‘How are they?’ Annie asked Reid. ‘I meant to get over and see them, but I’ve been so busy.’
‘They understand, and the letters they’ve received from you and your mother have been much appreciated. Losing Paul has been a terrible blow, but they’re coming to terms with it, slowly.’
‘I’m glad.’ Annie knew it was going to take his parents a long time, and Paul would never be forgotten by any of them.
‘Would you stay for lunch?’ Marj asked them.
‘Thank you, but we must get back.’ Reid stood up. ‘This was only a fleeting visit as we were in the area.’
After they’d gone, Annie went back to her reading, but couldn’t concentrate. They’d only refused lunch because it wasn’t the done thing to take other people’s rations. If you knew you were going to eat at someone’s house you took food with you, just as Sam and Dora had done. Still, she was glad they hadn’t stayed as her nerves were too strung out from worrying about Sam, without having to put up with Reid’s disturbing presence.
Dora came into the lounge and sat beside Annie. ‘Well, well, so that was Reid Lascells. Wow!’
‘I’m not denying that he’s gorgeous’ – Annie looked over the top of her book – ‘but he’s an awkward devil.’
‘Yeah, I’ll bet he is!’
Dora grinned at her, so Annie went back to her reading, feeling it was better to cut this conversation off right now!
21
‘It was a shame Will couldn’t get home,’ Annie told Dora, when they were on the train going back to Chicksands. ‘But did you enjoy yourself?’
‘Of course I did, Annie. You know I adore your family.’ Dora cast her friend a sideways glance. ‘Fancy Paul’s brother and his mate turning up like that.’
‘Just fancy.’ Annie gave a snort of disbelief. She’d managed to fend off Dora’s talk about Reid for the rest of their leave, but now they were on the train there wouldn’t be any escape from her opinions. ‘Bouncer didn’t know I would be there, his surprise was genuine, but I’ll bet Reid did. He’s always writing, and sometimes I get the feeling the blasted man is following me.’
‘No.’ Dora shook her head. ‘I’m sure he didn’t know – and anyway, what have you got against the poor man?’
Annie had never spoken about Reid’s rudeness when he’d come to tell her about Paul. It had upset her too much at the time, and still did, she had to admit. She didn’t normally harbour a grudge or take offence so easily, but the circumstances had been distressing, and she couldn’t seem to let go of it. Taking a deep breath, she started to tell her friend what had happened, allowing the hurt to see the light of day for the first time. And she was surprised at the intensity of her feelings for him. It was a confusing mixture of dislike and admiration. He really was a most disturbing man!
‘Oh, Annie.’ Dora patted her arm in sympathy. ‘That’s no reason to be so hostile towards him. I expect he was devastated by his brother’s death and lashed out at the nearest person he could. Everyone reacts to grief in a different way. He’s obviously sorry for the way he acted, you ought to understand that and forgive him.’
‘You’re quite right, but there’s something about him …’
‘He’s too handsome?’ Dora asked.
‘Hmm.’ Annie’s mouth turned up at the corners in amusement. ‘He is a bit of a stunner, isn’t he?’
‘There’s a very kind man lurking under that abrupt exterior, and I can’t help thinking he would make you a gorgeous husband.’
Annie stared at her friend in astonishment. ‘Now you’re delving into the realms of fantasy.’
Dora roared with laughter, drawing curious stares from the packed train. ‘You sounded just like Rose then.’
‘I’ll take that as a compliment,’ she told her.
‘It was meant as one.’ Dora studied Annie carefully. ‘Have you fallen for Sam?’
‘I like him and he is attractive.’ Annie stared out of the train window, trying to decide how she really felt. ‘But I don’t think it’s more than that.’
‘If you don’t love him, Annie, then let him know, because I think he’s attracted to you. He’s had enough sorrow in his life, hasn’t he?’
‘Yes, he has, and it isn’t going to be easy for him when he returns to France.’ How would someone recover from being thrown out of their country and losing all their family? Britain had suffered death, destruction and a shortage of food, but they hadn’t had to deal with a conquering force walking the streets.
