The Uncertain Years

by Beryl Matthews

  ‘I’ll be there.’ She certainly wasn’t going to argue again. If this was how he wanted it, then she’d go along. If the gossip around the camp didn’t bother him, then she would try to ignore it as well. He was flouting the rules where she was concerned, and that wasn’t a comfortable feeling, knowing the army was his life. She would be upset if his prospects were harmed because he was consorting with a girl from the ranks. Of course it went on, she wasn’t that daft, but it was usually a discreet relationship. David was making no attempt to hide her friendship with him and his family. It was unsettling, but her respect and admiration for this complex man just grew and grew.

  ‘We’ll look forward to a pleasant day. Now, walk me to my car.’

  She did that and watched him drive away. At that moment Alice returned.

  ‘Was that another proposal?’

  ‘No.’ Becky shook her head. ‘I’ve been invited to a picnic tomorrow.’

  ‘Lovely. Hope the weather holds for you.’

  It was a beautiful day and Becky decided to wear the skirt Alice had insisted she keep, a plain white blouse, and a pair of flat sandals. In case it turned chilly she draped the cardigan Mrs Hammond had made her around her shoulders. With a bag of biscuits as a contribution to the picnic she walked to the gate, showed her pass and waited outside.

  She had only been there about five minutes when the Rolls Royce purred into view with Mr Hammond driving, and Sara waving frantically from the back seat.

  ‘My goodness,’ she exclaimed as they pulled up beside her. ‘Where did you get the petrol to run this, Mr Hammond?’

  ‘I’ve been saving my ration and thought this was a good time to use it.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘We can’t go far though.’

  ‘I should think not. Hello, Mrs Hammond, it looks like we have a lovely day for it.’ She greeted the family first, not forgetting the excited dog, before turning her attention to David who was now standing beside her. He looked happy and relaxed in civvies.

  Before opening the rear door for her he kissed her gently on the cheek. ‘You look lovely, Rebecca.’

  ‘Thanks.’ She smiled up at him. ‘You don’t look too bad yourself.’

  Laughing, he opened the door for her. ‘In you get.’

  ‘We’re so pleased you could get a pass for today,’ Mrs Hammond said, clearly delighted with the prospect of a day out together.

  ‘That was your son’s doing. I was just told I had a pass and would be coming on a picnic today.’

  David’s mother smothered a laugh. ‘Still giving orders, is he?’

  ‘He’s very good at it.’

  ‘The trouble is, Mother, she doesn’t always obey me.’ David glanced back at them.

  ‘Oh, Daddy, you mustn’t tell Rebecca off today. We’re going to have a lovely picnic.’

  ‘I wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart.’ He smiled and winked at his daughter. ‘I only do that when we’re in uniform. Have you shown Rebecca your new charm?’

  ‘Not yet.’ Sara searched through the charms on the bracelet until she found the new one, then she held it out. ‘Look, it’s a camel.’

  ‘How lovely.’ Becky spent a while admiring the charm, pleased she had thought of giving Sara the bracelet. It was giving her so much pleasure. ‘Where are we going?’ she asked Mrs Hammond.

  ‘Virginia Water. It’s a lovely place and we have just enough petrol for the trip. Have you ever been there?’

  ‘No, I haven’t.’

  ‘You’ll like it, my dear.’

  ‘I managed to get hold of these to add to the picnic.’ She held out the small bag of biscuits. ‘It isn’t much, but it was the best I could do at short notice.’

  ‘Shortbread!’ Mrs Hammond exclaimed. ‘I haven’t seen those for a while. Thank you, Rebecca.’

  Pleased she had been able to contribute something to the day out, Becky sat back to enjoy the ride in the luxurious car. At least, as much as she could with the dog trying to lick her face and sit on her lap.

  Hearing the tussle going on in the back, David turned round and caught hold of the animal’s collar. ‘On the floor!’

  Giving a disgruntled huff, the dog did as she was told.

  Sara grinned. ‘Daddy’s the only one she will obey.’

