Edie sighed. ‘I know you’re both right, but . . .’ She bit her lip to stop herself repeating the never-ending lament: I just want them home.
Twenty-Seven
‘Jessie and Harry will come to us this year,’ Edie declared at the beginning of November, the traditional time when she and Lil started to think about planning for Christmas. ‘It was nice last year, I won’t deny it, and good of them to cater for all of us, but I don’t mind telling you, Lil, it wasn’t the same as being here. Norma’s not said any more about us going to her, has she?’
Mentally, Edie crossed her fingers. Norma’s dismal house was the last place she wanted to spend Christmas.
And it seemed Lil felt the same. ‘No – thank goodness. We’re like two peas in a pod, you and me, Edie. We like things done our way.’
Edie had the grace to laugh along with her. ‘And we like to be in our own home, don’t we? But what about Norma? She’s welcome to come here, Lil.’
Lil pulled a face but said, ‘I’ll ask her. Will Shirley get home, d’you think?’
‘She doesn’t know yet, but she doesn’t think so. She says a lot of her friends have younger brothers and sisters at home who they want to see and because she hasn’t – I very much doubt that Reggie will come, d’you? – she thought she ought to volunteer to stay there. She says they’ll have a merry time of it, anyway, but it’s not like being with family.’
Lil was obliged to agree that it was unlikely. She chuckled. ‘No doubt she’ll get them all playing charades.’
‘I shouldn’t wonder. Anyway, Archie will be home, so there’ll be six of us. It’s not a bad number, but there’ll be no young ones to liven us up.’
‘Oh, your Jessie will do that, duck, don’t you worry. And you could ask Ursula.’
‘Mm.’ Edie was thoughtful. ‘I haven’t seen her lately. She doesn’t call round so much now Shirley’s not here.’
‘Maybe she’s made some other friends.’ Lil paused and then sighed. ‘I just wish little Tommy could be home for Christmas, but Irene is adamant they’re staying put.’
‘One thing we know is that Christmas 1943 is going to be the toughest yet, Lil,’ Edie moaned.
‘It’s to be expected. I know the war’s only been going four years, but it’s the fifth Christmas and the shortages are really biting now. Do you think Mr Schofield will bring us a bird or two?’
‘I do hope so, though we mustn’t expect it, Lil. But just in case he does, I’ve got the presents ready for him to take back to the family. I’ve knitted Reggie a scarf to keep him warm when he’s out in the fields from an old fisherman’s woolly of Archie’s. There was plenty of wool in it for me to make a muffler for Tommy too and a little knitted waistcoat.’
Lil chuckled. ‘I’m not surprised. Archie’s a big feller. I’ve not had a lot of time to make owt, but I’ve managed to pick up a few bits and pieces through the year that I’ve put on one side. And I’ve got a calendar to send to Irene. She can mark off the days to them coming home. Let’s hope it’ll be this year, Edie.’
‘Amen to that, Lil.’
Joe Schofield arrived once again on Edie’s front doorstep on Christmas Eve bearing a goose and two rabbits.
‘Things aren’t easy, missis, not even in the countryside now. The longer this war’s going on, the harder it’s getting even for us. Any road up, we killed a pig a fortnight ago and I’ve brought you some sausages and brawn. I’m just sorry there’s no turkey or chickens for you.’
Edie almost snatched the food out of his hands before she remembered her manners and invited the big man in. ‘It’s wonderful, Mr Schofield . . .’
‘Joe, missis, please.’
‘Joe, then. I don’t know how to thank you.’
Joe shrugged. ‘’Tis the least we can do. Besides, we’ve got your family. It’s a poor exchange, we know that, but we do love having them and we’re trying to do our best so’s they’re not so homesick at Christmas. The missis is planning quite a party. She’s invited a few RAF lads from the nearby camp again – those that live too far away to get home. So I reckon we’ll be making merry and it’ll be nice for the youngsters.’
‘That sounds lovely,’ Edie said, but she couldn’t help feeling a pang of envy that strangers would have her family with them at Christmas and she would not.
