, looked stunning.
‘That was one of the first clothes that I bought when we came to England,’ she confided in Teddy, ‘Viktoriya, Vladimir’s lovely late wife, helped me choose that dress, and he always was pleased when I wore it. I think it hangs a little better now?’ She sought reassurance.
Teddy was surprised that, of all the clothes available in Alex’s mother’s wardrobe, she had chosen one that was a particular favourite of Uncle Walter, but, having chosen it and praised how well it looked, she could hardly recant her encouragement. However, there was no getting away from the fact that it looked sensational on the countess.
‘It’s beautiful and stunning, and the colour suits you so well,’ was all Teddy said.
They chatted as the maid helped Tatiana Ivanovna with her make-up and accessories, and, when they were almost ready to rejoin Alex downstairs, his mother looked at Teddy and said, ‘I am so glad that Alex has found somebody who makes him so happy. I have not seen him so cheerful for many years. He is truly a lucky boy!’
‘Thank you,’ replied Teddy.
*
Lunch was a success marred only slightly by the late arrival of Uncle Walter, whose dramatic entrance came with profuse apologies but little good reason. The conversation around the table was superficial and shallower than the average puddle. It was clear that a guarded attraction existed between Alex’s mother and his adopted uncle, but there was no overt sign of fondness. Tatiana Ivanovna managed to riposte Teddy’s gentle probing at every attempt.
After dessert, Uncle Walter made his excuses and hurried away back to his office, and the three who remained drank tea before visiting the spectacular roof garden.
Declining the invitation to return to Onslow Gardens with Alex’s mother, they dropped her off and went on to Cavendish Court. Harry, the porter, had seemingly been waiting for Alex and Teddy to return, and, in the manner of someone delivering an important message, he handed Alex a heavily wax-sealed envelope. In the lift to Teddy’s flat, Alex used his penknife to slice open the package.
‘Waterloo station, 10.37am tomorrow morning,’ was all he said.
Teddy nodded before reaching behind his neck with both arms, pulling him down to her height and kissing him fulsomely. Without letting go, when the lift reached their floor, she kicked the door open with her foot and, still attached to Alex, she dragged him towards her front door. Detaching momentarily only to open the door and to draw breath, she reconnected and guided him to the bedroom. That night their intimacy knew no bounds, and, after having set the alarm clock for the next morning, they fell exhaustedly to sleep.
*
When the alarm woke them the following morning, Teddy wrapped her arms and legs around Alex, refusing to allow him to rise.
‘I’m never going to let you go!’ she told him with an enthusiasm that he had not heard previously.
He kissed her, and gently, but with some difficulty, prised her limbs apart before going to the bathroom to start getting ready. When he returned, tears were rolling down Teddy’s face, and he picked her up in his arms and kissed them away, reassuring her continually that he loved her and that nothing was going to break that love.
Despite his protestations that they should say farewell at the flat, Teddy steadfastly refused and insisted that she was going to wave him goodbye at the station. She dressed in her most elegant clothes, making sure that everything was perfect; she buffed her engagement ring until it shone to her satisfaction; and she affixed the sweetheart brooch to her smartest coat. Then she went with him to the waiting taxi.
‘Waterloo Station,’ Alex instructed the cabbie, who – sensing that a parting was imminent – drove deliberately slowly.
In the letter of the previous evening, Simon had informed Alex that he would wait for him under the four-faced clock in the station concourse, but the station was unduly busy, and the mass of people, mostly dressed in either army or naval uniforms, made finding him almost impossible. Alex eventually saw Simon standing by a kiosk and looking anxiously at his watch, before double-checking the time against the station clock. Alex led Teddy to where he was waiting.
‘Cutting it fine, aren’t you?’ Simon was noticeably irritated.
‘We had trouble with the taxi,’ was Alex
’s excuse. He stood back and admired Simon’s new uniform, complete with the double wavy braiding of a full lieutenant. ‘Looks good,’ he commented, smiling at his friend. Alex put his arm around Teddy’s shoulders and held her to him.
