The Girls in Blue

by Lily Baxter

  ‘I’m listening, and I won’t tell anyone unless you tell me I may do so.’

  ‘Well, if I were to start at the very beginning I’d have to say that I met Max briefly when he and your grandfather studied medicine at the Middlesex, but I didn’t see him again until years later when we had a posting in Kenya. Max Carstairs walked into the bar of the Nairobi Club one evening and it changed my life forever.’

  ‘Just like that?’

  ‘In a split second, darling. It was like being struck by lightning. George and I were attending some function or other; I can’t recall the exact details. All I can remember is being introduced to this intriguing man with a smile that made my toes curl. He wasn’t handsome but he was wildly attractive. The first moment our eyes met I was lost.’

  ‘It was love at first sight?’

  Maggie’s eyes misted with tears. ‘Oh, yes. It was the same for both of us. But, of course, there was nothing we could do about it. I was married with two young children. Your father was eight, and Eileen just a baby.’

  ‘So what happened then?’

  ‘We met at social occasions and Max dined at our bungalow several times, but there were always other guests present. It was all terribly proper in those days and he never said he loved me, nor I him, but we both knew. I lived for the moments when we were together, even though we were never completely alone.’

  ‘What about Grandpa? Did he know what was going on?’

  Maggie shook her head. ‘Your grandfather is a wonderful man, but he is not the most sensitive person in the world. He was ambitious and hard working. He spent long hours at the military hospital and when he came home he was exhausted. But Max and I did nothing wrong. We simply fell in love, and I knew he was attractive to other women. Most of the other army wives would have given their eye teeth to have an affair with the dashing surgeon.’

  ‘What was he doing in Nairobi, Granny? Did he join the army?’

  ‘No, darling. Max spent a few months at the hospital gaining experience in head injuries, which were quite common in those days. The army wasn’t mechanised as it is today, and men were regularly thrown from their horses or trampled underfoot. We’re going back thirty years or more, and it must be hard for you to imagine.’

  ‘So Max left Kenya after only a short visit.’

  ‘He did and I was absolutely heartbroken. The worst part of it was that I couldn’t tell anyone, not even my closest friends. I had to keep up the pretence of being a devoted wife and mother, although of course I was that too. I did love your grandfather and I adored my children, but Max had a special place in my heart. He captured my body and soul, but it simply wasn’t meant to be. He went back to London and I remained in Kenya until the outbreak of the Great War when we returned home. Your great-grandfather had died some years previously but your great-grandmother was still alive, although virtually bedridden, and Annie was looking after her. There was no question of our living anywhere else and we moved in here.’

  ‘But you did see Max again.’

  Maggie’s eyes darkened. ‘I didn’t expect to. Your grandfather was fighting the war in France and I was left at home with two children and an ailing mother-in-law, but Annie and I coped. I hadn’t forgotten Max, and I used to dream about him sometimes, but what I didn’t know was that he had bought Thornleigh Court. It wasn’t until the accident with poor little Houdini that we met again. I thought at the time it was by chance, but he told me later that he’d found out that I was here on my own. He said he couldn’t keep away a moment longer.’

  ‘And he ran over your dog.’

  ‘That was an accident. Max adored animals and we rushed the poor poppet to the vet. Houdini died of old age a few years later.’

  ‘And you fell for Max all over again.’

  ‘We simply couldn’t help ourselves, Miranda. Any more than you could help falling for his son.’

  ‘Granny, that’s absurd.’

  ‘Is it? I recognised the signs from the start. The Carstairs men have a fatal fascination and it brings nothing but unhappiness.’

  ‘How can you say that when you had such deep feelings for Max?’

  ‘Because Max Carstairs made me love him and then he walked away. I never saw him again.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  Maggie rose to her feet, becoming agitated. She went to the window, staring out into the gathering darkness. ‘I’ll have to pull the curtains. It’s getting dark. I hadn’t noticed.’

  ‘Please, Granny. Finish the story. What went so horribly wrong between you and Max? And is Jack his son?’