As they all sat round Edie’s table on Christmas Day, the conversation passed from one topic to another, but always seemed to come back to the one that was uppermost in everyone’s mind; the war and its consequences for them all.
Shirley had managed to wangle a seventy-two-hour pass at the last minute and had arrived home very late on Christmas Eve. There hadn’t been much time for conversation the previous evening, so Edie asked now, ‘Did you have a long way to travel?’
‘Now, Mam, you know I can’t tell you things like that.’
‘Oh, surely,’ Ursula, sitting beside her, said, ‘you can tell your own family?’
Shirley laughed. ‘But you might put it in the paper. You might decide to write a feature on how a local girl has joined the ATS and what she’s doing. And then you’d get me arrested.’
Ursula turned a bright pink as she said in a hurt tone, ‘I would never do that. I would never do anything that could harm you or your family. You are my friend.’
‘I was only teasing, Ursula. Don’t take on so. But seriously, we do have to be very careful, so I find it’s best to say nothing and then I know I haven’t let the cat out of the bag.’
Ursula frowned. ‘Cat? What is this cat?’
‘It’s just a saying, duck,’ Edie said. ‘It means to let out a secret.’
‘Oh. I see. Sometimes, I do not understand your quaint sayings.’
‘I’d like to make a toast,’ Harry said, trying to alleviate the awkward moment. ‘Raise your glasses, ladies and gentlemen, because I believe 1944 is the year when something momentous is going to happen that will bring an end to the war. Oh, I’m not saying it’ll happen just like that –’ he snapped his fingers – ‘but, to follow on from Mr Churchill’s words after the victory at El Alamein, when he said it was perhaps the end of the beginning, well, this year, I believe, it really could be the beginning of the end.’
‘I’ll drink to that, Harry,’ Archie said. ‘We all will.’ Eagerly, they raised their glasses and drank to Harry’s hopes.
As he put down his glass, Archie glanced across the table at Ursula. The girl had not drunk the toast with the rest of them, had not even raised her glass to her lips. Instead, she sat with her eyes downcast, twisting the wine glass round and round in her fingers, just watching the swirling red liquid.
When Emile visited the farm in the middle of the night four days into the New Year, he had grave news. He came on the motorcycle, which he left some distance away from the farm, but he was still dressed in a German uniform. ‘I rode straight through a road block on the way here, shouting at them to open it up quickly because I was on urgent business for the Führer.’ He laughed. ‘That name is like an “open sesame” even here in the middle of France.’ Then his expression sobered. ‘But I’ve been incredibly lucky not to have been stopped before now, especially as I’ve come to tell you that we think one of our group – Julien – has been arrested.’
They were all sitting in the kitchen in their night-clothes, apart from Emile, of course. Marthe roused the fire and made a hot drink.
Raoul raised his eyebrows. ‘Julien Lafarge? The son of the baker in the town?’
Grimly, Emile nodded. ‘He went home for the New Year. We warned him not to go, but he feels the cold more than the rest of us. He wanted just a few nights in the warmth of his own bed and to see his parents, of course.’ He shrugged helplessly. ‘And now . . .’
‘Do you know for certain?’
‘We’re almost sure. Bruce heard the commotion in the middle of the night of New Year’s Day. They broke the shop window and forced their way upstairs to the living quarters.’
‘What about Bruce?’ Beth gasped. ‘Is he
safe?’
‘For the moment. Thankfully, they were only concerned with Julien and, once they found him, didn’t think to search the whole house. They didn’t even arrest Henri and his wife.’
‘Why ever not?’
Emile smiled wryly. ‘Henri supplies them with bread and cakes. The Germans aren’t fools. Besides, they’d got the man they wanted.’
‘Is Bruce still there? Above the shop?’
‘Yes, but he’s getting ready to leave. I can’t tell you where he’s going because I don’t know. Perhaps you could find out, Leonie? We shall have to be even more careful about having too many contacts. I used to meet with Bruce now and again, but I daren’t any more. You’ll have to act as courier for us and you must only have Bruce and me as your contacts.’
Beth nodded, twisting her hair around her finger. She felt so sorry for the brave young man, Julien, and for his family, but she was also very anxious for Rob. If he were arrested . . .
