by Erica James
Out walking now, she thought how good it was to escape the frenzy of activity at Island House that had gone on for most of the day. Mamma mia, such a commotion over putting up a few blackout curtains! And such a fuss made over her remembering to carry her gas mask when she left the house. It was hard to imagine needing it when the sky was crystal clear and the afternoon so delightfully tranquil and warm.
With her, trailing a few yards behind, was their evacuee, Stanley. He was a strange and somewhat charmless boy who scarcely spoke a word and was practically terrified of his own shadow. They were blackberry picking for Mrs Partridge, except so far the berries were few and far between – the wicker basket Allegra was carrying contained no more than a cupful.
In an effort to get Stanley to talk, she kept pointing out wild flowers to him in the hedgerow, as well as butterflies and birds. ‘Look,’ she said now, ‘can you see that?’
He looked at her blankly, then up into the sky to where she was indicating.
‘It’s a swallow,’ she said. ‘It’ll be leaving soon, flying home to somewhere warmer.’
Getting no response from him, she walked on. All her knowledge of birds, wild flowers and trees came from Elijah. He’d taught her when they’d been children, when he would take her to some of his favourite places. Initially she had had no interest in what he was showing her – not when Hope was the botanist of the family, and who wanted to be like Hope! – but gradually she had picked up on his enthusiasm and somehow it had all stuck.
She pointed out some willowherb, and then, just as she spotted a large and plentiful patch of blackberries, Stanley spoke. ‘I wish I could fly away,’ he said. Such was the mournful tone to his words, Allegra came to a stop and looked down at him.
‘Do you hate it here so very much?’
He nodded.
‘I felt the same way when I first arrived at Island House,’ she said. ‘Come to think of it, I was the same age as you. I hated the house and everyone in it. I was as miserable as anything. Maybe even more miserable than you.’
‘But you like it now, missus?’
‘Funnily enough, I do, and I never thought I’d say that. What is it about being here that you hate so much?’
‘I dunno.’ This was his standard reply to most questions.
‘Name one thing.’
He shrugged and stared back at her blankly. She looked at him with a frown of impatience, but then suddenly she saw her nine-year-old self in him. How stark and lonely her world had been back then, until she had found a friend in Elijah. Perhaps when Stanley started at the school in the village later in the week, he too would find a friend; after all, there were plenty of other evacuees here with whom he might feel he had something in common.
After they’d picked as many of the blackberries as they could reach, Allegra suggested they walk further along the lane in search of more. The boy’s response was his habitual shrug of indifference as he fell into step alongside her.
‘Don’t you like the countryside?’ she asked after some minutes had passed.
‘S’awright.’
‘Have you been to the country before?’
‘Me mum took me to the ’op fields in Kent once.’
‘And what did you do there?’
‘Whad’yer think, missus? We picked ’ops.’
‘What are ’ops?’
‘Doncha know?’
‘I wouldn’t be asking if I did.’
‘’Ops is what goes into beer.’
‘Oh, you mean, hops?’
‘That’s what I said, missus.’
Who’d have imagined it? Allegra thought with amusement as she popped a juicy ripe blackberry into her mouth. Me trying to make small talk to convince an angry little boy that he might enjoy being at Island House. Oh the irony! And how ironic was it that she, who had always been so concerned about maintaining her all-important bella figura, had regained her appetite and was suddenly eating like a horse and not caring one little bit about the weight she was gaining. Under Luigi’s ever-watchful eye, she had starved herself at times to please him. But her own vanity had played its part too – to be fat had been anathema to her. Now, at almost three months pregnant, she knew she had little choice in the matter and had accepted that the baby growing inside her was dictating the terms of her life; her body was no longer her own to do with as she pleased. There was, she had come to appreciate, a freedom in that acceptance.
This shift in her attitude was nothing short of extraordinary, but it was fuelled by a fierce instinct to protect the vulnerable child within her. It was an instinct she had never thought she would possess, and in some way it gave her the courage to admit to Hope and Kit, without a shred of shame, that she was expecting a baby. It was almost a disappointment to her that Arthur wasn’t around to share in her news; how she would have enjoyed standing up to his attempts to humiliate her.
