‘Well done, lad,’ Gordon said, before puffing at his vape like a triumphant Popeye.
Shelly and Eve high-fived. Then they all, apart from Eve, shifted bricks into the barrow.
When the rubble was clear Eve cried, ‘Break time!’ and handed everyone a glass of white wine and a couple of sushi on a paper plate.
Gordon squinted suspiciously, first at the fish, then at his companions. When he thought no one was looking, he tipped his food on to DJ’s plate.
Shelly said, ‘I suspect there’s a lintel, so a little higher this time, DJ.’
He swung the mallet again. She was right. The next five rows fell in, but didn’t drop. They landed on a platform inside the chimney breast. Gordon and Shelly shifted them into the barrow.
‘What’s that, Gramps? It looks like a metal shelf with a trapdoor and a little chain.’
‘That, lad, is the draught trap. When it’s open, it draws the fire, and when the wood or coal’s goin’ good and proper, yer shuts it to stop the heat disappearin’ up the chimney. Look—’ He stuck his head in the chimney and pulled the chain. The little trapdoor almost closed.
‘Dad, be careful, a brick might fall on your head!’
‘Somethin’s jammed inside, stoppin’ it workin’. ’Ere, what’s this?’
‘Looks like one of those old camera spools, Gramps.’
‘No it ain’t. Yer know what this is, it’s yer original YouTube.’
DJ threw an incredulous glance at Shelly. She bit her lip and shook her head.
‘How do you mean, Gramps?’
‘Well, this was how messages and pictures were sent from country to country in them there olden days, see.’ He lifted the little container. ‘It was strapped on the leg of a homing pigeon, so yer was limited on yer word-count, just like on yer Twitter. Shelly, sling us the torch, love.’
The torch hung next to the umbrella on the front door coat hooks. Shelly passed it to her father, then removed her helmet. ‘Here, Dad, put this on while you’re under those loose bricks.’
‘Bloomin’ wimmin,’ he muttered, plonking the helmet on, then shining the torch into the depths of the chimney. ‘Yes, here it is. Pass us the tea tray, will yer? And a cold beer wouldn’t go amiss. Thirsty work all this demolishing.’
Shelly pulled the dustsheet off the kitchen table and chairs and they all sat around as her dad carefully sorted and aligned a set of fine bones into the shape of a pigeon skeleton.
‘Poor thing, it must have fallen down the chimney after the fireplace was first bricked up,’ Shelly said. ‘Pass us the tube, Dad. Let’s see if there’s anything inside.’
‘It’s too heavy, that poor bird must have died of exhaustion lugging this,’ he said, placing it in Shelly’s hand.
She used a kitchen knife to get the tin lid off. Inside the spool, tightly rolled cigarette papers were held in place with a fine gold band. She slipped the ring off the paper and carefully unfurled the sheets. ‘They’re numbered, and they don’t seem to have suffered much. The ink’s faded to dark yellow, but it’s still readable. Let’s put them in order and see what they say.’
They spread them on the table.
‘Go on then, I ’avent got me glasses on,’ Dad said.
Shelly started reading the tiny letters.
Dearest Gertie, love of my life,
I wish to place this ring on your finger myself but – be brave my darling – the Hun has put an end to me with a blast from a mine. It got caught in my net, and went off as I pulled it in. I’m not going to make it back to England, agapi mou, so I’m sending Icarus with your wedding ring and my wedding vow. I know you are Catholic, so my father’s called the priest to write these words to you, agapi.
Gertie Smith, I, Emmanuelle Psaras take thee to be my lawful wedded wife. Whatever your response is, ‘I agree and declare, I do.’ I want to say many things but fear the weight of this letter is too much for Icarus. I trust his brave spirit and pray this letter arrives at Lighthouse Lane. I wish to tell Adam how wonderful his mother is. Keep these cigarette papers and give them to him when time is right. Tell him about his father, Gertie; that I love him, as I love his mother. He must grow strong and take care of you in your old age on my behalf, agapi. Your love fills my heart, Gertie, and makes my journey into the afterlife bearable. And when this shattered body gives up, as it will in the next days, I will take your love to heaven to comfort me until we meet again. When your time comes, you’ll find me waiting for you at the gates of eternity.
