After sending the St John’s ambulance away, Dr Parker walked over to the admin building.
Walking up the stairs and opening the door to the main office, he was struck by an eerie quietness. There was no one else about. Everyone had gone home.
He headed for Helen’s office. The door was open.
He stood in the entrance and looked at Helen sitting at her desk. Her head was bent over a pile of order forms. Sensing someone was there, she looked up.
‘Well, thank goodness that all went off all right,’ Helen said, grabbing her packet of Pall Malls on her desk and reaching for her ashtray. ‘I’m guessing Tommy passed his medical?’ She sat back in her chair.
‘He did,’ Dr Parker said, not making any effort to come into the room.
He heard purring and looked down at the floor to see Winston cleaning himself in front of the electric fire.
How he wished for such an uncomplicated life.
‘I’ve got to tell you something,’ he said simply.
Helen looked at him. Her beautiful emerald eyes were ice-cold.
‘He’s going back, isn’t he?’ It was a question to which she knew the answer.
Dr Parker nodded.
‘You’ve just sanctioned him as being medically fit for service, haven’t you?’
Her words were accusatory.
Dr Parker nodded again.
There was no use trying to explain to her that there was nothing he could do. Tommy was going back out to Gibraltar regardless.
‘I don’t know who I’m more furious with – you or him!’ She tried to keep her voice at an acceptable level. ‘You for allowing it, or him for wanting it.’
Dr Parker looked at Helen and once again saw the fierce love he firmly believed she still held for Tommy.
She would never stop loving him. He knew that. Had known it from the moment Tommy had woken up in his hospital bed.
‘Well, my dear,’ Dr Parker said, finding it difficult to hide the hurt in his voice. ‘You’re just going to have to be furious – with us both.’
And with that, he turned on his heel and left.
Helen pushed herself out of her chair and stood for a moment, taken aback. She picked up Winston, who started purring even more loudly. The cat nuzzled her neck.
Realising she wasn’t going to get any more work done, she put Winston down and picked up her bag and gas mask. Leaving the admin building, she scrabbled around for her torch.
‘Bloody blackouts!’ she cursed under her breath.
Passing through the main gates and walking up the start of the embankment, she heard a woman crying.
She flashed her light around and that’s when she saw her. Crouched down by the side of the Admiral, her knees up to her chest, her head in her hands.
Helen hurried over.
‘Polly! Oh my God! Polly!’ She bobbed down the best she could in her tailored dress, dropping her torch, which rolled to the side. ‘Look at me!’ She grabbed hold of Polly’s hand.
Polly looked up.
Her eyes spoke of her deep, deep heartache.
Helen would not want to be in Polly’s shoes now. Not for all the tea in China.
Here was a woman ripped apart by love.
‘Oh, Polly, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. John told me.’ She coaxed Polly up. ‘Come here.’ She gently pulled her to standing. ‘Where’s Tommy now?’
Polly’s eyes flashed at Helen. A new target for her anger.
‘If I knew I’d tell you! You could go to him! Have him! Have him all to yourself!’
Polly started crying angry tears again.
‘Oh Polly, that’s all in the past now. That was a lifetime ago.’ Helen’s voice was almost weary. She surveyed Polly. ‘I’m just surprised he’s left you here, like this?’
Polly looked at her. The anger had short-circuited and sorrow reconnected.
‘I told him to go. I never want to see him again.’
Her words felt as though they were choking her. Her hand went to her throat.
Polly swallowed hard.
Hand still at her throat, she inhaled air.
‘I told him the wedding’s off.’
And with that, Polly broke down into uncontrollable tears once again.
Helen held Polly as her body juddered.
They stayed like that for a few minutes, until a couple of shipyard workers came out of the pub. The brief show of light before the door banged shut drew their attention to the two women.
Helen glowered at them.
They walked on.
‘We were meant to be meeting everyone here.’ Polly cocked her head over to the main entrance.
‘Are they in there now?’ Helen asked, half dreading the answer. She’d never ventured into the Admiral before.
Polly nodded.
‘Do you want to go in and see them?’ Helen crossed her fingers the answer would be no.
‘Yes, I best go and tell them what’s happened.’
Helen took a deep breath.
‘Come on, then.’
When they walked into the smoky pub it took a moment for Helen’s eyes to adjust to the light.
‘There they are,’ Polly said. ‘Over there.’
Helen looked over to where Polly was pointing. At the same time, the women spotted them.
Their faces dropped.
Helen guided Polly over to their table.
‘Oh my God, what’s happened?’ Dorothy had grabbed Angie’s hand in shock at the state of their friend. She had seemed the happiest person on the planet the last time they’d seen her.
‘Is Tommy all right?’ Gloria asked, looking up at Helen.
‘Oh, Tommy’s just fine.’ Polly spat out the words.
Gloria, Dorothy, Angie, Martha, Hannah, Olly, Bel and Marie-Anne were all staring at Polly, agog.
‘What’s happened?’ Bel was sitting on the far side of the table. She tried to reach Polly’s hand but couldn’t.
Polly looked around at all the women, her eyes red and puffy.
Her words were clipped and seething with anger.
‘He’s going back to war.’
There was silence.
In the end, it was Helen who spoke.
‘Let me get you a drink, Polly. Brandy?’
‘Please,’ Polly said.
Helen looked around the table. Most of the glasses were just about empty.
‘Why don’t I get another round in?’
Martha stood up.
‘I’ll give you a hand. I know what everyone’s drinking.’
‘You’ve called off the wedding!’ Dorothy couldn’t contain herself.
Everyone was staring at Polly in disbelief.
It was shocking that Tommy was going back to war, but for Polly to then call off the wedding was something none of them would have foreseen in a million years.
The women’s attention was diverted to Helen and Martha making their way back over to the table. Helen had what looked like a very large brandy in one hand and a gin and tonic in the other. Martha was carrying a tray with the rest of the drinks.
‘Here you are.’ Helen gave Polly her drink.
‘Thanks.’ Polly looked up. ‘Sorry for being a total cow out there.’
Gloria pulled a stool out for Helen next to where she was sitting.
‘Don’t be daft,’ Helen said, sitting down, grateful to be next to Gloria.
For the next hour all the women sat and gently coaxed information out of Polly.
The large brandy had the calming effect she needed, but it was also causing sporadic outbursts of tears and anger.
In fragments, the whole scene that had taken place in the yard was relayed.
‘I think what makes this all harder is knowing that nothing I will ever say will get him to change his mind,’ she said, finishing her double brandy.
She looked worn out.
Bel knew to take the reins and told Polly that they best be getting home. Agnes would need to be told the news. And Arthur. Poor Arthur. He was going to be devastated.
‘I’ll see you all in the morning,’ Polly said.
‘See ya, then,’ Angie said.
‘Sleep on it.’ Hannah stood up and made her way round the table to give Polly a hug.
‘Please don’t make a decision on the wedding this evening. See how you feel in the morning. Everything always looks different in the light of day.’
Polly hugged Hannah back, but her eyes looked dead.
‘It won’t,’ she said simply.
The women saw the hardening of Polly’s heart.
‘I’ll never marry Tommy.’