To their credit, Kit and Hope had displayed only the merest trace of shock – well-brought-up girls in their world did not get themselves into this kind of trouble. But she had got herself into exactly that kind of trouble, and what was more, she was going to hold her head up high when the time came, when there would be no disguising the swelling that was already pressing against the fabric of her skirts and dresses.
Perhaps what amazed her more than anything was that Romily had been so understanding. Another woman might have been only too keen to get rid of Allegra in her so-called disgraceful state, but Romily had stressed that there was no hurry for her to leave Island House; it was Allegra’s home until she had sorted out where to go next. And that was her priority: she had to find a home of her own. Thanks to Uncle Jack, that would now be possible, and without too much trouble. Originally London had been her first choice, but now, two days after war had been declared, people were leaving the city in their droves, all seeking a place of safety. Even Hope wasn’t sure about returning to her flat there, but then she was the most timid of things. No, that wasn’t fair. Hope had a child she was now responsible for, she had to think of Annelise, not just herself.
The search for blackberries all but forgotten, Allegra quickened her pace in pursuit of the real reason she had chosen to walk in this precise direction. She was on her way to see Elijah, and it was he who had suggested that she bring the evacuee with her. She had gone in search of Elijah in the garden earlier that morning, wanting to know if he had received his call-up papers yet, and had found him in the kitchen garden in amongst the raspberry canes. Stanley had been there with him, the boy’s mouth and hands revealing telltale signs of the fruit he’d picked and eaten. When Allegra had asked Elijah if he had a moment to chat, he had invited her to visit him at Clover End Cottage when he’d finished work for the day. Glancing at the boy, he’d said, ‘Maybe Stanley would like to come along too. As your chaperon,’ he’d added with a wry smile.
‘Is it much further, missus?’ asked Stanley now as they passed a freshly ploughed field where the earth was deeply furrowed. The boy was starting to get on her nerves, puffing and panting and making a great performance of lagging some yards behind her.
‘A little further,’ she said over her shoulder. ‘We’ll soon be there.’
‘I’m thirsty, missus.’
‘I’m sure if you ask Elijah nicely, he will give you a drink.’
‘Why’s ’e your friend, missus, if ’e’s just the gardener?’
Allegra came to an abrupt stop and turned angrily on her heel to look at the boy. ‘Don’t you ever talk about Elijah like that! Do you hear me? Gardener or not, he’s as good a man as any I know! Probably the best! And just you remember that!’
She walked on fast, not caring if the boy could keep up. Who did the little moccioso think he was to refer to Elijah as just a gardener? she muttered furiously. How dare he!
‘I’m sorry, missus,’ said a plaintive voice behind her. ‘I’m sorry I upset yer.’
&n
bsp; She whipped round. ‘Then you should be more careful with what you say. If you can’t be polite about Elijah, you’d better go back to Island House.’
‘I can’t go back. I dunno the way.’
‘In that case, I suggest you remember your manners. Or better still, keep quiet.’ She marched on ahead, still furious.
A few minutes later, the same plaintive voice called out breathlessly. ‘Please missus, please slow down. Me feet hurt.’
Reluctantly she did as he requested. ‘For heaven’s sake, what’s wrong with your feet?’
‘It’s me shoes, missus.’
She looked down at his scruffy shoes and saw gaping holes where his toes were pushing through. ‘You’ll have to have a new pair,’ she said absently.
He stared at her, shocked. ‘New shoes?’
Her temper cooled. ‘Yes,’ she said, remembering the first time she herself had been bought a new pair of shoes. Within days of her arrival at Island House, Nanny Finch had been instructed to take her shopping. Allegra had never been in a shoe shop before and had been overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of shoes in the window, and all the many boxes stacked in neat shelves. At the orphanage she had only ever had hand-me-downs, but even those she had worn with pride, knowing that there were children on the streets with no shoes at all. The shoes she had left the shop with that day had meant the world to her – she had actually slept with them under her pillow that night, and for the following two nights, terrified that somebody might sneak into the room and steal them from her while she slept. But when Nanny Finch discovered what she was doing, she made fun of her in front of the others.