All my love, for ever, Manno.
Silence filled the room, broken only by a very damp sniff from Gordon.
‘How terribly sad. All that time Gran Gertie stood at the bottom of the garden, shaking her corn tin, poor Icarus lay dead in the chimney with Manno’s wedding vow, his final goodbye, and her wedding ring. I’ve never wished there is a heaven more than I do at this moment,’ Shelly whispered. ‘I want to believe he was there for her when she died.’
‘I think I’m going to cry,’ Eve said, pouring herself another glass of white.
Gordon blew his nose noisily. ‘’Ere, you should have this,’ he said, picking up the thin ring and passing it to Shelly.
She stared at it in the palm of her hand. ‘It belongs with the next generation. Will it fit on your little finger, DJ?’
He pushed it on and lay his hand flat on the tabletop. They all stared at it. ‘Just fits. Thanks, Mum. It’s an honour to wear it. I can’t believe it travelled across Europe attached to the leg of a pigeon. A bird that avoided gunfire and bombs; all for the sake of my great-great-grandmother, Gertie Smith. Amazing, isn’t it? I wonder what happened to Corporal Perkins?’
*
Eight weeks later, Shelly found herself on the top deck of the ferry, staring at the port of Kea as the ship slid smoothly between the Church of the Trinity, and St Nicholas lighthouse. She saw a dozen people waiting for the boat and spotted Harry immediately.
‘Harry, it’s wonderful to be back,’ she said, resisting the urge to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him on the mouth.
‘Allow me help you,’ he said, his brown eyes sparkling with pleasure as he kissed her cheeks and then took her suitcase. ‘Let’s get this to your room as quickly as possible.’
‘Oh yes! I’ve got something for you.’
‘I’m banking on it.’
She giggled. ‘From my great-grandmother.’
‘Ah, not what I was thinking, actually.’
‘You’re too naughty!’
‘Mm, I do my best.’
By the time they got to her room, they were both laughing.
‘I hope you’re going to let me in?’ he said.
‘In what context are you speaking?’
‘Now who’s being naughty?’ He bustled her into the room and locked the door.
Two hours later they came back into the real world, bright-eyed with their secrets and their love.
‘I’m taking you to a taverna in my village.’
‘Your village?’
He nodded. ‘Over there in Vourkari. On the edge of the sea. The best fish.’
‘Do you have a plan?’ she asked.
‘Yes, I’ll drive there, we’ll eat, and the rest is up to you.’
‘No!’ she laughed. ‘You’re teasing me, now. Is there anything you would like to do tomorrow?’
‘We’re going on a dive at midday, then we’ll simply chill out, because the next day we’re going to Syros Island as soon as it’s light.’
‘Oh, brilliant, I’m so pleased.’
‘I’m quite excited myself. I have a big surprise planned for you there.’
‘Intriguing; will I need my dive equipment?’
He shook his head. ‘No, and don’t interrogate me, I’m not telling you anything more.’ He kissed the tip of her nose. ‘Enough to say: you will be absolutely blown away, and probably in tears too!’
CHAPTER 48
GERTIE
Dover, 1917.
‘YOU HAVE SPIRIT,’ IN
SPECTOR GLASSMAN said, handcuffing me. ‘I like a woman with spirit.’ I made the walk of shame to the station, where he took the cuffs off and locked me in one of the two holding cells. I was to stay there until the hearing. ‘You’ll be safe down here,’ Glassman said. ‘This basement’s stronger than any bomb.’
‘It’s not a bomb I’m afraid of, Inspector. I’ve seen the result of a gas attack, men coughing up chunks of their own lungs before they die. Will I have my mask with me?’
‘I’ll make sure it’s brought in with your essentials.’ The small room was about nine square yards, with a low ceiling, no window, and a barred door. A place in which to go crazy with claustrophobia. My head was already spinning when I realised Glassman was speaking. ‘Unfortunately, as it’s Friday, there’s no chance of a hearing until Tuesday, Miss Smith. However, we’ll make sure you’re as comfortable as possible. I’ll bring some supper later, meanwhile, if you make a list of things you require, perhaps your daily will bring them in for you. There’s a chamber pot under the bed, and a bucket of water behind the curtain.’
