Joanna thought she might attempt to cycle to the village rather than walk. The WVS, of which she was chairman, were meeting this afternoon to discuss what their next project would be. The new lodgers had left in good time this morning and she’d been touched that Millie had let the dog out for her.
Joe was in the kitchen, which was fortunate as she wished to speak to him. ‘I’ve an urgent letter for the morning post. Would you be kind enough to cycle down and hand it in for me?’
‘I’ll do that now, my lady. I noticed there was two letters writ by the other Lady Harcourt on the table in the hall. They ain’t got no stamps on – do I take them too?’
‘Yes, please. I think I’ve got sufficient stamps to put them on for her.’
‘They ain’t for round here, ma’am, but somewhere foreign what I didn’t recognise. I don’t reckon English stamps are any good for that.’
‘I’ll have a look, thank you for telling me. If they are for abroad, then I’m afraid you’ll have to go into the post office.’
This was typical of her mother-in-law – so far, she’d not offered a penny towards her keep and expected Liza to run her errands. She’d assumed that she would have collected the flimsy blue envelopes that were essential for overseas letters, but this wasn’t the case. Her mother-in-law had used her normal heavy, expensive paper and it would be prohibitive to pay the extra postage to send these to France.
She snatched them up and stormed into the drawing room, waving the offending letters in front of her nemesis. ‘These can’t be posted, Mother-in-law – as you very well know, all mail for overseas must be written on the special paper. Would you like me to get Joe to purchase some paper and envelopes for you?’
‘Certainly not. I’ve no intention of rewriting my correspondence. You must pay whatever it costs to send them as they are.’
‘I’ll do no such thing.’ She barely restrained herself from tossing them at the objectionable old woman. ‘You can send your maid down with them and pay for them yourself. Although, I warn you, I doubt the postmistress will accept them.’
Joanna had reached the door before she got a response.
‘When my son returns, things will be different here. You’ve turned the place into little more than a common boarding house. Goodwill House has been the ancestral home of my family—’
Slowly Joanna turned. ‘This isn’t your family home any more than it’s mine. It belongs to David and Sarah as they have Harcourt blood. Being married to a Harcourt doesn’t make you one.’
The old woman’s lips thinned, and her eyes were hard. ‘You should have provided my son with an heir. He should never have married you but someone more suitable. Have you given any thought to who will be the next Lord Harcourt?’
‘Absolutely not. David told me he has a very distant cousin who will inherit the title – it won’t die out, if that’s what you’re worried about. The house and estates, what’s left of them, remain mine until my death and then belong to Sarah. Nothing is entailed – but I suppose you knew that.’
Talking about what would happen if David died made her uneasy. She prayed that her loving letter reached him wherever he was and that the German tanks, which were thundering across the Netherlands and Belgium at this very moment, wouldn’t break the Maginot Line and trap the British Army.
This information was obviously new to the obnoxious old lady as she sat upright, her eyes wide and her mouth no longer pursed but open. How could the Dowager be unaware of this as she’d been married to the previous Lord Harcourt for twenty years at least?
Joanna didn’t want to talk to her any longer and vanished hastily before she could be called back to continue the conversation.
She remained undisturbed in her sanctum until lunchtime, when she drifted into the kitchen, where Betty had her soup and sandwich waiting.
‘I need to register the girls in the village so I can use their ration books. Liza said that you’re going to have a go on one of the bicycles – shall I come with you to make sure you don’t end up in a ditch?’
‘I can’t see that having you cycling beside me will make any difference, but thank you, I’d be grateful for the company. I must admit I’m rather nervous about venturing forth on two wheels. Joe’s done so well to find the spare parts to make three bicycles roadworthy.’
‘It’s been a blooming godsend having that bike, my lady. I don’t have to leave so early and can get back quicker. Not sure I want to use it in the winter, mind.’
‘I offered the new girls the use of the bicycles but they said they’d prefer to walk across the fields. That means I can have one of them for myself and the other can be used by Joe or Liza.’
Joanna always insisted that Betty sat down at the table with her and that they ate their luncheon together. Usually, the twins joined but today neither of them were there, which was curious.
‘I know that Joe’s gone to the village for me, but where is his sister?’
