To Reenie’s relief, when the guard at the castle rang through with a message for Marge, she was told that her friend would be out to see her in half an hour.
It was a beautiful early spring day, and for once, the sun was out, so Reenie went to stand at the edge of the cliff beneath the castle. Since the terrible air attack the previous summer, the Eastern Dock was in the process of being strengthened, and the place was a hive of activity, with ant-like figures crawling over the harbour, although the blackened ruins of a ship still listed against the quay, like a giant whale carcass.
From here, too, she could look out over the rooftops of Dover. Even with the sunshine brightening the scene, the town seemed to be drooping under the burden of war, with regular gaps in the once gracious terraces, and blackened buildings where just the year before they’d been white. The sight depressed her, so she turned and squinted over the sea towards the cliffs of France, which looked peaceful and serene in the morning sun.
A hand on her shoulder made her turn, and with a cry of relief, she threw herself into Marge’s arms, inhaling her familiar scent of tobacco and Elizabeth Arden Blue Grass.
‘I’d have thought you’d be up to your eyes in preparations and makeup,’ Marge said, pushing Reenie away from her and smoothing a lock of her curly blonde hair behind her ear. ‘But then, who can improve on perfection?’
Reenie laughed and scrubbed at her cheeks. ‘How did you know about that?’
‘Didn’t Jimmy announce it to everyone in the pub last night? Or so I heard.’
Reenie smiled. ‘He did.’
They sat down. ‘So what’s the problem? Are you having doubts?’ Marge asked, pressing her shoulder against hers. ‘Because I’m told it’s totally normal – though of course I wouldn’t know.’
Reenie pulled at the grass nervously. ‘A lot’s happened, Marge. And no, I’m not having doubts exactly . . . It’s just, I have a dilemma.’
‘“Not exactly” sounds like a yes to me.’
‘Maybe just a few. But like you said, it’s normal . . . And that’s not why I’m here.’
‘Why are you having doubts?’
Reenie rubbed the grass between her palms. ‘Like I said, a lot’s happened over this last week.’
Marge sighed. ‘You can say that again. And the only good thing to come out of it is you getting married. I can’t believe that football match was only a week ago.’
Both girls were silent for a moment. ‘I’ve found it hard to sleep ever since,’ Reenie murmured. ‘And every time I hear a plane now . . .’ She shuddered.
‘Me too. I fall asleep and dream of slipping in Phil’s blood.’
‘How is he?’ Reenie asked gently.
Marge shrugged. ‘As you can imagine,’ she said. Then she smiled brightly. ‘But that’s not why you’ve called me out here on the morning of your wedding. What’s up? And I want you to include exactly why you’re having doubts. Leave nothing out.’ She pulled out a cigarette, lit it, then leant back on her elbows.
Reenie lay down on her side, head propped up on one hand and let everything spill out: Terence’s strange threats, Wilf’s sudden attentiveness, Mary’s words to her that morning. And finally what had happened the night before.
When she’d finished, Marge let out a long whistle. ‘Bloody hell. So you’re telling me that there’s a pile of kids at the café? And Wilf got you up in the middle of the night? But why you?’
‘Not you too! He just did, all right? But there’s something else . . .’ She huffed and lay down on her back, shading her eyes with her arm. ‘The thing is something else happened last night, and I need your advice.’
‘Don’t tell me you and Wilf . . .’ Marge squinted at her.
Reenie slapped her arm. ‘NO!’ She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. ‘I need to tell someone or I’ll explode. But you can’t tell anyone, do you understand? Not a soul.’
Marge held up her hand. ‘Before you do, Reenie, you need to consider why it’s being kept secret. People’s lives depend on us being careful.’
‘I saw Colin,’ she blurted. ‘He’s alive and I saw him last night. He’s the one who brought the kids! But he told me not to say a word to Jim or his mum. But how can I marry Jim today and keep this a secret?’ The words came out in a rush.
Marge’s mouth dropped open. ‘Colin? You mean Colin Guthrie?’
‘Of course Colin Guthrie! And after I got the kids off the lifeboat, he sailed off again, and I want to tell Jim so badly, but I also want to know where he went. Oh, and Marge, poor Mary. She looks awful, and I’m sure it’s her bitterness that makes her talk the way she does to Jim. Imagine what it would mean to her if I could give her this news!’
‘Christ!’ Marge fumbled in her pocket and brought out another cigarette, lighting it with a slightly shaky hand. ‘Colin,’ she whispered, a smile breaking out on her face. Then she grew serious. ‘But you shouldn’t have told me. There’ll be a very good reason why he’s not been able to come back.’
‘Jim needs to know,’ Reenie said, crestfallen. ‘He’ll hate me if he finds out I knew and didn’t tell him.’
Marge shook her head. ‘Even so.’
‘Wilf says he saw him the other day. The night before the football match. And ever since then Wilf’s been hovering around like a bad smell.’
Marge gave her a sharp look. ‘And you think that’s because he wanted to let you know? Or does he have an ulterior motive?’
Reenie blushed, remembering how good Wilf’s arms had felt around her last night. ‘Who cares about him? I’m more concerned with Jim.’
‘Hmm.’ Marge blew out a few smoke rings. ‘I can see why you’re torn. But you should have kept your mouth shut, Reens. If Colin is bringing kids over from France, the fewer people who know the better.’
