Millie gathered the other girls together and gave them the bad news about Lord Harcourt. ‘Could I ask you to keep the noise down, stay upstairs as much as possible and generally give the family some space to grieve?’
There was a murmur of agreement but not much sympathy as far as she could see. Cora and Ruby were on the early shift so they’d taken the key to the padlock on the gate and would have walked across the fields just before dawn. She hoped one of the others would pass on the information.
She and Di were ferrying the flyers during the afternoon and evening but also doing anything else that might be required. For the past few days, both of them had been driving bowsers and refuelling the various aircraft that had been using Manston as first base.
She dropped the girls at their various workplaces and then drove across to the motor pool to see what was in store for them today. It was eerily quiet – only one squadron of Hurries and Blenheims at readiness and no squadrons from any other Sector 11 bases.
‘Thank god they’ve got a bit of a breather. I don’t think any of the pilots has shaved or slept in their beds for the past few days,’ Di said.
‘I hope Ted’s all right. I wonder if he’ll be able to take a few days off now the flap’s over for the moment.’
Her friend smiled knowingly. ‘From the number of times you mention his name, I think you’re rather taken with that young man, aren’t you?’
‘He asked me to be his girlfriend, but I said no. I don’t want to get romantically involved with anyone and especially not a fighter pilot. I should think the life expectancy for one of those is very short indeed.’
‘That sounds unlike you, Millie. I didn’t think you were so pragmatic about things. In fact, whilst we’re on the subject of people being killed, I thought the reaction of the other girls was a bit odd, didn’t you?’
‘I did notice none of them seemed particularly sympathetic. I suppose we’ve become quite involved with the family so it means a bit more to us. I thought that both ladies would go into black, draw the curtains or something but they’re carrying on as usual. I suppose this means we should take our lead from them and do the same.’
‘What I do know is that if they were having problems financially…’
‘How could you possibly know that?’
‘They wouldn’t have taken in boarders otherwise, would they? To return to what I was saying – they obviously don’t have much money and I remember my father saying that death duties are exorbitant. I doubt they’ve got the funds put by to pay those so the estate might have to be sold.’
‘Sold? I shouldn’t think anyone would want to buy it at the moment. Let’s not take on their worries – we’ve got enough of our own. What do you think we’re going to be doing today?’
Millie soon found out, as Sarge was waiting for them. ‘LACW 342, take the Hillman and go and collect Flying Officer Thorrington. He needs to go to the hospital in Ramsgate. Not surprising after what he’s been through the last few days.’
Her stomach clenched. Di was right – she was beginning to have feelings for Ted and the thought of him being sufficiently unwell to need to be taken to hospital upset her.
She drove around to the officers’ accommodation and was about to go in search of the patient when he came out. He seemed to have aged ten years over the past few days. She could see dark streaks where oil had become ingrained in the creases on his face. He managed a lopsided smile.
‘I hoped it would be you. Don’t look so worried, Millie, I’m just going to get a routine check-up and hopefully my stitches taken out.’
‘Then let’s go – shall we have that belated lunch? As long as I’m there to bring the boys back at ten o’clock, I’m more or less free.’
He settled beside her. ‘Good show – I’ve heard the station café’s excellent and it’s not far from the hospital.’
By the time she’d reversed the car and was heading for the gate, he was asleep. How could he be only nineteen? He should be at university enjoying himself, not risking his life every day. It was different for her as she wasn’t in any real danger and had never had the option of going to university.
Her parents had expected her to marry someone of their choosing, someone like them, and had more or less washed their hands of her now she was a driver in the WAAF.
Once Millie had dropped Ted off, she parked the car in one of the side streets and then went back to wait. She wasn’t sure how long it would take for Ted to be seen, possibly several hours, as there would be a lot of extra patients – soldiers who’d returned injured and had been too unwell to continue.
Scarcely an hour later, she saw him exit and hurried over to join him. ‘Well, that didn’t take nearly as long as I thought it would. Have you been given the all-clear?’
‘All tickety-boo. Stitches removed, fully fit to fly. Is it too early to eat?’