  Chapter Fifteen

  MAGGIE DREW THE blackout curtains and switched on a table lamp. ‘No. Jack isn’t his son. One day, completely out of the blue, Max told me that he was about to marry Veronica. He just announced it as if it were the most normal thing in the world. He simply couldn’t understand why I was devastated and we had a frightful row. I accused him of all sort of things, but I was beside myself with humiliation and grief. I couldn’t believe that he could be so heartless as to make love to me when all the time he was romancing some young actress, almost half my age.’ She returned to her chair and sat down. ‘It was all such a long time ago, Miranda.’

  ‘How old were you, Granny? If you don’t mind my asking.’

  ‘I was thirty-nine, and I thought my child-bearing years were a thing of the past. But then your grandfather came home on leave and that was when I conceived Jack.’

  ‘Why did Aunt Ivy think the worst, then?’

  ‘Ivy and I were school friends. We’d known each other for years and she had found out about my affair with Max. Annie had guessed what was going on but I knew I could trust her to keep quiet about it. I thought I could rely on Ivy too, but I don’t think she believed me when I told her that Max wasn’t the father. Jack was born eight months after your grandfather returned to the battlefields and I suppose Ivy added two and two and made nine. She always had a spiteful streak and it must have reared its ugly head on the night of the party when she’d had too much to drink. If I’d known what she had said I would have put things straight there and then.’

  Miranda mulled this over in her mind but she was still puzzled. ‘I can understand why you hate Max, but why does he bear a grudge against this family? Surely he was the one in the wrong.’

  ‘I don’t hate him, darling. Oh, I was furious with him at first. I could have killed him with my bare hands, but I’ve never hated him. I’m afraid it didn’t quite end with our parting. Your grandfather found a letter from Max that I’d foolishly kept. I told him that it was over but he was absolutely livid, blaming Max entirely. He insisted on going to London to have it out with him. I learned later that he’d told Veronica about our affair and reported Max’s conduct to the hospital governors, which ruined his chances of promotion. Max never forgave him and neither did Veronica.’

  ‘But she went ahead and married him.’

  ‘They were already married, but it must have affected their relationship. I’ve heard that they live virtually separate lives.’

  Miranda could not help noticing the smug tone in her grandmother’s voice. ‘Are you still in love with him?’

  ‘I’m devoted to your grandfather, darling. I suppose Max still has a teeny-weeny bit of my heart, but perhaps that’s just a romantic memory. I couldn’t have put up with his affairs, although maybe if we had been together he wouldn’t have strayed.’ Maggie pulled a face. ‘Or maybe that’s what I would like to believe.’

  Miranda stood up, gazing at her grandmother with a mixture of sympathy and impatience. ‘You have to tell Jack that Ivy was mistaken. You and Max have to put things right because what you did years ago is affecting the here and now.’

  ‘I really don’t want to rake up the past.’ Maggie picked up her knitting. ‘I’ll tell him in my own good time.’

  Miranda snatched the wool from her grandmother’s lap and held it out of reach. ‘Jack is risking his life every time he takes off in that Spitfire. What if he ge
ts killed without ever knowing the truth? How would you feel if Izzie has an illegal abortion? She’s desperate and she might just do something stupid.’

  ‘You’re right, of course,’ Maggie said slowly. ‘I’ll speak to Jack when I get a chance. Now please give me the wool.’

  Miranda held it out of reach. ‘No, Granny. That’s not good enough. We’ll visit the aerodrome tomorrow, even if we have to walk all the way to Warmwell. You’ll tell Jack everything, and if you don’t, then I will.’

  Next morning, with Annie’s help, they persuaded Elzevir to transport them to Warmwell. It was not a comfortable journey perched on the driver’s seat of the ancient cart with a load of logs rattling around in the main body of the wagon. They arrived stiff and sore but thankfully in one piece, although Miranda had had her doubts that they would reach their destination when the old horse struggled up the hills and slithered on the downward slopes. Maggie was unusually silent, but Miranda put this down to nerves. She breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the perimeter of the airfield.

  Elzevir set them down and drove off to deliver his load with a grudging promise to return later ‘That man is a pain in the neck,’ Maggie said, frowning. ‘He’s done nothing but grumble about the trade he’s lost by doing us a favour. If I’d had to listen to him for a moment longer, I’d have been tempted to slap him.’

  With a growing feeling of misgiving, Miranda eyed the stone-faced airman on guard duty at the gate. ‘Never mind old Evil-Eye,’ she said in a low voice. ‘We’ve still got to get into the aerodrome and it’s not going to be that easy.’