‘I’ll see what I can find out,’ she promised.
‘Be careful,’ Emile whispered, as he kissed her cheek in farewell.
The following morning, as Beth cycled through the village, she could feel a change in the atmosphere. The bad news had travelled fast. There were only one or two people out. Most, it seemed, were clinging to what they thought was the safety of their homes. But the enemy was no respecter of property. They would gain entry by force if they wished. And those who had ventured out, hurried along with their heads bowed as if trying not to attract attention to themselves. Someone from their nearest town had been betrayed, they were sure of it. But by whom, no one knew, and now they all felt vulnerable. Who would be the next to be questioned?
Beth rode along with her head held high and hummed a little tune. She was a sixteen-year-old girl now, who worked on a farm for her uncle and knew nothing about any resistance group. Two road blocks barred her way to the town this morning and there was an unmistakable excitement amongst the guards. They were laughing and joking with each other and, though Beth could not understand very much of what they were saying, she caught the words ‘Maquis’ and ‘arrested’ and knew that they were jubilant about Julien’s capture.
Beth shuddered for the poor young man.
Henri Lafarge was still behind his shop counter, serving his customers. His face was set in a bland expression, but Beth could see the anguish deep in his eyes. He was terrified for his son. When the shop emptied, Henri gestured upstairs.
‘He’s up there, collecting the last of his things. Go up, but this is the last time. I want him gone – and you too. I don’t want you to visit my shop again.’
Beth nodded, upset by the brusqueness of the man’s tone, but she knew it was nothing personal. It was fear – not only for Julien, but also for himself and his wife; they were all at risk.
Beth tapped out the code and Rob opened the door cautiously, closing it swiftly when she had stepped inside. ‘You’ve heard?’
‘Only that he’s been arrested. Monsieur Lafarge looks awful; his face is grey and the look in his eyes is just terrible, poor man.’
‘I know. He’s asked me to leave, but I was going anyway. Obviously.’
‘Am I permitted to know where?’
‘Of course. You’ll have to know. About a mile out of town on the road towards Paris, there’s a tumbledown cottage in the middle of a small wood that doesn’t look as if it’s been lived in for years. But best of all, there’s a cellar and the entrance to it isn’t very noticeable. Besides, I don’t think the Germans would search the wood unless they had a reason. I think I’ll be fairly safe there.’ He smiled wryly. ‘As safe as any of us are anywhere.’
‘But it’ll be awfully cold, won’t it?’
‘No more so than where Antoine and his compatriots are living. They’ve got—’
‘Don’t tell me,’ Beth said swiftly. ‘I don’t want to know. How did you find the cottage?’
‘I’ve been cycling around the local countryside, looking for somewhere suitable in case I ever had to leave here quickly. And now I have to.’
‘Let me help you.’
‘No, Leonie. Thank you, but we mustn’t be seen together. You go home now and I’ll be in touch as soon as I can. We’ll use the oak tree for a while longer and then I think I’ll have to find another drop box. Oh, and can you tell London about Julien?’
Beth nodded and then hugged him swiftly. ‘Take care,’ she murmured. ‘Stay safe.’
As she left, Beth paused in the shop and faced Henri squarely. ‘Monsieur Lafarge, I’m so sorry about Julien, but if I stop coming here so abruptly, it will seem strange. Besides, Madame Détange will still need me to buy bread from you sometimes.’
The poor man ran his hands distractedly through his hair. ‘Of course, you are right. I’m sorry. I’m not thinking straight.’ He glanced at her with frightened eyes. ‘But Bruce is going, isn’t he?’
‘Oh yes, and he’ll only come back here if he really has to.’
Henri nodded. ‘Thank you,’ he said huskily.
Twenty-Eight
‘It’s the very devil, in’t it, Lil? I don’t know where my children are. Oh, I know where Reggie is. He’s safe, I suppose, even though I don’t like him being away. Shirley won’t say where she is even though she must still be in this country. We don’t really know where Frank is. Beth seems to have dropped off the face of the earth and I – I don’t even know where my poor Laurence is buried.’ Her voice broke on the final words and she dabbed at her eyes with the corner of her apron. Lil put her arms around her. It wasn’t often that Edie wallowed in self-pity, but on the rare occasions when she did, Lil was always there to comfort her.
