The small sitting room was crowded with women. Miss Frost was squashed into the corner of the flowered sofa, needles clicking away, khaki-coloured wool winding up from a bag on the floor. Phyllis Perkins and Aunt Ethel were sitting next to her, while Nellie was in her usual chair by the fireplace wearing a dress, which, even by Nellie’s colourful standards, was frightful, although her face was stark white, and she didn’t look well. Mavis Woodbridge was on the chair opposite Nellie, while Mary Guthrie and Muriel Palmer sat on a couple of hard-backed chairs by the dining table.
‘Don’t this look jolly,’ Lou said, going over to the table and pulling another chair out. Pointedly, she moved it as far away from Mary as she could, then sat down.
Nellie sighed. ‘Why are you here, Lou?’
Lou looked around at the gathering. ‘Cos I’m part of this community too. And if you can have her here—’ she pointed at Mary ‘—then I can’t see how’s I can be left out.’
‘God give me strength,’ Reenie whispered, leaning against the door frame.
Muriel Palmer stood up. ‘If you must remain, Mrs Carter, then I insist you refrain from making scathing comments.’
Lou’s lips thinned, but she didn’t reply.
Muriel nodded. ‘Right, then, I declare this meeting open. Phyllis, could you take the minutes, there’s a love.’ She handed her a notebook and pen, then turned to Reenie. ‘Now, dear, perhaps you can start off by telling us about the events of last night.’
Before she could begin, heavy footsteps thundered up the stairs, and Jasper came in, still wearing his ARP overalls. He stopped in the doorway and stared round in surprise. ‘Just popped by to see how the kids are,’ he said.
‘Ah, Jasper,’ Muriel simpered. ‘Do join us. I understand you played a heroic role in making sure those children got here safely. Reenie was just about to tell us what happened.’
With all eyes on her, Reenie once again recounted the events of the evening. ‘So,’ she concluded, ‘I don’t know who was meant to meet them at the station last night, but it sounded like there was a plan. And I don’t think these are the only children who’ve been brought over. They were just unlucky that their boat got into trouble and had to be rescued.’
Muriel was outraged. ‘Are you telling me this isn’t an isolated incident? That someone is evacuating children across a stretch of water that we all know is continually bombarded, and no one’s said a word? Who would do such a thing? And why haven’t the WVS been informed? Billeting children is WVS work; we should have been in the know.’
‘It will have been on a need-to-know basis, I expect,’ Jasper said wisely. ‘And don’t sound like they were meant to end up here.’
‘But who brought them?’ Muriel asked. ‘Do you have any idea, Reenie?’
Reenie shook her head, though inadvertently, she looked at Mary Guthrie, whose eyes were trained on the purple and green carpet.
Miss Frost tutted. ‘Question is, where were they meant to be going? I can’t help thinking that it would have been better for them to stay where they were.’
‘They’re Jewish orphans,’ Reenie said meaningfully.
‘What’s their religion got to do with anything?’ Lou asked.
‘Oh come on, Lou!’ Nellie exclaimed. ‘Even you must know what’s happenin’ to Jewish people. It’s been in the newspaper.’
Lou sniffed. ‘I don’t read them rags,’ she said. ‘Full of lies.’
Muriel shook her head. ‘It’s all just too dreadful,’ she said sadly. ‘But it sounds to me like the situation is easily resolved. If we take them to the station, then perhaps we can discover who was meant to be meeting them and they can take them to wherever they were meant to go.’
‘No chance,’ Jasper interrupted. ‘All railway lines in and out of Dover were bombed last night. Two fatalities at the station.’
Miss Frost made the sign of the cross on her chest. ‘God rest their souls,’ she said.
‘Oh dear, oh dear.’ Muriel bit her finger. ‘If that’s the case, then we’ll just have to care for them ourselves until the railway’s back up and running. Meantime, I shall get word to the authorities that we need help evacuating them. How many can you have, Nellie?’