‘Then leave him alone, my friend.’ Dora smiled. ‘If you’re not sure if you love him, then I can tell you that you don’t.’
‘Oh, how can you tell?’ Annie frowned. She’d heard girls talking about being in love, and listened to their raptures as they explained that they couldn’t live without a certain person, but quite honestly she’d never felt so bowled over. She was fond of a lot of men, but each time she’d asked herself if this was the one man for her she hadn’t been able to give an affirmative answer. This being in love was a mystery to her.
‘You just know when it’s right. That’s all I can tell you.’
Annie settled back in her seat. ‘Do you know what you feel for Will?’
‘I’m in love with him. Do you mind?’
‘Not at all.’ Annie grinned. ‘Welcome to the Webster family, Dora.’
‘Oh, don’t be hasty.’ She held her hands up in horror. ‘Will hasn’t said he loves me yet, but I’m hopeful.’ Dora looked curiously at her friend. ‘You’ve changed since we first met, do you know that?’
‘So you told me once before, but a lot has happened, and I’m sure none of us will come out of this war unscathed.’ Annie shrugged. ‘I hope you don’t think I’ve changed for the worse?’
‘No, I think I like the new Annie Webster better, but be careful you keep your gentleness. I’m not sure exactly what you’ve been doing, but I know that it’s something quite traumatic, and you’re starting to bury your feelings.’
That remark, from someone she trusted so much, shook Annie. She had seen her sister Rose do exactly the same thing when she’d been about twenty-one and remembered how worried they’d all felt. She mustn’t do the same thing. She’d send Reid a letter of apology – as soon as she had time.
‘Hi, Annie,’ Sam greeted her as she walked into his office. ‘Did you enjoy the rest of your holiday?’
‘Yes, thanks. How did your trip go?’
‘Weather was rough, but we didn’t have to swim back.’ He grinned. ‘But it was a successful exercise.’
She didn’t ask what the emergency had been, knowing Sam wouldn’t give her an answer. She was surrounded by secrecy in her job and you were only told what was necessary. She headed for her desk, feeling refreshed and ready to start work again after her leave.
She was soon totally absorbed in what she was doing and jumped when she was tapped on the shoulder.
‘There’s someone here to see you, so take an hour’s break,’ the officer told her. ‘He’s waiting outside.’
Annie was alarmed to see her brother Charlie waiting for her, and pacing up and down in a very agitated way. She’d only seen him this morning as they’d all prepared to return to their bases. It looked as if he’d thrown his air force uniform on in a hurry; if an officer saw him with buttons undone and tie badly knotted he would be put on a charge. A sense of dread gripped her.
‘What’s happened?’ she asked, rushing up to him.
His face was ashen and he was close to tears, but he just gazed at her without speaking.
‘Charlie! Tell me,’ she exclaimed.
Her brother took a deep breath and blurted out, ‘Will’s missing.’
Stunned, Annie hugged her brother, and a strange thing happened. She was back in the scullery of the Garrett Street house during the First World War, the day they’d received the telegram saying that their father was missing. It was as if Rose was standing beside her again saying, ‘Missing doesn’t mean he’s dead.’
‘When d
id the news arrive?’ Her mind was racing, searching for some way to comfort him. The brothers had always been close, and she knew this would hit Charlie very hard, as it would every member of the Webster family.
‘This morning, after you’d gone.’ He gulped, trying to control his emotions. ‘I rushed to the station to catch you but the train had already left.’
‘How is everyone coping?’
He lifted his shoulders in a helpless gesture. ‘We’re all worried, of course, but Mum is holding up quite well, and Rose is being positive.’ A brief smile flashed across his face at the mention of their sister. ‘She’s trying to get information out of the Admiralty with not much success at the moment.’
Annie was relieved to see her brother more in control. Worry and fear gnawed away at her but she was determined to hold herself together. If she broke down now it would upset Charlie even more.
‘Thanks, Sis, I feel better for talking with you.’ He gave her another hug.
‘Are you going back home?’ she asked.