‘It’s probably better to go now when it’s quiet. The car’s round the corner. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re over your injury.’
People nodded and smiled when they saw the two of them in their distinctive RAF blue and she was proud to be walking beside a genuine hero. The café was surprisingly full but the waitress immediately took them to an empty table.
‘Are you looking for coffee and cake or something hot?’
‘Lunch, if it’s going – I don’t care what it is as long as it’s substantial. I’ve got a lot of square meals to catch up on,’ Ted said with a grin.
‘I’ll bring you a pot of tea whilst you decide what you want. It’s written on the board over there – we can’t do a full menu any more what with the rationing and all.’
They chose fish and chips and rhubarb crumble and custard for dessert. Millie poured tea for both of them. ‘I’m afraid that Lord Harcourt died at Dunkirk. I don’t know any more than that – the telegram came yesterday.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that. If you don’t mind, I’d like to call in and offer my condolences before you take me back. I got on really well with the old lady. It will be hard for her to have lost her only son.’
‘Di and I were saying that there might be massive death duties to pay to the government. We don’t think they have anything surplus.’
‘It’ll be a few weeks before anything gets sorted out so it shouldn’t make any difference to you and the other girls. You’ll be stationed with us by then.’
Ted wolfed down his lunch and Millie ate hers almost as rapidly. Millie hoped he approved of a girl who enjoyed her food.
‘Shall we have another pot of tea to wash down the dessert? I don’t suppose they have coffee.’
He nodded. ‘The waitress is bringing our puddings, so I’ll ask her. They certainly do an excellent fish and chips, but I suppose that being a fishing port that’s to be expected.’
‘It’s certainly fresh – I wonder how the fishermen managed to go out in their little boats when there are U-boats just waiting to torpedo them as well as the fact that our coastline is riddled with mines.’
‘I expect navy vessels escort them. Which reminds me, did you know we now have the fastest sea rescue boats anywhere in the world going out to pick up flyers who end up in the drink?’
‘I heard some of the men talking about it. What did surprise me was the fact that they belong to the RAF and are crewed entirely by the RAF – does that make them sailors or flyers?’
‘The navy has pilots, too, so there’s a lot of overlap between the two services. I’m not sure if we have RAF soldiers – but it would make sense to have those guarding the bases in the same service as those they’re guarding.’
Ted was sorry to pay the bill and leave the café. For a short while, he’d been able to forget about the war, what was coming, and the two men that he’d known personally who’d died in the past few days.
‘I’ll take you to Goodwill House now so you can speak to the Lady Harcourts. Or should that be the Ladies Harcourt?’
Ted smiled. ‘Haven’t the foggiest – it’s not something I’ve ever had to say. Do you think I should take them some flowers and buy a sympathy card?’
‘I should think it highly unlikely you’d be able to purchase either of those items. They might not be rationed as yet, but with a shortage of paper and every square yard of arable land growing food for the nation, I’ve not seen much of either of them recently.’
‘Then I’ll just offer my condolences verbally.’
There was a lot more army traffic then usual and he guessed the lorries were transporting the remainder of the evacuated BEF.
As before, he immediately fell asleep in the car, but knew he didn’t have to apologise as she understood he needed to snatch every bit of kip he could, if he was to be fit enough to repeat what had just taken place over the past six days.
He woke as she pulled up outside the house. ‘I won’t be long, Millie, so you don’t have to come in if you don’t want to.’
‘I live here, I can come and go as I please. However, you’re right, I’ll turn the car around so we’re ready to go when you come out.’
‘The front door’s open – does that mean I can go in or should I still wait until someone answers?
‘Go in, but call out to let them know you’re there.’
The house didn’t look any different, didn’t feel any different really – he’d expected there to be an atmosphere of gloom, but he could hear laughter coming from upstairs and voices from the drawing room.
‘Good afternoon, it’s Flying Officer Thorrington.’
The younger Lady Harcourt had been in the drawing room and came to the door to greet him. ‘How kind of you to call in. We are just about to have coffee – nobody really wanted lunch today – would you care to join us?’