‘Whoever heard of such a stupid thing?’ Arthur taunted her.
Perhaps glad that they weren’t on the receiving end of Arthur’s baiting, Kit and Hope had joined in, asking her what else she kept under her pillow. From then on, the three of them used to play a game of hiding her shoes from her. In the end she had refused to wear the shoes, had walked around in bare feet to show her cousins she didn’t care.
‘But I don’t ’ave no money,’ the boy murmured, rousing Allegra from the past. He was staring at her, his eyes brimming alarmingly with tears.
She bent down to him. ‘While you’re here at Island House, it is not for you to buy your shoes or clothes,’ she said gently. ‘We’ll go shopping tomorrow before school starts later this week.’
Elijah was waiting for them at Clover End Cottage. He’d changed out of his work clothes and was wearing a collarless white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. She guessed it was his one good shirt and was touched that he had put it on for her benefit.
He greeted Stanley with a friendly smile and offered him a drink at once. ‘Glass of ginger beer all right for you, lad?’ he asked.
Stanley nodded.
‘Say please,’ said Allegra, then chided herself. She sounded so pedantic, almost as prim and pedantic as Hope!
Elijah winked at Stanley. ‘No need to stand on ceremony here. And no need to stay inside on a fine day like this. Let’s go out to the garden.’
‘Am I not to be offered a drink?’ asked Allegra.
Elijah winked again at Stanley. ‘What do you think, shall we let her have one? Mind you, she has to say please, doesn’t she?’
Stanley smiled shyly.
‘I thought we weren’t standing on ceremony here?’ said Allegra.
Elijah laughed. ‘She’s got me there, hasn’t she?’
When they all had a drink, they went back outside, where the late-afternoon sun was casting long shadows across the garden, which was just as Allegra remembered it as a child. There, directly in front of her, was the old wooden shed, with its walls and sagging roof draped with a cascade of honeysuckle as well as the branches of the elderberry tree. Elijah’s grandfather used to retreat to the shed whenever he could, smoking his pipe while potting on the tender young plants he’d grown from seed.
To one side of the shed was an uneven brick path that led to the rest of the garden and then eventually down to the River Stour, which skirted the village and fed the pond at Island House. ‘Do you still have your father’s vegetable patch?’ Allegra asked.
‘Of course, I wouldn’t be without it. Fancy a look, Stanley? Though don’t be running away with the idea it’s as grand as the kitchen garden up at Island House,’ Elijah added.
The boy nodded and obediently followed him.
‘Am I allowed to come?’ asked Allegra. She was feeling horribly left out. It was she who’d wanted to spend time with Elijah, not Stanley!
Elijah must have caught the irritable tone to her voice. ‘You go on ahead, Stanley, I’ll catch you up. Go on, off you go. I think you’ll find something you might like at the end of the path, the other side of the privet hedge.’
When the boy had disappeared out of sight, Elijah came and stood in front of Allegra.
‘Do I detect jealousy?’ he said, his voice low, his gaze boring into her.
She stared back at him, mustering defiance. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I’m not jealous.’
‘Are you sure?’
The intensity of his words, and the powerful presence of him standing so close – so close she could smell the soap he must have washed with – did away with any more defiance. ‘I’m sorry, caro,’ she said. ‘It’s just that we don’t have much time and I want to talk to you.’
‘And I want to talk to you too.’
‘You do? You could have fooled me.’
He sighed and shook his head. ‘The only person I might be fooling is myself.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘There’s something I’ve wanted to do ever since the night of the dance.’ He put a hand to her chin and raised her face to his, then very lightly kissed her. Without a moment’s hesitation, she kissed him back, but he pulled away. ‘We’re not children any more, Allegra,’ he said gravely. ‘Our actions have consequences. If I kiss you, it’s because it means something to me. I need to know that it means the same to you. I don’t want to leave here without knowing where I stand with you.’ His eyes were dark with an emotion she had never seen in him before, and his voice was thick.