‘No, I’ve got to return to base at once.’ A worried frown appeared. ‘Tell Dora. I’ve gathered from Will’s letters that they have a romance going, albeit from a distance.’
‘I’ll do it right away.’ She watched her brother jump into a truck and drive away, and then she went to look for Dora. This wasn’t going to be easy, and she wanted to get it over with.
Annie found her friend in the mess, taking a break.
‘Ah, come up for air at last, have you?’ Dora pushed her a cup of tea across the table. ‘Here, you look as if you need this, I’ll get another one.’
‘Sit down again, Dora, I’ve something to tell you.’
‘What is it?’ Her friend touched her hand in sympathy. ‘You look upset.’
‘There isn’t any easy way to do this.’ Annie’s eyes clouded with tears and she wiped them away with her hand. She now had an inkling of how Reid must have felt when he’d had to tell her about Paul.
‘Tell it straight, Annie.’ Dora’s mouth set in a straight line.
‘Will’s been reported missing. His ship was torpedoed, but that’s all we know at the moment.’
Annie’s friend let out a ragged sigh. ‘I thought you were going to tell me he was dead, but missing doesn’t sound so final.’
‘You’re needed back on duty, Annie.’ Sam was standing next to their table.
She squeezed Dora’s hand, and then stood up, wishing she could stay a while longer, not only to help Dora but also to deal with her own emotions. However, they had all learned that you had to keep going, whatever was happening in your own life. ‘I’ll let you know the moment there’s any news.’
As she headed for the door, Sam fell into step beside her. ‘Trouble?’
‘My brother Will is missing. Dora’s been writing to him and I think they are serious about each other.’
Sam stopped suddenly and swore in two languages. ‘If I’d known I wouldn’t have dragged you back to work.’
‘That’s all right, I’d rather be busy.’ She gave a tired smile. ‘You know that’s how I cope with grief. When is it all going to end?’ she asked wearily.
‘Not for a while yet, I’m afraid.’
Annie straightened up and marched along with a determined stride. Let’s hope 1943 will be a better year, she thought.
Over the next three days Annie phoned her sister a couple of times a day, and after each call felt weighed down with worry and disappointment. On the fourth day after she’d heard about Will she tried again and prayed for some good news this time.
‘Rose!’ The line was bad and she had to shout down the phone. ‘Have you heard anything yet?’
‘Nothing yet, but it’s only been a few days.’
‘How’s Mum bearing up?’
‘She’s all right, Annie. She’s no stranger to trouble, as you know, and all we can do is wait.’
‘It’s hard though,’ Annie grumbled. ‘Anything else been happening?’
‘We’re all getting ready to go to Wales for Christmas, and Reid came round with some sweets for the children.’
Reid! Blast, she’d forgotten all about her apology. ‘That was kind of him.’
Rose’s laugh echoed down the distorted line. ‘He’s a handsome beast, isn’t he?’
‘I agree with …’ Annie was talking to herself and it wasn’t worth trying to get reconnected. She’d phoned for news of Will, but there wasn’t any.
Annie wandered back to her hut and wrote to Reid, before it slipped her mind again.
‘What are you looking so pensive about?’ Bouncer eased himself into a chair.
Reid glanced up from the letter he was reading. ‘Hmm?’
‘I asked why the deep frown, old boy? Who’s the letter from?’ Bouncer leaned forward to get a closer look. ‘It isn’t in green ink, so it can’t be Annie.’
‘Yes, it is, but she only uses that when she’s being rude to me.’ Reid watched his friend light a cigarette, using both hands quite freely. ‘It’s a sort of an apology. She says she’s sorry for insulting me whenever we’ve met.’
‘That’s nice.’ Bouncer took a deep drag on his fag, watching his friend through a cloud of smoke.
‘Then she ends by saying that she would appreciate it if I would stop pestering her with letters.’
‘Ah, that sounds more like our Annie. I was getting worried there for a minute.’
‘So was I.’ Reid grimaced and fanned away the smoke drifting towards his face. ‘What the blazes are you smoking?’