He followed her into the magnificent room and nodded politely at the older lady. ‘I’ve come to offer my sincere condolences on your sad loss. Also, to thank you again for taking me in after my injury.’
‘It’s been a shock, but not an unexpected one. I feel so much worse for the three women in the village who have lost their husbands and now have to bring up their children on their own.’
The Dowager smiled warmly at him. She looked more animated than she had the last time he’d seen her. ‘The solicitor is coming to see us this afternoon. We’ll know exactly how things are after he’s spoken to us. Thank you for calling in.’
He was being politely dismissed. Why the hell had he been asked to stay for coffee by the other one in that case? He nodded again and almost backed out as if in the presence of royalty. He took the outside stairs two at a time and flung open the passenger door of the Hillman.
‘One of them invited me to stay for coffee, the other sent me packing. Very odd. The solicitor’s coming later – not that it’s any of my business, so I don’t know why the Dowager told me that.’
‘Until recently, they barely spoke to each other, so I expect it’s something to do with that. Losing a husband and a son will stir up feelings.’ She drove away smoothly. ‘Are you on duty tonight? I take it a squadron is at readiness night and day now?’
‘I am – I’m going to spend the afternoon asleep. It’s doubtful we’ll be scrambled after dark, but we’ve got to be ready. The Jerries are preparing for invasion.’
Millie pulled up in front of the main building and he swivelled in his seat. ‘I know you told me that you didn’t want to be my girlfriend, but I’m going to ask again in the hope that you might have changed your mind.’
‘I think I have. I didn’t want to like you as much as I do – but the more time I’ve spent with you, the stronger my feelings have become. So, yes, I will be your girlfriend. Is that going to be a problem once we’re on the base?’
‘No, two of the chaps are already going out with a couple of your girls. If things don’t kick off, we’re having a bit of a do in the Officers’ Mess on Saturday. Will you pass the message on to the rest of your girls? It’s for service personnel only, plus any girlfriends they might have from the village.’ Ted wanted to punch the air but refrained. He didn’t want to appear too enthusiastic and put her off.
‘How exciting – I’m sure we’ll all be there and I’ll ask if I can borrow transport to bring us.’
The front of a small car wasn’t the best place to exchange the first kiss, so Ted smiled and clambered out, wishing he’d had the courage to take things further.
Joanna was dreading the arrival of the solicitor as he could only be bringing the worst possible news – well, she supposed they’d had the worst possible news already – David’s death. She hadn’t been a true wife to him for decades, merely an ornament, and she’d not questioned this until his abrupt return to the army last September. Of course, she was sad, but it wasn’t as if they’d truly loved each other. The pain the wives in the village would be suffering didn’t bear thinking about.
‘Shall we see him in the study rather than in here, Mother-in-law?’
‘Yes, no doubt he’ll have a briefcase full of weighty papers to read from. I sometimes think these people exaggerate their importance by bringing so much with them.’
‘What about having tea served or even some of your coffee?’
‘Absolutely not – we don’t want to prolong the visit, do we? But it’s up to you, my dear, as this is your house and David was your husband. I’d had no contact with him, as you know, for twenty-five years and I’m obliged to admit that his demise hasn’t really made any difference to me.’
This openness was new between them, but Joanna appreciated having the truth spoken to her. If her husband had been both open and truthful then she wouldn’t be in such a state about the forthcoming visit.
For some reason, there was nobody at home today, but it seemed unlikely that all twelve of the girls were on duty. ‘Do you think Millie asked the girls to stay away and give us some privacy?’
‘I’m sure that she did. She is a remarkable young lady and I rather think that our young Flying Officer has feelings for her. I do hope they make a go of it. Young people need to get on with their lives as they don’t know how long they’ve got one for.’
‘How depressing, Mother-in-law, but I agree with you. Sarah did exactly that and I’m glad I didn’t make a fuss,’ Joanna said. ‘She said that she’s trying to get at least a morning or afternoon free and then she’ll come and see us both. I’m so glad she accepted your heartfelt apology.’