‘Shirley’ll be fine, duck. She’s really enjoying herself and it’s brought her out of her shell. This war’s been a blessing in disguise for your Shirley. She looks great and she’s got so much more self-confidence. I’d never have believed it, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. And as for Frank, well, I know he’s in danger but he’s got a lot of mates around him. I’m sure he’s going to come through. We’ve got to believe that, Edie.’ She paused, but because the two friends were always honest with one another, she was forced to acknowledge, ‘It’s your Beth I’m most worried about, if I’m honest. It’s just not like her not to write at all. Even the postcards were better than nothing.’
‘I know,’ Edie wailed, for once giving way to tears. ‘And I can’t talk to Archie about it. If you so much as mention her name, his face closes up. But I think, secretly, he’s worried sick. She was always his favourite.’
‘Oh now, don’t say that, Edie. Archie loves all his kids just the same.’
‘Well, yes, I know that, but there was this special sort of bond between the two of them. It was before you came to live next door, so you won’t remember, but he was at home when she was born and he was the first to hold her. I reckon it was something he’s never forgotten.’
‘Well, I suggest you do try and talk to Archie the next time he’s home. Let him know you’re feeling just as worried as he is. It might help both of you.’
The beginning of 1944 brought a feeling of expectancy. Like Harry had said, it seemed that people felt, if not actually knew, that this year could be a turning point.
The staff car carrying Kurt and his driver roared into the farmyard, a covered lorry following. It was not the usual truck that came to collect food. Raoul paused as he crossed the yard towards the byre and frowned anxiously. ‘What’s he doing here?’ he muttered to himself. ‘It’s not the day for collecting anything.’
Beth had gone to the little tumbledown barn to broadcast to London. This was not a good time to have the Germans visit. And when the cover on the back of the lorry was flung back and ten or more soldiers jumped down and began to run in all directions around the yard, searching the outbuildings and even heading towards the farmhouse, Raoul felt his heart leap in alarm. But he managed to maintain a look of puzzlement on his face as Kurt strode towards him. The officer gave a polite little bow, t
hough his face was serious as he said, ‘I am sorry for this intrusion, Herr Détange, but my orders are to take the girl back for questioning.’
Raoul swallowed the fear that rose in his throat. ‘Questioning? Leonie? Whatever can you want with her? She’s only a young girl. If it hadn’t been for the war, she’d probably still have been at school.’
Kurt gave a thin smile. ‘So we are led to believe, but we have received some information that leads us to think that she may not be all that she seems. Where is she?’
Raoul waved his hand vaguely. ‘Somewhere around. I’m not sure where. I don’t keep watch on her all the time. She’s a good little worker.’
‘So, you don’t know what she’s doing’ – he emphasized the final words – ‘all the time?’
Raoul faced the man squarely, but his heart was racing and his legs were trembling. ‘No, I don’t.’ He didn’t want to be disloyal to Beth – to betray her – but he had others to think of; Marthe, Emile and all the resistance workers who were with his son.
Kurt was issuing orders. ‘Search everywhere. All the buildings and then the fields.’ He turned back again to the farmer. ‘Or is she out cycling?’
Raoul shrugged, managing to stop himself from glancing towards the shed where Beth kept the bicycle she used. He wanted to go to Marthe, wanted to comfort her and, most of all, he wanted somehow to warn Beth. But he couldn’t; he couldn’t move. His legs wouldn’t work and, for a brief moment, he thought he was going to pass out. He passed a hand across his forehead as he watched the soldiers searching his farm and listened to their shouts.
Oh, Beth, run, run.
In the little stone barn in the fields, set close to the sheltering hedge yet with a good view of the slope leading up to it from the farm, Beth finished her transmission and removed her earphones.
It was then that she heard the shouting and looked out of the small opening in the wall to see a line of soldiers, spread out across the width of the field, walking slowly up the slope towards her. And they were carrying guns.
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