  ‘I’m not surprised. You ought to see the soldiers at camp spring to attention when he walks by, and that includes me. No one disobeys a colonel.’

  ‘Brigadier now,’ Mrs Hammond told her proudly. ‘His promotion has just come through. That’s another reason for the celebration.’

  Becky tapped David on the shoulder, making him turn round. ‘Congratulations. You didn’t tell me that.’

  ‘Didn’t I? I must have forgotten. By the way, your friend Alice is now working for a colonel. Steve Brent has also been promoted.’

  ‘She’ll like that,’ Becky laughed. ‘When the war started she told me she was aiming to be working for a general by the end of the war.’

  ‘Ah, well, she’s got a way to go yet.’

  ‘A couple of the men were speculating that you’d be a general by the end as well.’

  ‘That’s most unlikely. The war will be over in a year to eighteen months. Plans are well under way for the invasion, and it’s going to be a busy year.’ His eyes shone with devilment. ‘I could need a permanent driver. I’ll have to put in the request.’

  ‘I’m sure Pete Markham would like the job, and he’s the best.’

  ‘Major General Villiers says you’re the best driver he’s ever had.’

  ‘That’s kind of him.’ She was well aware David was suggesting he ask for her, but as much as she would relish the job, she wasn’t sure it would be a good idea. Fortunately they had reached their destination and that put an end to the conversation.

  They parked, and as soon as the door was open, the dog took off, with Sara tearing after her. ‘She’s in the water! Help! She’ll drown.’

  Becky broke into a run and caught up with the distraught girl. ‘It’s all right, Sara. She can swim. See?’

  ‘How can she do that? She’s never been in water before.’ Sara was jumping up and down. ‘Come back, Becky! You’re in the middle and it’s deep there!’

  David had joined them and let out a piercing whistle, causing the animal to turn and paddle back towards them.

  ‘There, she’s all right,’ Becky soothed as the dog climbed out of the water and made for them, her tail wagging frantically as she shook herself. Everyone scattered to avoid a soaking from the spray.

  The sun was shining and the war seemed miles away as they explored the area, then settled down to eat the sandwiches, biscuits and home-made cake. Sara and the dog were tired out from all the running around, and they both went to sleep on the blanket.

  David stood up and held out his hand. ‘Let’s walk, Rebecca.’

  He continued to hold her hand as they strolled along. ‘I really am going to need a driver, so would you object if I asked for you to be assigned to me?’

  ‘I’d love to do it, David, but it’s awkward.’

  ‘Explain.’

  ‘A couple of the girls have made remarks, loud enough for me to overhear, about girls who run after officers. Alice told me to ignore them, but I don’t like to think there’s talk about our friendship. That’s why I’m so careful to respond to you in a military way.’

  He swore under his breath. ‘I’m sorry, Rebecca. I’ll deal with it.’

  ‘How can you? You can hardly post a notice on the board for everyone to read, explaining that there’s nothing improper in our friendship.’

  ‘No, but I can start another rumour. I knew you before you joined the army, and as your family are friends of mine, I have naturally taken an interest in your progress. How does that sound?’

  She nodded. ‘That might stop some of the speculation, but how will you do it?’

  ‘You leave that to me, but on reflection, it might be wiser not to ask for you as my permanent driver. It might only make things more uncomfortable for you. What did y
ou say Pete’s surname was?’

  ‘Markham.’

  ‘I’ll use him for a while.’

  ‘You won’t be disappointed; he’s very good.’

  ‘I will be disappointed.’ He smiled down at her. ‘The last thing in this world I want to do is hurt you, my dear. If the nasty remarks continue, I want you to let me know.’

  ‘I will, but Alice is right, and I’ll just ignore them from now on.’ She’d been rather upset when she’d found out some nasty things were being said, but felt better now he knew about it. She gave him an impish smile. ‘It’s stretching the truth a bit to say your family and mine are friends, isn’t it?’

  ‘Not at all. We know your brother, and I have no doubt we would like your parents very much. They have brought up two fine children.’

  She began to laugh. ‘Will told me about that night after El Alamein had been taken.’