Betty pointed to the ceiling. ‘She’s in the attic, looking for the bolts of material you said were in there somewhere. She’s that excited about having new clothes, she said she’d not have lunch today so she could search.’
Joanna was fond of the twins and they were both so easy to please and so grateful for everything they were given. Being able to help them was rather satisfying and made missing Sarah a little easier to bear.
‘The new vicar should be coming in a couple of weeks to replace Reverend Christopher. I think it highly likely we might get someone equally old, as the younger members of the clergy might well have volunteered to serve as padres.’ Betty looked puzzled by this as it didn’t seem to connect to her previous remark.
‘I want them both to look smart when they come with us. I know that my mother-in-law considers them merely servants, but to me they’re becoming more like family. Have you noticed that both of them are beginning to sound less like London urchins?’
‘I have that, my lady, and I know they consider this their home and are very fond of you.’
‘As I am of them. They are part of the family now and I intend to do everything I can to make them feel at home. Has my mother-in-law got her meal?’
‘Of course, Liza took it in before she dashed upstairs. I’ll be ready to leave at two o’clock. My Bert reckons if I’ve got an afternoon off then I should be at home and not attending a WVS or WI meeting.’
‘He used to be such a pleasant man and you were both so happy when you got married a few years ago. I wish things could be better for you at home.’
Millie was still giggling as she and Di arrived at the main admin buildings. ‘My word, I’m not sure if that was the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to me or the most exciting.’
‘You certainly made that young officer’s day. Imagine their shock if your parents knew you’d been sitting on the chest of an unshaven RAF pilot with only your twilights on.’
‘I’m already disowned, so it hardly matters. He was really charming and rather handsome, don’t you think? I wouldn’t mind talking to him again.’
‘Quickly, Di, will you check that everything’s in the right place? I got dressed so fast I might well have got something wrong.’
Her friend examined her from top to toe and nodded. ‘Everything present and correct. Please do the same for me.’
Satisfied they would both pass inspection, they marched through the open door and into the spotless vestibule. It was deserted, as were all the offices.
‘Golly, what do we do now? To whom do we report if there’s nobody here?’
Before Millie could answer, a smiling sergeant appeared at the door through which they’d just entered.
‘On time, ladies, that’s a good start. Here, you need to change into this lot. WAAF members of Motor Transport can wear battledress. Nip into the bogs down the corridor – there’s nobody around until eight o’clock.’
He tossed across a couple of parcels and she was relieved they both managed to catch them.
‘Damned if I know what you can do with your skirts and such. Bundle them up and bring them with you – but you won’t need to wear them to work.’
When they emerged, dressed in what were essentially blue overalls, they were more comfortable and ready to work. There was no sign of the sergeant but there were two shiny bicycles propped against the wall.
‘How on earth are we going to ride a bike carrying our uniforms?’ Di said with a frown.
‘Let’s hide them in the hedge – we can pick them up when we go home tonight. Thank goodness they provided us with socks, as wearing stockings and suspenders would have been most uncomfortable underneath these things. Mine are far too big but you look absolutely splendid, Di.’
‘At least we have two big pockets on the top for bits and pieces. The long sleeves are going to be lovely and warm in the winter, but think I’ll roll them up now if we’re allowed.’
‘I hope we can get a spare set from the stores as these will get awfully smelly if we don’t,’ Di said with a grin.
Once the discarded uniforms were safely hidden, they had no difficulty mounting the bicycles with only their gas masks, haversacks and tin hats to worry about. The motor pool was on the far side of the base and they set off, pedalling hard, and arrived breathless, but confident they hadn’t wasted any time.
They propped the cycles against the side of the massive building and edged in, somewhat nervous about what they might see. They’d both passed the practical and theory tests with no difficulty and could drive anything from a small car to a massive three-ton lorry.
The interior of this building was full of vehicles of all shapes and sizes. There were fuel bowsers, refuse collectors, a variety of smaller lorries with the usual camouflaged canvas tops as well as a large assortment of cars, from smart black sedans to ancient Austins and camouflaged Hillmans. There are also vans of various sizes.