‘Got them from a Yank.’ Bouncer grinned as he waved the cigarette under Reid’s nose. ‘Do you want one, they’re not bad.’
‘No thanks.’
‘So, why do you think Annie suddenly decided to apologize?’
Reid folded the letter and put it back in the envelope. ‘She’s probably feeling down at the moment; her brother Will has been reported missing.’
‘Hell, I’m sorry about that. Air force, is he?’
‘Fleet Air Arm, and I expect they’re all worried sick.’
‘Yeah.’ Bouncer lit another American cigarette and fished in his pocket for a Players Navy Cut, then handed that to Reid. ‘They’re a nice family, and what do you think of Rose? If she wasn’t a happily married woman, I’d like to take her on. What a beauty!’
Reid laughed at his friend’s expression. ‘You’d have a job in your state of health.’
‘I’m nearly back to full strength, but you, my friend, are looking frayed around the edges. How long is it since you’ve had some fun? And more to the point, how long is it since you’ve bedded a woman?’
‘Let me see.’ Reid blew smoke rings in the air, his brow furrowed in thought. ‘Bugger if I can remember.’
‘Right! That settles it.’ Bouncer dragged Reid out of the chair. ‘We’re going out on the town tonight to find ourselves a couple of girls.’
Reid opened a drawer and shunted the paperwork into it. He’d deal with that tomorrow.
‘What do you think of those?’ Bouncer nudged Reid so hard his beer slopped on to the table.
He peered through the smoke-filled bar. ‘Too young.’
‘Hmm. Perhaps you’re right. Drink up and I’ll get the next round in.’
Reid watched his friend weave towards the bar, and then studied the dregs in the bottom of his glass. This hadn’t been such a good idea. He was restless, unsettled and drinking himself senseless wasn’t going to help.
A soldier started to pound on the piano and the bar erupted into ‘Roll Out the Barrel’. The table Reid was leaning on actually shook as everyone sang at the tops of their voices.
Bouncer arrived back carrying a tray full of pints of beer. ‘Thought I’d get a few reserves in, it was like a rugby scrum trying to reach the bar.’ He shouted above the racket.
‘Let’s go in there,’ Reid yelled, pointing to the door of the saloon bar.
They fought their way into the quieter room and closed the door behind them. They could still hear the
noise from the other bar, but at least it was muffled now.
‘Are you sober enough to have a serious talk?’ Bouncer asked, when they’d settled themselves at a table in the corner of the bar.
Reid eyed the four pints lined up in front of him and tried to remember how many he had had already. ‘You’d better talk now, because by the time I’ve polished off those, I’ll be incapable of doing anything.’
‘I’ve put in a request to return to my squadron,’ Bouncer announced.
‘Ah, I thought it wouldn’t be long; you’ve made a remarkable recovery. And to tell you the truth, Bouncer, I’ve been considering the same thing myself.’ He couldn’t remember when he’d been so restless, and had wondered if flying regularly again would help. The only thing stopping him was the distress he knew it would cause his parents. They thought he was safe on the ground for the duration of the war, running the Tangmere airbase. If he took to the air again they would be in constant fear of him being killed, and after losing Paul he didn’t want to put them through that.
‘You mustn’t do that, old boy. You’re a first class administrator.’ Bouncer emptied his glass and pulled another one towards him. ‘You’ve been used to running the family business. What do you make?’
‘Nut and bolts.’
‘That’s right, and very useful too. Well, as I was saying, you’ve been used to working for a living and you’re making a damned good job of station commander …’ Another pint vanished. ‘But I’ve come from the idle rich and the only useful thing I’ve ever done in my life is fly, and being grounded is driving me round the bend.’
‘I know how you feel.’ Reid drank two pints in quick succession. He was a bit out of practice with this drinking lark, but he’d soon get back into it again … with Bouncer’s help.
Bouncer watched and grinned. ‘Now you’re getting the hang of it. Have you had enough booze to make you forget the desirable Annie?’
Wings of the Morning Page 21
