The Waiting Hours
Page 42
‘She’s in my heart and will stay there always,’ he admitted softly. He reached for Carol’s hand. ‘I want you to know I’m proud to have such a daughter as you, Carol. You’re a fine, intelligent, beautiful young woman who has shown compassion and understanding throughout, and I would be honoured if you’d let me be a part of your life.’
Carol smiled through the gathering tears. ‘You already are,’ she replied. ‘And I’m so very glad we’ve found one another.’
He pulled her to her feet, swept her into his arms and against his heart, knowing he would cherish her until his last breath, for she was a part of him and Dolly, born through a love that would never die.
EPILOGUE
Bletchley Park looked lovely in the early June sunshine, and as Dolly emerged from the decoding room, her heart was lighter than it had been for weeks. Marie-Claire had tracked down the missing pilots and by some miracle had managed to persuade an officer of the Luftwaffe to get them transferred from Buchenwald to Stalag 111. She was now in a safe house back in Paris, and would be coming home within a matter of days.
Dolly couldn’t help but smile as she took her usual table on the broad terrace. It had been a wonderful day, and for the first time since this war had begun, she felt hopeful. Operation Overlord was due to take place in a matter of hours now the weather had changed for the better, and if all went as planned, it could be the beginning of the end.
She lit a cigarette and glanced at the letters that had arrived over the past weeks, each one so precious, she’d carried them with her ever since. Carol had forgiven her, and was expecting to return to her cottage around Christmastime when the ordnance had been cleared. Once the war was over, she planned to rent both cottages out and travel to America, where she would stay for a while with Felix and get to know his son and extended family.
Dolly sighed with pleasure. Felix and Carol were getting on so well that he’d stayed longer than planned so he could be with her. She smiled at the thought of him living at the Welcome Inn and trekking each day to the farm to help with the milking, planting and early harvesting. But going by the photograph Carol had sent it was doing him good, for he looked fit and tanned, and both of them were smiling so happily that she felt a pang of deep remorse for having kept them apart for so long.
She found the letter Felix had sent shortly after he and Carol had begun to pick up the threads which would bind them ever closer, and read it again, her heart filled with love and hope.
My darling, darling girl,
I’m not one for flowery speeches, but I need you to know that I love you, have always loved you, and when this war is over, I hope we can begin again, and give our daughter the family she so deserves. I shall be returning to the States soon, but I dream that one day you will do me the honour of becoming my wife – but that is for the future, when the world is once more at peace. For now I am content just to know that my love is returned, and that our daughter knows that too. I enclose a lovely song written for the American soldiers and sailors during the First World War. The words express all that I feel.
With my love, Felix
Dolly’s heart was full and tears blurred her eyes as she read the beautiful words on the accompanying slip of paper, for they encompassed all that was in her heart and promised them all a bright, beautiful future.
When the great red dawn is shining,
When the waiting hours are past,
When the tears of night are ended
And I see the day at last, I shall come
Down the road of sunshine,
To a heart that is fond and true,
When the great red dawn is shining,
Back to home, back to love, and you.
THE END
Dear Readers,
I’m sure you’ve noticed that I have gone back in time from the previous book, Until You Come Home, and I do hope this hasn’t spoilt your enjoyment. The story of what happened at Slapton Sands in Devon was one I’ve wanted to write since I began the Cliffehaven series, but as the dates clashed with what happened to the characters, it meant there had to be two books, the storylines running parallel. This wasn’t an easy project, and at times I was tearing my hair out, and wishing I’d done things the other way around, but when a story hooks a writer, it’s impossible to ignore it, and as so much happened during those months in 1943/44, I felt I had to tell all of it!
The war is slowly coming to an end, but there are still many stories to write about Peggy and Jim’s extended family, and I hope you continue to enjoy them. I’ve come to love the family at Beach View, and although they still have many trials and triumphs ahead of them, I’m sure they’ll face them all with humour and fortitude.
I wish you all well,
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Epub ISBN: 9781473539792
Version 1.0
Published by Arrow Books 2017
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Copyright © Ellie Dean 2017
Cover photograph © Silas Manhood; cover background © Alamy; planes and ships © Getty
Ellie Dean has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this Work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
First published in Great Britain by Arrow Books in 2017
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 9781784758103