‘Did you know?’ Reenie asked.
‘Of course not! I’m not trusted with anything. I’m just the lackey who shifts the boats on the table. What they’re doing and why is hidden as much from me as it is from you.’
‘You must know something about the port at Sandwich?’
‘There is no port at Sandwich,’ Marge snapped back.
‘There must be! Wilf mentioned that’s where they were meant to be going.’
Marge sighed. ‘Sandwich isn’t even on the sea anymore. And what would you do if you knew where he’d gone? You can’t just swan over to a military port and pop in for a visit. You’ve got no authority, neither does Jim.’
‘But you might . . .’ Reenie said.
‘I’m just a Wren. The lowest of the low.’
‘Come on. There must be somewhere to land a boat over there.’
Marge stared into the distance, picturing the map of the south coast that she’d had to memorise. ‘There’s Richborough,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘There were Jewish refugees being housed there before the war, so maybe they take the kids there. But I didn’t think it was being used as a port anymore because the river silted up after the last war. They could have cleared it in secret, I suppose.’
‘That must be it!’ Reenie exclaimed. ‘Maybe I could go there and—’
‘No, Reenie! Look, I understand why you want to tell Jim, but you need to think about Colin. What he’s doing sounds dangerous, so you need to put it to the back of your mind and focus on your wedding. Stop worrying about what everyone else does and says – Jim loves you, you love him. Is there any more you need to get married?’
‘I need to be going to him with a clear conscience,’ Reenie said.
Marge put her arm around her shoulders. ‘Jim wouldn’t want you to risk Colin’s life. Look what it did to him when he thought he was dead. So you can go into this with a completely clear conscience, don’t you see?’
At Reenie’s tentative nod, Marge smiled.
‘Just because you know something, doesn’t mean it’s right to tell. Especially when we’re at war.’
Reenie sighed and leant her head against her friend’s shoulder. ‘I wish I was more like you. You always seem to know the best thing to do.’
‘Believe me, I don’t.’ Marge hesitated a moment. ‘Phil asked me to marry him,’ she said quietly.
Reenie sat up and stared at her. ‘But that’s good, isn’t it? If he loves you and you love him . . . Someone very wise said that’s all you need to get married.’
Marge stared back at her solemnly.
‘But you don’t love him, do you?’ Reenie asked.
‘I do love him. But not in the way you love Jim or Marianne loves Alfie. But he loves me. And he needs me right now. How can I say no?’
Reenie pulled her into a hug. ‘That sounds like a terrible reason to get married. And if you married him, you’d probably leave Dover. I once thought that you, me, Daisy and Marianne would be friends forever. Raise our children here, have picnics on the beach, always be there for each other. But things have changed so much. Marianne doesn’t want me to marry Jim, and it’s caused a rift. And you could get sent off God knows where at a moment’s notice . . . Or marry Phil and go and be a vicar’s wife in some country parish. Sometimes it feels like our group died with Daisy.’
‘Oh, love, it’ll never die. As for Marianne, I can’t believe she doesn’t love the thought of having you as a sister-in-law.’
‘Well, it seems she doesn’t. It’s why we decided not to ask her to be a witness. Jim’s as aware of it as I am.’
‘Then it’s just as well I’ll be there, isn’t it?’ Marge said.
Reenie squealed. ‘Really!? I didn’t even ask cos I thought it’d be too short notice.’
‘It was meant to be a surprise. A few days ago, Jim came to ask Rodney to be a witness at the wedding. And he asked Rod to ask me to be the other one. And do you know why? Because he loves you, and as you’d decided not to tell your families, he wanted you to have someone special with you on the day.’
Reenie brightened. ‘Did he? Although everyone knows now, they’ll all be there . . . Still, it was nice of him to think of me.’
‘So, how do you feel now? Are you ready to put your doubts aside and marry the man? Or do you want me to deliver a “Dear John” letter to the town hall?’
Reenie smiled slightly. ‘I’d never ask you to do that. But it’s funny, I thought that Jim asking me to marry him would make me the happiest I’ve ever been, but this last week has left me feeling . . . unsettled, I suppose. But I do love him, so Marianne and Wilf can go hang.’
Marge raised her eyebrows. ‘You think Wilf’s hanging around you cos he doesn’t want you to marry Jim?’
Reenie pulled at a lump of grass, avoiding her gaze. ‘He’s not exactly the sort to tell you what he’s thinking. But he’s implied he thinks I’m making a mistake.’
Marge regarded her reflectively. ‘Hmm. Sounds like he’s jealous and wants you for himself.’
‘It wouldn’t matter if he did! Cos I don’t want him – I want Jimmy,’ Reenie replied emphatically.
Marge grinned. ‘All right, then. Now you’ve sorted things in your mind, you need to get back. Because there’s only four hours until kick-off. And I know I said you couldn’t improve on perfection, but even the Mona Lisa could do with some lippy and a dash of mascara.’
Reenie giggled. ‘At least the Mona Lisa was never forced to wear her aunt’s old wedding dress!’
Marge laughed. ‘Think of it as your something old! Now get out of here and make yourself even more beautiful.’
Reenie leant forward and squeezed Marge to her. ‘Thank you for talking some sense into me. You’re completely right about not telling Jim. It’s going to be difficult, but I know he’ll understand my reasons when he does find out.’