  ‘Ah, was he sober enough to record it in his notebook?’

  ‘Of course.’

  They turned and walked back to the others, smiling and completely happy in each other’s company.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  ‘I know where Will is.’ Alice slid a newspaper over to Becky. ‘He’s in Sicily. It looks as if the Allies have got their sights on Italy first.’

  Becky was silent while she read her brother’s report, then she looked up. ‘Wonder if he’s on the newsreels?’

  ‘Shall we go to the pictures tonight and see?’

  ‘I’d like to, but I’m on duty.’

  ‘Shame, but never mind. I’ll probably go on my own. I haven’t seen much of you over the last few weeks.’

  ‘I know, I’m sorry, but they’ve kept me very busy. I’ve been out on the road nearly every day, and I don’t know what happened to June and July.’

  ‘Mind if I join you?’

  ‘Not at all, Pete.’ Becky gave him a suspicious look. ‘I hope you haven’t come to collect me? This is the first break I’ve managed in over four hours.’

  He put his mug of tea on the table and sat down. ‘I’ve just heard something interesting and thought you might like to know.’

  Becky sighed. ‘Not more rumours about me and a certain officer.’

  ‘Hmm.’ He grinned at her exasperation. ‘The story going round now is that you knew the brigadier before you joined up. Is that true?’

  ‘Yes.’ David was certainly doing his best to stop some of the speculation about them, but she wasn’t sure it was working. This was really becoming quite a nuisance.

  ‘If I’d known that, Becky, I would have put those two girls in their place before now.’

  ‘Would it have made any difference?’ She pulled a face. Her parents had brought her up with the rule that if you couldn’t say something nice about a person, then don’t say anything. She did try to abide by that, but it was difficult at times.

  ‘It would have shown why you were so worried when he was missing, and why you visit his family whenever you can. Anyway, I ticked off those girls, so they might shut up now. Thought you’d like to know.’ Pete stood up. ‘Saw that piece by your brother today. He’s good, isn’t he?’

  ‘Good?’ Alice glared at Pete. ‘He’s brilliant!’

  ‘Sorry, bad choice of words. He’s brilliant, and so are you two girls. I’m going to miss you.’

  ‘Where are you going?’ they both asked together.

  ‘Shipping out next week. Secret destination, of course.’ He winked at them. ‘But if I see Will I’ll give him your love, shall I?’

  ‘Don’t drink too much wine.’ Becky clasped his hand for a moment, sad he was leaving, because he’d been a staunch friend to her. ‘You take care.’

  ‘I will.’ He lowered his voice. ‘I hear there’s a certain brigadier coming along, and our first stop will be Rome. I’ll expect letters from both of you.’

  After promising him they would write, they watched him walk away.

  ‘Here we go again!’ Becky ran her hands through her thick dark hair. ‘It’s so hard being left behind all the time. This war has more ups and downs than a fairground ride. We just start to relax a little, and then we’re back to worrying where our friends and family are, and what dangers they’re facing.’

  ‘And it’s going to get worse,’ Alice said. ‘This country is filling up with troops and equipment. When the big push starts, everything and everyone we have will be thrown at the enemy. But before that it looks as if they want to drive the Germans out of Italy. That won’t be easy.’

  ‘I don’t believe it will.’ Becky stood up. ‘But this is what we signed up for, and at least we’re on the offensive now. I can’t remember the whole speech, but what was it Churchill said? “It is not the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”’

  Alice fell into step beside her friend as they left the mess. ‘That’s right, but we still have a long way to go, so let’s keep smiling for the sake of the men in our lives.’

  ‘Absolutely.’

  A pang of sadness always touched Bob when he approached the house they now lived in. How he missed their row of terraced houses! Small and cramped they might have been, but they had been home. His mother had lavished care on their small garden, but the front of this house was just paving, and his mother never bothered with it. Still, it would be lovely to see them all again. He was sorry Helen had not been able to come with him this time, but he only had forty-eight hours’ leave. He’d better make the most of it though, because goodness knows when he’d get home again.

  ‘Bob!’ His mother rushed out to greet him, quickly followed by his father.