  ‘You’re in uniform, my dear, and I’m Jack’s mother. I defy anyone to stop me.’

  ‘Oh, well. Here goes nothing.’ Miranda approached the young airman with a smile on her lips. ‘Good morning. We’ve come to see Flight Lieutenant Beddoes.’

  It took several minutes to persuade him to send a message to Jack, but eventually he disappeared into a hut and they could hear him speaking to someone on the telephone. They waited for a good ten minutes before he reappeared. ‘Sorry, ladies,’ he said apologetically. ‘Flight Lieutenant Beddoes is off duty today. He’s billeted in the village. I can give you his address.’

  ‘I knew we should have telephoned first,’ Maggie said as they trudged along the narrow lane towards the village. ‘He could be anywhere.’

  ‘In the pub most likely, if there …’ Miranda leapt aside as someone shot past them on a bicycle. Then with a screech of brakes the bike came to a halt.

  ‘Manda!’ Rita leapt off the saddle and propped the machine up against the hedge. She came hurrying towards them, grinning broadly. ‘And Mrs B, too. What are you two doing here?’

  ‘We’re looking for Jack,’ Miranda said before her grandmother had a chance to speak. ‘Have you seen him today?’

  She shook her head. ‘No, but I’ve got a pretty good idea where to find him.’ She glanced doubtfully at Maggie’s court shoes. ‘It’s quite a long walk, but you can ride my bike if you want to, Mrs B.’

  ‘Thank you, Rita. I’m not in my dotage yet. I can walk. Which way?’

  ‘Straight ahead.’

  ‘Come along then,’ Maggie said impatiently. ‘Don’t loiter, girls. We haven’t got all day.’ She strode off at a brisk pace.

  Rita retrieved her bike and they fell into step behind Maggie. ‘The Frampton Arms is where he’s most likely to be,’ Rita said in a low voice. ‘Jack’s been hitting the bottle since the party. We’ve all tried to help him, but he took it really badly when he found out that Max was his dad.’

  ‘Well, we’ve got good news for him. Jack is a Beddoes through and through.’

  Rita let out a whoop. ‘Well if that doesn’t take the cake.’ She quickened her pace. ‘I’ve got to be in on this one, although I’m supposed to be back at the aerodrome. Anyway, I’ll say I had a puncture. It’s my job to fix it anyway.’ She chuckled. ‘Yeah. That’s it, Miranda. I’m an official bicycle repairer. That’s what most of us girls do at Warmwell.’ She grinned. ‘Apart from keeping up the morale of the glamour-boys, but that’s a pleasure, not a duty.’

  ‘What does Tommy think about that?’

  Rita shrugged. ‘I don’t see much of him, and it’s none of his business anyway. We’re not going steady, Manda. I thought you knew that.’

  ‘I’m sorry. It’s just that you’ve always seemed to get on so well.’

  ‘Toopy’s okay, but he’s more like a brother. I don’t fancy him.’ Rita shot her a sideways glance. ‘Anyway, what about you? Have you got over your thing with Raif?’

  ‘Rita! Keep your voice down. There’s nothing between me and Raif. There never was.’

  ‘I believe you, ducks. Thousands wouldn’t.’

  Maggie stopped suddenly, turning on them with a look of disapproval. ‘Stop nattering, you two, and get a move on.’

  ‘Yes, Granny,’ Miranda said meekly.

  ‘We’re there anyway.’ Rita pointed to the pub. ‘I’m pretty certain this is where we’ll find Jack.’

  ‘We’ll see about that.’ Maggie strode the last few yards and stormed into the bar.

  ‘There’ll be fireworks now,’ Rita said, propping her bicycle up against the outside wall. She was about to follow Maggie when Miranda caught her by the sleeve.

  ‘Wait a moment. There’s something else, and I don’t know how Jack will take it.’

  Rita’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. ‘What’s that?’

  ‘Izzie’s pregnant. She’s only just found out and she’s in quite a state.’

  ‘What’s the problem? They were going to get married anyway and now they can. It’s that simple.’

  ‘Yes, I hope so for her sake, but Jack might have other ideas.’