Nellie sighed. ‘I got three spare beds. But we’re all out later, so the little ones’ll have to go somewhere else.’
‘I would be delighted to help,’ Miss Frost said. ‘Didn’t our Lord say, “Suffer the little children to come unto me”? It would be my privilege to educate them in the teachings of Jesus Christ.’
‘Over my dead body,’ Mavis interjected. ‘What them kids need is lovin’ kindness. Not some old biddy shoving scriptures down their throats. Did you not hear what Reenie said. They’re Jewish. They got no use for the bloody C. of E. And neither do I. I can put up a couple in the pub for a bit.’
‘The pub!’ Miss Frost bristled. ‘You complain about me teaching the Bible and yet you’re happy to put those innocents in your den of iniquity.’
‘I beg your pardon?’ Mavis exclaimed.
Suddenly the room erupted with everyone speaking at once.
‘Ladies!’ Jasper walked into the middle of the room, hands raised. ‘Nothing will be achieved if you argue. Now, if each of you says how many you can accommodate, Phyllis can take a note. It’s only temporary, so I’m sure we can resolve this easily.’
‘Thank you, Jasper, I’m quite capable of controlling this meeting,’ Muriel snapped.
Jasper sighed. ‘Fine. Not as if I don’t have enough to do, without having to referee a group of old women!’
‘Given you’ve been on duty all night, I will make allowances for your rudeness,’ Muriel said indignantly.
‘Whatever you say, Mrs Palmer. I’ll leave you all to it.’ He looked over at Nellie, who nodded and smiled faintly at him.
‘I think I’ll go too, if you don’t need me, Mrs Palmer,’ Reenie said hastily. She could hardly bear to stay in this room with Colin’s mother. If she had to look at her grief-worn face one more time she was in danger of blurting out the truth to her.
‘Oh, of course! I hear congratulations are in order. Young Donny mentioned that you and Jim announced your engagement last night. And marrying today?’ She raised her eyebrows and looked pointedly at Reenie’s stomach. ‘That settles it. Nellie you’ll be far too busy to have the kiddies with you, I’ll take them all to my place and—’
‘Excuse me!’ Ethel interjected angrily. ‘They are marrying quickly because we’re in the middle of a war! So don’t go throwin’ your insinuations around.’
But Reenie wasn’t taking any notice; her eyes were trained on Mary Guthrie, who had looked up for the first time since she’d arrived. Suddenly, she stood up and rushed to the door, where she paused beside Reenie, her face a mask of pain and anger, and whispered, ‘For your sake, I hope you understand what you’re getting into,’ before hurrying down the stairs.
Reenie stood frozen with shock for a moment before turning to go after her. But the sight of two silent figures sitting on the stairs behind her stopped her in her tracks. Elodie was wearing a long white nightgown, her dark hair loose and curling in ringlets about her face, while Louis was dressed in some blue cotton pyjamas that were far too big for him, making him look very young. Both looked exhausted and frightened, and Reenie knew she couldn’t just leave them there.
‘Do you want to come in?’ Reenie whispered.
‘Who’s there, Reenie?’ Muriel asked.
‘Elodie and Louis,’ she said, ushering them into the sitting room with a reassuring smile.
Muriel jumped from her seat and held out her hands to the children. ‘Bonjaw,’ she said excitedly. ‘Common t’allez vous?’ She beamed at them, then looked around the room. ‘So nice to be able to speak French, don’t you think?’
Reenie caught her aunt’s eye and they both stifled a smile.
‘Clever old Lady Muck,’ Lou said disparagingly.
Muriel rounded on her. ‘If you can’t be polite, I suggest you leave.’
‘I think I will.’ Lou stood up. ‘Last thing I need is a load of foreign kids runnin’ round my place. Me and Terence barely have enough to feed ourselves.’
Nellie gave a short bark of laughter. ‘Pull the other one, Lou. You’ve got enough to keep the whole town fed. And everyone knows that Terence ain’t exactly short of grub. Or anythin’ else, come to that.’