  ‘This is a wonderful surprise. How long have you got, son?’ his father asked.

  ‘Only forty-eight hours.’ He placed his arm around his mother’s shoulder. ‘I’m gasping. Is the kettle on?’

  ‘Of course.’

  They were soon settled around the kitchen table and catching up with the news, when there was a knock on the front door.

  ‘I’ll get it.’ Bill Adams left to see who it was.

  Bob could hear Becky’s father talking to someone, but he didn’t recognise the masculine voice.

  Bill returned, and one glance at the man with him sent Bob’s heart racing. ‘Are Will and Jim all right?’

  The man smiled. ‘As far as I know, they’re fine. I’m not the bringer of bad news. You must be Bob. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m David Hammond.’ The brigadier held out his hand for Bob to shake.

  Ah, we finally get to meet this man Becky talks so much about, Bob thought to himself as he studied him. He was a tall man who carried himself with confident ease. His gaze missed nothing, and the lines around his eyes showed he was no stranger to laughter. He was impressive.

  ‘Would you like tea?’ Mavis asked.

  ‘Thank you, Mrs Adams. I apologise for dropping in on you unannounced, but I would like a word with you and your husband.’

  Bob’s father and mother were immediately on their feet, and he did the same. ‘We’ll leave you then.’

  ‘Perhaps you’d like to go in the front room?’ Mrs Adams suggested, slightly flustered. ‘We’ll be more comfortable.’

  ‘This will be fine.’ David sat down.

  ‘What can we do for you?’ Becky’s father asked.

  ‘I’ve come to deliver an invitation to have lunch with my parents next Sunday, twelve o’clock, and they hope you will be able to accept. Rebecca has talked about you often and they would like to meet you.’

  ‘That’s very kind.’ Mavis glanced at her husband, and when he gave a slight nod, she said, ‘We’d like that very much.’

  ‘Good.’ David handed them a card with the Hammonds’ address on it. ‘I also wanted to introduce myself to you as I have asked Rebecca to marry me.’

  ‘Oh!’ Bill frowned. ‘She hasn’t told us that.’

  ‘She has refused me,’ David continued, sitting back and watching their faces intently. ‘However, that was my fault. I tried to rush her into a hasty marriage, but she’s
a sensible girl and would have none of it. I have no intention of giving up, but I need time, and that is something I don’t have. I’m off on another campaign, and when the invasion of France begins I shall be in the thick of it.’

  ‘You must find it hard to keep leaving your daughter.’ Mavis gave him an understanding smile.

  ‘Very difficult, and I know it upsets her when I keep disappearing for long periods at a time. I should have remarried after my wife died, but I didn’t consider it until Rebecca came into my life. My parents are approaching retirement, and I’m unhappy about leaving them with the responsibility of bringing up a young child. My mind would have been easier if Rebecca had agreed to marry me without delay, but she believes marriage between us would not work.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘She has many reasons, Mrs Adams, and I do not agree with any of them. I came here today because I want you to know that no matter how long it takes, I do want to marry Rebecca.’

  Bill and Mavis looked at each for a moment, and then Bill said, ‘We appreciate you telling us this. We have brought our daughter up to think for herself and accept the consequences of any decisions she makes, whether they are right or wrong. We trust her, and if she does eventually agree to marry you, then you have our blessing.’

  ‘Thank you for being so gracious. I can assure you that I mean only the best for your daughter.’

  ‘Becky’s told us very little about her feelings for you, and we have been concerned that an officer was taking an interest in our daughter. We are relieved to have met you at last.’

  ‘I understand, Mrs Adams, and that’s why I’m here. No doubt I shall be as concerned about my daughter when she’s older, and view every man who comes near her with suspicion.’

  ‘You will.’ Bill smiled. ‘But by talking to us so frankly, you have put our minds at ease, Brigadier.’

  ‘David, please.’ He stood up. ‘Would it be possible to talk to Bob, perhaps over a drink?’

  ‘I’m sure he’d be delighted.’ Bill left the room and returned with Bob and his parents.