  ‘Not Jack. He’ll stand by her. I’d bet my life on it. Stop worrying, and let’s go inside. I want to see his face when Mrs B tells him the good news.’

  They hurried into the lounge bar to find Jack sitting at a table beside a roaring log fire with a pint glass in his hand, staring up at his mother open-mouthed. ‘What are you doing here?’

  She pulled up a chair and sat down. ‘I’m here to sort you out, Jack Beddoes.’ She stared pointedly at the half empty glass. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’

  ‘Having a quiet drink in my local, Mother. I’m sorry, but I’m a big boy now.’

  ‘And you’re still acting like a two-year-old.’ Maggie snapped her fingers at the astonished barmaid. ‘I’ll have a pot of tea, please, miss. And whatever the young ladies want.’

  ‘Yes’m.’ The barmaid met Miranda’s amused gaze with raised eyebrows. ‘Tea for three, is it?’

  ‘That’s right, love,’ Rita said hastily. ‘I don’t suppose you’ve got anything on the menu, have you? I’m ravenous.’

  ‘There’s only pickled eggs or an arrowroot biscuit. There is a war on you know.’

  ‘What d’you think this is, darling?’ Rita pointed at their uniforms. ‘Fancy dress?’

  ‘Tea for three then.’ The girl flounced out of the bar.

  Miranda went to sit at a table in the window and Rita pulled up a chair. ‘Let’s hope she can sort him out.’

  ‘I do hope so.’ Miranda could do nothing other than wait and watch. She could not hear what passed between mother and son, but she could tell by the change in Jack’s expression that the truth was beginning to sink into his befuddled brain. By the time the barmaid returned with the tea, Jack was on his feet, hugging his mother until she protested.

  ‘Sit down, Jack. You’re making a spectacle of yourself and me.’ Maggie straightened her hat. ‘Drink your tea, girls. We’d better get back to the aerodrome. I don’t want Elzevir to drive off without us, Miranda.’

  Jack shot her a reproachful glance. ‘Mother, you didn’t let that old reprobate drive you all the way from Weymouth?’

  ‘How else were we supposed to get here? And for your information we walked from the aerodrome and my corns are killing me.’ Maggie tempered her words with a smile. ‘So now I expect yo
u to do the decent thing by that poor girl.’

  ‘I’ll have to speak to her father. How would you feel about that, Mother?’

  Maggie squared her shoulders. ‘After all these years I think it’s high time that we all moved on. Anyway, Isabel must be over twenty-one. She doesn’t need her parents’ permission, and I don’t think it would worry her even if they refused to give you their blessing. She might look as fragile as a butterfly, but I would be surprised if there wasn’t a core of steel somewhere beneath that fluffy exterior.’

  ‘I’ll telephone her tonight, Mother.’ Jack took a handful of coins from his pocket and placed them on the bar. ‘Have a drink yourself, Edna. You won’t be seeing so much of me in the future. I’m going to be married.’

  Maggie finished her tea and stood up. ‘Come along, Jack. You can accompany us back to the aerodrome.’ She glanced over her shoulder at Edna, who was counting the money. ‘The tea was awful. I suggest you use fresh leaves next time or you’ll lose all your customers, and service with a smile would be an improvement.’

  When they arrived back at the aerodrome there was no sign of Elzevir or his horse and cart and it had started to rain.

  ‘Come and wait in the mess,’ Jack said, glancing up at the stormy clouds. ‘The corporal will let us know if your date turns up, Mother.’

  Maggie raised an eyebrow. ‘Thank you, Jack. I’m sure that even at my age I could do better than Elzevir Shipway. Besides which he’s been like a sulky schoolboy since his supply of raw spirits was cut off. He can’t forgive me for stopping your grandfather’s chemistry experiments.’

  Jack threw back his head and laughed. ‘I don’t know how Father got away with it for so long, or you come to that, Mother. I heard that you bartered the hooch for extra rations. You and Father really are a pair.’

  ‘Yes,’ Maggie said simply. ‘We are, and always will be.’

  Rita nudged Miranda in the ribs, jerking her head towards the young officer who had just emerged from the watch office. ‘Don’t look now, but here comes trouble. I’m off, Manda. See you soon, I hope.’ She mounted her bicycle and pedalled off towards a row of workshops.