The sergeant who’d come to find them was nowhere in sight and the many mechanics working on the vehicles had so far not noticed them or, if they had, were ignoring them.
‘Do we just stand here, or should we go in and introduce ourselves?’ Di asked. Millie would much prefer to remain in the shadows but knew this wasn’t an option.
The dilemma was solved when the sergeant reappeared. ‘Good job, ladies. You’re here mainly to collect and return the flyers and run any errands they might have for you. From tomorrow, you report at dawn and finish at dusk.’
‘Do we alternate or both work every day?’ Millie didn’t usually speak up but it was going to be jolly hard working seven days a week, twelve hours a day with no time off.
‘There’s two airmen been doing it on their own, but we need them elsewhere. They’ll take your duties one day a week but that’s the best I can do. I’m reliably informed that there will be more WAAF drivers coming soon.’ He gestured to a distant huddle of Nissan huts and brick buildings. ‘Those aren’t finished, so until they are, there won’t be a full complement of you lot.’
He pointed to a couple of the more disreputable lorries. ‘That’s what you’re using. You can get an entire squadron in the back. Now, familiarise yourself with your vehicles, ladies, then head to the Officers’ Mess to collect their breakfasts. The NAFFI van doesn’t come until lunchtime. They’ve been on duty for three hours already.’
Before driving any vehicle, they’d been trained to do an inspection of the engine and so on. Millie had to stand on the front bumper in order to open the bonnet. She looked in horror at the jumble of things. ‘I’ve no idea what anything is in here. I expected it to be painted in different colours like the vehicles we trained on,’ she hissed to Di who was equally perplexed.
‘Just pretend we’re doing it; nobody’s looking at us. I’m sure these lorries will have been left in full working order. We might be on duty for twelve hours at a time, but we won’t be working for much of it, and we can familiarise ourselves with the engines when we’re not ferrying food or flyers about the place.’
This made sense and Millie slammed down the bonnet and scrambled into the cab, finding it so much easier in trousers and not the tight uniform skirt she’d had to wear on every other occasion. She let Di reverse out first and then followed her, thankful she didn’t stall the engine or crash the gears.
They pulled up outside the kitchen and two white garbed airmen, who were leaning against the wall smoking, stubbed out their cigarettes and came across to speak to her as her lorry was nearest to them.
‘Everything’s ready for you, ladies. Who’s taking the grub to the Aussies with the Blenheims and who’s taking it to the Hurries?’ The speaker was a swarthy young man with a slightly predatory air who made her nervous.
‘I’m going to the Hurries. Do I need to get out or do you load up for us?’
He leered at her, and she flinched away. ‘You stop where you are. Won’t be a tick. Don’t go anywhere, will you?’
Di leaned out of her cab and pulled a face. She’d obviously not liked the look of them either. ‘I haven’t the foggiest where the Blenheims are but I’m sure I’ll find them. Let’s hope they don’t get scrambled whilst we’re driving on the runway.’
The two squadrons of Hurricanes were parked a hundred yards from each other. There were several wooden huts and lounging about outside, in their flying gear, were the brave men who flew them.
Millie couldn’t prevent an image of the sweet young man she’d met this morning popping into her mind. He couldn’t be much older than her and yet he was going to be risking his life several times a day protecting his country. He must be a regular as any volunteers wouldn’t be flying yet and certainly wouldn’t have been promoted. She had never had a boyfriend and didn’t want one now, but he really was rather nice and she would like to talk to him again.
Ted was determined to find out what the hell a gate was doing in the middle of the long perimeter fence. When Dickie eventually arrived, his fried breakfast was beginning to congeal, but this didn’t put him off and he devoured it with evident delight. Ted waited until his roommate cleared the plate before bringing up the subject of the gate.
‘It was the previous adjutant had it installed – silly bugger – as Goodwill House is where our WAAF are billeted until their accommodation is completed here. They can’t get in unless there’s a brown job standing guard, so the whole exercise is futile.’
‘I take it it’s much further to come by road.’
‘I expect so – what’s piqued your interest?’
‘I don’t like unsolved mysteries – and if they gave the key to one of the girls billeted at the big house, the gate would be useful and solve the problem.’