Simon handed over a large packet of documentation. ‘Your orders, authorisations and travel pass. Sorry, we could not get you a compartment all to yourself, but at least you are in first class, so you should be comfortable. Your train goes from platform five in about twelve minutes, so you really ought to think about going.’ He reached into his dicky pocket and produced a platform ticket, which he handed to Teddy. ‘I bought one of these for myself, but I need to get back to the office. Good luck, old chap – and don’t forget to write often.’ The irony of Simon’s parting bon mot was not lost on Alex. Simon smiled, waved and dived back into the crush of people heading for the exit.
Arm in arm, Alex and Teddy headed for the gate at platform five, and, after extricating his travel warrant from the package and offering up Teddy’s platform ticket, Alex approached the barrier.
‘It’s a military train, sir,’ the ticket collector announced, ‘only military personnel past this point.’
Teddy looked crestfallen and in utter despair, and Alex was about to say something, but the ticket collector saw her distress and said, ‘But as you have bought a platform ticket, I suppose it will be all right this once.’ He clipped the ticket, scribbled on the travel warrant, winked at Teddy, smiled and let them through.
Alex found his carriage, and he hauled his suitcase and typewriter onto the train, placing them securely in the overhead luggage rack in his compartment. He smiled at the only other occupant, a young captain, before returning to Teddy. He held her tightly in his arms, and, as the guard blew his whistle, he kissed her intently and said quietly, ‘Look after yourself, because I love you very much.’
She looked at him with tears in her eyes and said, ‘And you look after yourself also. I will send you our new address when your mother tells me what it is.’
So the decision was made, and Alex smiled in gratitude at his wife-to-be.
‘That’s wonderful news,’ he said, and he headed towards the train door as it started inching forwards under the power of the locomotive. ‘I know you will be safer, and that will be one less worry for me. God bless you, my darling; I love you.’
He leapt aboard the train, closed the door and slid the window down before leaning out and waving to Teddy. Her strength held out until he could see him no more, and then her legs buckled and she was caught by a staunch middle-aged woman who had also managed to gain access to the platform to wave off a loved one.
‘Come on, my dear,’ said the woman, helping Teddy to a nearby luggage trolley, ‘try a snifter of this.’ After taking a small hip flask from her bag, she held it to Teddy’s lips and poured a small measure of neat brandy into her mouth. Teddy coughed and spluttered, but at least her strength was recovering.
‘Thank you,’ Teddy said to the stranger, ‘I shall be all right now.’
‘This was your first time?’
‘Yes, it was awful! We’ve just got engaged,’ explained Teddy.
‘They tell you it gets easier, but it doesn’t! My Henry’s a regular and was kept on after the last lot, so you would have thought I’d be used to it, but it doesn’t get any better when you’re waving them goodbye, not knowing when or if you will see them again.’
The lady was trying to be kind, but her words twisted Teddy’s heart even more. Realising that she was not helping, she helped Teddy to stand and assisted her through the ticket barrier and towards the station buffet.
‘What you need is a strong, sweet cup of tea,’ the woman declared, and, brooking no nonsense of refusal, she steered Teddy through the glazed doors and sat her at a table before shouldering her way through the crush of servicemen to demand England’s solution to every catastrophe.
She returned with the beverage and sat with Teddy as she sipped her tea, and when Teddy replaced the cup in the saucer, half-drunk, the lady stuck out her hand, smiled kindly at Teddy and introduced herself, ‘Ernestine Maltravers.’
‘Pleased to meet you.’ The great British cure-all was working, and Teddy’s strength was returning at a gallop. ‘Theodora Palmer,’ she offered in return.
When they had finished their tea, Mrs Maltravers took a card from her bag and handed it to Teddy. ‘It’s my husband’s calling card, but our address is on the back. If you ever get to Devonshire, please call on me. I’ve got to go, as I must get back to Paddington! Good luck!’ Mrs Maltravers gathered her belongings and departed like a whirlwind, waving farewell to Teddy.
Teddy rose and collected several appreciative glances from the servicemen waiting to be served at the bar, and even a wolf whistle as she left the buffet.
As she was approaching the taxi rank, Simon Potts joined her and said, ‘May I give you a lift home? My car’s just over there.’ He nodded to a waiting car.
‘I thought you had left,’ said Teddy, surprised.
‘I thought you might need a friendly face. Alex will be fine, as he’s a survivor and now he has something important to come back for.’ Simon held the door open for Teddy, and instructed the driver to take her home.