That was a grim moment, when he shut the heavy door at the top of the steps and silence fell around me.
In my solitary confinement, time stood still and I had no notion of day or night.
*
I heard the big door at the top of the stairs open and Mrs Cooper’s protesting voice.
‘Eeh, you’re not keeping the poor girl down here? Come on now . . . what if she were your sister, is this how you’d want her treated, lad?’
‘Oh, Mrs Cooper, thank goodness!’
‘Now, now, don’t fret, Miss Gertie. I’ve got all your creature comforts and we’ll soon have you out of here. Your man friend is right behind me, and he’ll be down as soon as I’ve relieved myself of your things.’ She shimmied her shoulders and made a mischievous pout.
‘Man friend? How are my parents, Mrs Cooper?’
‘Your mother is ailing, but not much different. Your father’s much better, miss. The people of Dover have really spoiled him. Everyone in town owes him a kindness, and here comes an opportunity to repay that debt. Folk have taken him special meals, and enough cakes for him to open a bakery. He’ll be here tomorrow, once I’ve ironed him a fresh shirt and collar.’ Mrs Cooper fussed about for ten minutes then bid me goodbye.
*
I heard slow footfalls on the stairs followed by Inspector Glassman’s voice. ‘So here she is, sir. I’m afraid we had no choice but to lock her up.’
Corporal Perkins appeared in full uniform, but not wearing his prosthesis. His trouser leg was pinned up, and he supported himself with two beautifully varnished crutches. He swept my heart away as he appeared on the other side of my barred doorway.
‘Oh, poor Gertie!’ He turned to Glassman. ‘Aren’t you going to let me in there?’
‘I’m not sure the doctor would approve, sir.’
‘Inspector, I’m a Corporal in the British army. Miss Gertie and I were both on the Britannic on the day she sank. I lost my leg in this war while fighting for you and my country. Also, I’m a close friend of the family. In fact, I was there for tea only last week.’
Glassman looked unsure for a second, then addressed me. ‘What do you say, miss? Shall I let him in for half an hour?’
‘Inspector Glassman, I assure you that Corporal Perkins is a soldier and a gentleman. I will be perfectly safe left alone in his company.’
‘If you’re certain, miss. I’ll leave the door at the top of the stairs open, so just call out at any time and I will hear you. However, this does mean I will have to lock the Corporal in too.’
‘Perfectly fine,’ I assured him. Johnathan Perkins stood behind the inspector and wiggled his eyebrows in a comical manner and I struggled not to laugh. Oh, what joy, to have some company!
‘Thank you so much for coming, Johnathan.’
‘By all accounts, you caused quite an uproar. I came straight over when I read the newspaper.’
‘No! It wasn’t in the papers?’
‘It certainly was, and it seems you struck a blow for all Dover. That Boniface is not a liked man.’
‘He’s just upset after losing his boy, and I shouldn’t have lost my temper. The hearing’s on Tuesday. As if I haven’t got enough to worry about. How’s my father?’
‘I’ve been to see him, to ask his permission to visit you here, and I also asked if I could walk out with you. He’s worried about you, naturally. Otherwise, he’ll be fine once they’ve allowed him to attend to his precious car.’
I smiled, just imagining my father’s concern for the Ford.
‘Gertie, there’s something else you should know, so you can prepare. Public opinion, driven by the press, has demanded another inquiry into the sinking of the Britannic.’
I felt my body deflate. ‘Oh, no. They’ll find out, won’t they? I’m so afraid!’
‘Find out what?’ He blinked at me with what could only be an honest look of confusion.
‘You don’t remember?’
He shook his head. ‘Remember what?’
I stared at him, unsure. Was he simply trying to make me feel better, or did he genuinely not remember? I had thought, when he offered to swear to the press that I did not open the portholes, that he must know what I’d done – but perhaps he didn’t after all.
‘It was my first hour in the ward. You and your fellow patients bullied and tormented me until I relented and opened the portholes.’
He stared at me, clearly shocked. ‘We did?’
‘You certainly did. I was almost in tears. Don’t you remember?’