‘It’ll be redundant in a few weeks as we’ll be getting dozens of girls and they’ll be living in their own accommodation. It’s the Nissen huts and the smaller buildings a quarter of a mile away from us.’
‘Those corrugated iron huts are bloody horrible places to sleep in the winter – no insulation or privacy. I was billeted in one when I started my training.’ Ted nodded to his companion, returned his dirty plate and cutlery to the hatch and wandered off. He pitied the poor girls who would be billeted in one later in the year. For some reason, he just didn’t like the idea of a particular young WAAF being cold and uncomfortable.
He had plenty to think about. The news in France was grim – the Panzers and German infantry were storming across northern France and Lord Gort, the man in charge of the BEF, was trying to retreat to Dunkirk.
The Tannoy roared and he headed for the door to watch the other squadron of Hurries scramble and taxi to the runway in order to take off, one after the other. Manston was on a headland above the sea, which made it perfect for incoming and outgoing kites.
The Blenheims remained where they were. Not that they were any use if they were airborne, and he didn’t envy the poor Australian sods who flew in them.
Then he saw a lorry driving down the strip towards the squadron. It must be one of the girls and she hadn’t heard the announcement. Surely she could see the kites preparing to take off right in front of her?
His breath hissed through his teeth. The lorry suddenly careered sideways and the departing squadron roared past safely. The sun was in his eyes and he shaded them with his hand, searching the runway for the other lorry. His mouth curved – this one had arrived safely and the tall girl was the driver and she was already distributing the food to the waiting blokes – or perhaps he should call them cobbers or mates as that appeared to be what an Aussie called his peers.
What would the other girl do with the food meant for the flyers? He squinted through the sunlight and watched her jump nimbly from the cab and hurry around to the back. She unloaded the lorry and carried it to the appreciative ground crew. Sensible girl – no point in letting it go to waste.
Someone joined him. ‘Baptism of fire for the poor girls – we do need their help but not sure this is the best place for them. We’re going to be bombed to buggery once the balloon really goes up. Not the place for girls when that happens,’ Flight Lieutenant James Miller said from beside him. This chap was his direct superior and in charge of the squadron.
For some unfathomable reason, James appeared to like him. Ted decided to tell him about the incident with the gate. James was helpless with laughter by the time he’d finished.
‘I wish I’d seen that – shows initiative to climb over and especially to do it in their twilights. Angus, he was a good friend of mine, had it installed.’
‘Obviously it’s not sensible to have a brown job standing about all day so couldn’t the key be given to the girls?’
‘Good idea – should have thought of that myself. You’re not wanted for a few hours, Ted, so purloin a bicycle and find the sergeant in charge of the brown jobs guarding the base and retrieve the key.’
By the time he’d located this and persuaded the bad-tempered NCO to part with it, Ted only had ten minutes to grab a cuppa and a sandwich before dashing outside to wait for transport.
The other squadron had returned unscathed some time ago and tumbled from the rear of the lorry, eager to eat and then, no doubt, to spend their unexpected free afternoon drinking in the bar.
As the others piled into the rear of the vehicle, he strode to the cab. Millie’s smile made it worth the effort he’d put in to get the key for her and her friend. ‘Here, you can let yourselves in and out in future. No need for any climbing.’
‘How spiffing of you to have done this for us. After flattening you this morning, I’m surprised you wanted to help.’
‘I don’t want to put you both on a charge for “behaviour unbecoming” – therefore, the key was essential.’
She stretched out her hand, hidden by the yellow leather gauntlet all drivers wore. He passed the keys to her. ‘Thank you, Ted, I can’t tell you how delighted I am to have these. You’d better get in the back or you’ll be left behind.’
The vehicle was already in motion as he jumped into the rear. Dickie grabbed his arms and hauled him safely inside. ‘Cutting it a bit fine, chum, wouldn’t do to be late on your first official duty.’
‘Too true. James gave me an errand and I was just completing it.’ The racket from the engine made conversation almost impossible but the drive was short and he was first to jump down. Whilst the others found their usual places, on deckchairs, on the grass, inside playing cards or listening to the wireless, he walked over to his Hurry. He wanted to check in with his ground crew and let them know how much he appreciated the work they did to keep him in the air.