Teddy asked, ‘Are you not coming? I might still need that friendly face.’
‘Sorry, I have to meet someone else, but Lynch here will see you home safely. If you need anything while Alex is away, just ask, and I’ll see what I can do.’
With that, the driver let the clutch up and joined the traffic skilfully to take Teddy home.
XX
The train that carried Alex to Hampshire was packed, and he was glad that Simon had reserved a seat for him. Many more-senior officers glowered at him through the glazed panel in the door, expecting him to surrender his seat to them, but Alex remembered Charles’s assertiveness on their recent trip to Manchester and was not to be bullied. When the train arrived at Woking, most passengers detrained – those in naval uniform to catch a connexion to Portsmouth, and those in the army to await the train to Aldershot. Now that the train was less cramped, a steward informed the remaining first-class passengers that the restaurant car was open for luncheon. Two of his fellow travellers in the compartment took up the offer, but Alex was not at all hungry.
The train arrived at Brockenhurst eventually, and Alex gathered his belongings and disembarked. Knowing that the army had commandeered the branch line from Brockenhurst to Lymington for military goods use only, to take freight to the pierhead at Lymington, Alex went in search of the car that they had promised would await his arrival. The train was nearly an hour late, and he wondered whether the driver would have got fed up waiting, but he need not have worried. Sitting casually in the buffet, immaculately dressed and smoking a cigarette calmly while leafing idly through a newspaper, he found Charles Phipps.
‘Charles!’ Alex greeted him.
‘Hello, old boy, this truly is a fine kettle of fish! I did not expect to see you again so soon, and I hear from my sister that congratulations are in order. Well done, old chap. Conversely, I also hear that you have taken your eye off the ball. Tut, tut! Come on, the car’s waiting,’ Charles chided gently.
Charles led Alex out of the station. The khaki Austin motorcar was waiting directly outside the station entrance, on the taxi rank, much to the annoyance of the local cabbies.
‘Oi! You need to get a proper job to park there!’ one shouted as they approached the car.
Charles smiled at them and waved his swagger stick. After putting Alex’s luggage in the boot, he and Alex got into the car. ‘Making friends again, eh, McKenzie?’ he asked the driver, who smiled before pulling out of the station and turning right towards Lymington.
Charles chatted to Alex on the short drive to the Grange and asked him all about Teddy. ‘Beattie says she’s adorable; hats off, dear boy, hats off… but if you want to see her again, forget ab
out her until your task is completed.’
*
The car turned into the Grange, and Alex was made immediately aware of increased security. Not only was there a sergeant checking the validity of their paperwork, but there were also two soldiers standing on either side of the barrier, with their rifles ready to be used. A soldier raised the gate, and, as they approached the old house, there was far more military activity than previously.
The driver brought the car to a halt, and Charles and Alex got out and retrieved Alex’s luggage. The two walked together to the familiar building. On entering the hallway, Alex noted that there was now a sergeant at a desk directing visitors.
Charles performed the introductions, ‘Alex, this is Sergeant Morton, and he pretty much runs this place now; Sergeant, this is Sub-Lieutenant Carlton who has been here before and doesn’t need the guided tour of the facilities.’
The sergeant saluted Alex, and told him that he was assigned to hut C8 along with two other gentlemen of a “foreign disposition”. He was told to go and drop his belongings in his hut, and then report back for a meeting with Captain Bell.
As they walked through the rear doorway towards the gardens, Alex noticed that there were considerably more Nissen huts than previously. ‘Getting busier, I see,’ he commented, and Charles nodded.
Alex soon found his new abode for the duration. There was nobody else in his hut when he dropped his suitcase in the empty cubbyhole that was to be home for the next month. He brushed himself down quickly with the clothes brush from the travelling compendium that Teddy had bought, and freshened his face with a splash of masculine eau de cologne, before returning to the house in search of Captain Bell. Sergeant Morton telephoned through, and a corporal arrived to take him to the inner sanctum.
Captain Bell appeared to have aged physically, even in the short period since Alex had last seen him; he looked like a man under pressure.
‘Alex,’ the captain said as he looked up, ‘I thought you would be overseas by now, but they have sent you back to me. It appears that a specialist is also assigned. Let me give you a bit of advice…’
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