‘Then kiss me again and you’ll know.’
‘No. I want to hear you say the words.’
‘What words?’
‘That I matter to you.’
‘Elijah, how could you ever think you didn’t?’
‘Because you’re you and I’m me. We come from different worlds.’
‘Non è vero, caro. It’s not true.’
‘You might not have been born directly into the world that your cousins were, but like it or not, you’re one of them; you’re a Devereux.’
It was just as she’d feared: something that hadn’t bothered him as a child now did. ‘I’ve never felt as if I were,’ she said adamantly.
His expression softened. ‘And I’ve never felt this way about a girl before. I can’t stop thinking about you. We’ve spent hardly any time together since you came back, but you fill my every waking thought. Every time I see you at Island House I want to stop what I’m doing and be with you.’
‘How can you think so well of me? I left you all those years ago, I said such terrible things, and now I’m carrying another man’s child. I’m completely unworthy of your—’
‘I don’t care about that,’ he interrupted her.
She put a hand to his cheek. ‘Oh Elijah, whatever am I going to do with you?’
He turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand. At the touch of his lips, she trembled. ‘I wish you hadn’t suggested I bring Stanley with me.’
He smiled. ‘I did it because I didn’t trust myself to be alone with you.’
‘What if I came back later tonight? Alone.’
‘Are you sure you want to?’
She was about to say yes when Stanley reappeared behind El
ijah. ‘Look, mister!’ he cried excitedly. ‘Look what I found!’ In his arms was a small black-and-white dog, its face upturned towards Stanley’s and looking adoringly at him. ‘Is he yours, mister?’
‘He’s only been with me a couple of days,’ Elijah said. ‘His owner … well, Mr Russell isn’t around any more to look after him, so I said I’d find a new home for him.’
‘Why can’t you ’ave ’im, mister?’
‘Because I’ll be leaving very soon.’
Allegra’s heart clenched. ‘How soon?’ she asked.
‘Tomorrow,’ Elijah said, turning to look at her. ‘Me, Billy and Tommy, we’ve had our call-up papers and have been told to report to barracks by six p.m. sharp to begin our training. Which means Bobby here,’ he went over and stroked the little dog’s head, ‘needs a new home. What do you think, Stanley? Do you think you’d like to take care of him while I’m away?’
The boy’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. ‘Me?’
‘He needs a good friend and I thought you might fit the bill. If you’re worried about Mrs Devereux-Temple and what she might say, I’ve already spoken with her and she said it would be fine, that it would be good for you to have your very own new friend here.’
Her heart filled with a tender love, Allegra smiled to herself, seeing just how thoughtful Elijah had been, and how effortlessly he had befriended Stanley, just as he had her when they’d been children.
Chapter Thirty-Six
That evening at Island House, after dinner was over, Kit took Evelyn out to the garden. Knowing that it would offer them a degree of privacy, he led the way down to the boathouse. Dusk had yet to fall and the evening air was still warm. Clouds of gnats hovered over the end of the wooden jetty and a dragonfly skimmed the surface of the lily pond.
It was Kit’s last night here at Island House; he would be leaving with Hope in the morning to go back to London. He ought to have returned on Sunday evening, but he’d been unable to face the prospect of being cooped up in his dingy little office at the bank and pretending he gave a damn. To delay his return, if only for another two days, he’d telephoned them yesterday morning to say he’d gone down with a terrible cold. He’d pinched his nose and adopted a croaky voice, the verisimilitude of which he hoped would convince his colleagues he was practically at death’s door. He’d told them hoarsely that he planned to be back at his desk by the middle of the week, but secretly he was hoping that in the meantime he’d receive his call-up papers, and would be summoned to start his RAF training without having to set foot over the threshold of the Imperial Bank ever again.