‘She didn’t seem at all upset about her father’s death, any more than you do. I gather that the two of you weren’t on the best of terms when he scuttled off to France so eagerly last year.’
‘To be honest, I didn’t realise that we didn’t get on, that I didn’t really have any feelings for him, until he’d been gone a while. I didn’t want him to die but I was quite happy for him to remain in France or elsewhere for the duration of the war.’
They went to the study in good time, and Joanna called into the kitchen to tell Betty that they wouldn’t require tea. Liza was on alert to let the man in when he arrived.
‘Do you know, I don’t think I ever came in here when I was married to David’s father. I was forbidden to enter under any circumstances as it was his private sanctum. Heaven knows what he got up to in here with his cronies.’
‘David didn’t encourage me to visit him when he was working but never objected if I came in when he wasn’t. I wish the letter from the War Office would come so I know exactly what happened last week.’
‘I thought that servicemen wrote a letter to be sent to their loved one before they were posted for this eventuality. He obviously didn’t, as you would have received it by now.’
Liza had been in and given the room a clean, so the furniture was sparkling, the window open to let in some much-needed fresh air.
Joanna looked around, deciding how to position the two of them so they didn’t seem in awe of whoever came. There was a large, leather-topped desk with a massive matching chair behind it, two padded armchairs on either side of the empty grate, and a smaller table at the far end of the room between the two bookcases full of ledgers and other boring books.
‘That chair’s too heavy for us to move and if we put one of those armchairs beside it then it would look silly. Maybe this is the wrong place after all – what about the breakfast parlour?’
‘I was thinking exactly the same, my dear. We can sit together one side of the table and he can sit opposite – that will work much better and he’ll still have plenty of room to rummage through his briefcase.’
‘I’ll just let Liza know where we are and then join you there. I’ve changed my mind and am going to ask for tea and whatever cake and biscuits are available. I know it won’t make any difference to what he’s going to tell us, but it will give us something to do if the news is terribly shocking.’
‘As you wish, Joanna.’
They’d been sitting for less than ten minutes when Liza arrived. ‘Lady Harcourt and Lady Harcourt, Mr Silas Culley is here to see you.’
The man standing there was exactly what Joanna had been expecting and dreading. He was overweight, balding, in his late fifties, dressed in a dull navy-blue suit and holding a large black briefcase. He looked decidedly unimpressed to be taken to meet them in the breakfast parlour and not somewhere more important. She didn’t like him on sight.
She’d no intention of standing to greet him. ‘Good afternoon, Mr Culley, please take a seat on the other side of the table. Liza, will you bring the tea now?’
‘Good afternoon, my ladies, I’m sorry to be here at such a sorrowful and difficult time for you both.’
For a moment, Joanna didn’t know what he was referring to, then exchanged a half-smile with her companion. He was probably expecting them to be in black, dabbing their eyes with a dainty cotton square and not sitting, almost belligerently, behind a table.
A chair was already moved back, so all the solicitor had to do was sit down, which he did with a lot of fuss and shuffling, no doubt to further express his disapproval. She wondered if she could change to a different firm once this was over.
Liza came in and put the tray carefully on the end of the table within reach so Joanna could pour it out when it had brewed. The girl then left and closed the door behind her.
‘Tea, Mr Culley?’
He was already rummaging through the papers in his briefcase – surely all those documents couldn’t be just about David and the Harcourt legacy?
‘Thank you, my lady, not just now. We need to get on with this.’
Joanna hesitated, not sure if it would be polite for her mother-in-law and herself to drink tea and crunch freshly baked ginger biscuits if he wasn’t having any.
‘Then please do so, time is of the essence. We are both very busy women, as you might imagine. Please pour me a cup, my dear, and I’ll take three of those delicious biscuits.’
The man looked even more disapproving if that was possible and for some unaccountable reason, Joanna wanted to giggle. She poured the tea out as noisily as she could and then was tempted to slurp instead of sip, but she refrained.
The wretched man cleared his throat.