‘I’d be very careful about throwin’ your accusations around, Nell, or folk might wonder how you know so much.’
‘Just go, Lou!’ Mavis said. ‘And tell your Terence that the next time he tries to sell his knock-off beer to me, I’ll call the police.’
Lou pursed her lips and flounced out of the room.
‘Don’t worry,’ Reenie said to Elodie and Louis, who were looking mortified and clutching each other’s hands. ‘We’re not all like her. Why don’t you sit down?’ She gestured to her aunt and Phyllis, who both stood and offered their seats.
Once the children were seated, Muriel crouched in front of them, a patronising smile on her face. ‘I am sorry,’ she said, very slowly and very loudly. ‘But train is not working. So now you come to my house.’
Elodie shrugged. ‘I like to stay here. I cook.’
‘Not those nasty root thingies, I hope,’ Nellie remarked.
‘I stay,’ Louis said. ‘I help.’
‘No,’ Muriel said. ‘You stay at my house until train works. Understand?’
‘Oh for God’s sake, Muriel,’ Nellie said, exasperated. ‘They speak English, so you don’t have to speak as though they’re bloomin’ deaf! And if the two older ones want to stay here, that’s fine by me. They can keep an eye on the place while we’re out at the weddin’ later.’
Just then Cissy came in carrying a tray with a teapot, cups and saucers and a plate of bread and marge, looking as excited as though she was serving at a royal banquet.
‘Who’s for tea?’ she said cheerfully. ‘Oh, ain’t this just like the old days?’
Miss Frost looked at Cissy over her spectacles. ‘Maybe for you, Cissy. But for the rest of us, who didn’t abandon our hometown to run off with a much older man at the age of only sixteen, this is just the same as any other day.’ She sniffed disapprovingly.
Cissy coloured, her red cheeks clashing with her orange hair. ‘The old days I’m referring to didn’t include you, Adelaide. You were always too busy praying.’
Nellie chuckled. ‘You deserved that. And no need to look at me like that. I’ve stayed right here and done me duty, but just cos Cissy took a different path, that don’t mean she’s in the wrong.’
Cissy looked surprised. ‘That weren’t what you said the other day.’
Nellie shrugged. ‘Yeah, well. Family have the right to say what they like, but others should keep their mouths shut and their noses out.’ She sat back and folded her arms across her chest.
Miss Frost leant over and stuffed her knitting needles into her bag. ‘Seeing as you no longer need my help, Muriel, I’ll take my leave. But do let me know how I can help with the community kitchen. Not long now till it opens. Still, they say competition is good for business.’ She smiled thinly at Nellie who scowled back at her.
‘Oh, we don’t need to worry about the competition,’ Cissy said. ‘Starting next week, I shall be doing afternoon concerts Fridays and Saturdays. Folk won’t get that at your community kitchen, will they?’
Nellie spluttered. ‘You what? You start scratchin’ your fiddle in the middle of the day in my café, Cissy, and I might not be so inclined to stick up for you.’
‘Oh, I do love a bit of Four Seasons,’ Muriel piped up. ‘Perhaps you’d like to come and play at one of our WVS fundraising soirees.’
Reenie barely heard a word of the arguments swirling around her as her thoughts were completely occupied with what Mary Guthrie had said. Her anger just now had felt so real, so strong, that it made her wonder whether there was more to her pronouncement than simply grief.
She closed her eyes in frustration. This should be one of the happiest days of her life, but instead she was burdened with a secret and once again full of doubts. She needed to talk to someone who could give her some no-nonsense, unbiased advice. And there was only one person she could trust to do that. Without saying goodbye, she slipped down the stairs and out of the back door.
It was only as she was walking up Castle Street that another thought occurred to her: Marge had mentioned once that part of her job was to keep track of all the shipping along the south coast. Might it be possible that she’d know something about the boat Colin had been on – and therefore where it had been going?