He shook his head again. ‘You’re telling me that it’s I who is ultimately responsible for all that maiming and the loss of so many lives?’
‘No, not you alone, it was also your friends, and of course I did go against orders. I told you it was against orders, but you said that you’d heard Staff tell me to use my initiative, and that meant opening the portholes for ten minutes when the ward was stinking from fouled bedpans. In the end, I couldn’t take any more, so gave in to you all and opened them.’
He stared at me, clearly horrified. ‘Who else knows?’
‘That I opened the portholes?’
‘No, that we bullied you?’
‘Nobody.’
He stood and paced two steps to the wall, and two back again. ‘You and I, we must make a plan, Gertie.’ He stopped and stared at me.
*
Perkins returned the next day, all suited up this time, and wearing his artificial leg. He used a walking cane, which gave him an ostentatious swagger that made me smile. As he approached, I felt my heart leap with pleasure to see him again.
‘Dearest Gertie, I can’t stand to see you in this place.’ He took a deep breath and delved into his pocket. After a moment’s hesitation, he struggled onto his one knee and thrust a small ring box into my hands. ‘Tell me, may I ask your father for your hand, dear Gertie? Will you become my wife?’
‘Oh, this is too fast. You must let me think, Johnathan. It’s all . . .’ Just at that moment, I heard footsteps scuttling down the stairs.
‘What’s going on?’ Mrs Cooper demanded, clearly not recognising Perkins as the one-legged soldier she had seen the day before. She stared at Corporal Perkins who was trying to get up from his one good knee.
‘If you must know, Mrs Cooper, I’m asking Miss Smith to become my wife. Now if you would kindly give us a few moments of privacy, I’d appreciate it.’
‘I most certainly will not! Get yourself out of that cell, right at this instant!’ She turned back towards the stairs. ‘Inspector!’
Glassman came down to the cellar. ‘Yes, madam?’
Mrs Cooper folded her arms beneath her ample chest and shuffled her breasts up into a more dynamic position. A clever ploy, as Glassman was clearly struggling not to glance at her bosom. He resorted to fixing safely on the explosion of ginger frizz that was attempting to escape the yellow satin ribbon securing her topknot. ‘I’ll thank you not to
leave these two young people alone together down here!’ she yelled. ‘Dr Smith would not be best pleased!’
‘Of course, madam. Except that the young man has a letter from Dr Smith permitting him to visit the young lady while she is in here.’
‘Then make sure you keep that door between them locked!’
*
The next day my father came to see me. He sat next to me on the cell’s cot. I was acutely aware of – and embarrassed by – the smell of urine from the chamber pot beneath my bed. I found it hard to meet his eyes when I said, ‘I can’t tell you how sorry I am, Father.’
‘Let’s not regret what can’t be changed. I have every confidence in you, Gertie. Hopefully, after the hearing on Tuesday, you’ll be released and we can put this behind us.’
Yet I felt his disappointment. ‘Thank you for allowing Corporal Perkins to visit me. He was my very first patient, you know.’
‘Yes, he told me. He came to visit me in the hospital to ask if he may visit you here.’
‘May I speak frankly, Father?’ He nodded. ‘Corporal Perkins claims to love me, as he did on the ship, but I don’t quite know what to make of him.’
‘Sometimes, love is instantaneous, as it was between your mother and I.’ He stared at the floor, for a moment lost in his thoughts, then he drew in a deep shaky breath. ‘For many other people, love grows over time. If you enjoy his company, perhaps you should give him a chance to prove himself. Other than that, I can’t advise you.’ He glanced at my hand. ‘He asked me about the ring you are wearing on your wedding finger, and to be perfectly frank, I had not noticed it. Is there someone else, Gertie?’
My mouth dried as my darling Manno came to mind. Why had he never replied to my letters when I had made it clear how much I loved him?
‘The ring simply reminds me of the miracle dolphin that rescued me, Father. If that creature had not lifted me from the depths, I would not have saved Corporal Perkins. However, the enormity of these things still shakes me. Do you think God really orchestrated all this?’
His head tilted to one side as he smiled. ‘Such an enormous experience? You think God had a hand in it all?’
Summer in Greece Page 37
