18

‘I know this woman!’ Anya exclaimed, stabbing her finger at the grainy image of a woman on the arm of a German officer. ‘It is Anouska Bartkowicz.’

‘Are you sure?’ Ruth asked. Kenneth puffed on his pipe, nodding thoughtfully.

‘Did I not escape from Poland with her? You learn to know someone when you travel together hiding from the enemy for many weeks. Why is she with this man?’ Anya added with a sneer. ‘She hated these pigs.’

‘Times have changed, particularly in her life,’ Ruth said, looking sympathetic.

‘They cannot have changed that much. She would never fraternize with the people who murdered the people from our village,’ Anya spat. ‘This must be an impostor.’

‘That is why we need your help to identify her at close range,’ Kenneth explained. ‘I cannot tell you much more than that, apart from you identifying this woman will aid the war effort.’

Anya was silent for a moment as she digested his words. ‘What happens next? I hope I am not to be dropped into enemy territory like others I hear of?’

Ruth shook her head. ‘We don’t plan to drop you by parachute due to your lack of training; instead you will meet someone who will take you there and bring you back. You will observe the target and once you are sure she is, or isn’t, Anouska Bartkowicz, you will be brought back to England. Are you confident in your new identity?’

‘A very nice lady is teaching me about my identity, Monique Breton, and I have clothes and papers; I am to have my hair cut after this meeting. I am not sure my Henio would approve as he prefers my long hair and would be surprised to see me use red lipstick, but I will do it if it helps the war to end.’

‘It is to make you look more French and blend in with the other women, so you do not stand out. Your beautiful hair will soon grow, and I’m sure Henio would understand.’

‘When do I go?’

‘Very soon. I will take you to the drop-off point; you will travel at night. Your companion will instruct you about the destination when you meet. There will be an agent in the field who can assist if things go wrong – but they shouldn’t,’ she was quick to add, seeing a look of alarm cross Anya’s face.

‘I will trust you, not that I have much choice. The sooner I am home and with my child, the better,’ she replied.

Ruth turned away in case her thoughts showed on her face.

Rose sat across the kitchen table from her mum, both barely saying a word as the mugs of tea in front of them grew cold.

‘I blame myself; I’ve gone over and over my conversation with Tom White, and not once did I say that the child sleeping in the pram was Alexsy and not Mary. What a fool I’ve been,’ Flora said, giving a bitter sigh.

‘Oh, Mum, you mustn’t think like that. I would have done the same in your shoes,’ Rose said, trying to console her; although privately she knew she wouldn’t even have given Tom White the time of day, let alone tried to help him. ‘Shall I speak to the police again to see if there have been any developments? At least I will feel as though I’ve done something.’

‘Very well, dear. This is the telephone number. Ask for Chief Inspector Atkins – I kicked up such a stink down at the police station, the desk sergeant called a superior.’

Rose took the piece of paper with the number and hurried up the short staircase to the hall, where the telephone sat on a shelf with a notepad and pen beside it. She prayed there was still time to find Alexsy before Anya returned from wherever she had been sent. Oh, if only Ben was home; he’d soon get the information out of his sister, she thought as she picked up the receiver and started to dial.

She’d only just got through to the inspector when someone knocked at the front door. ‘Excuse me for one moment,’ she said politely, expecting it to be one of the residents who were out looking for Alexsy. ‘Oh . . .’

The man standing there, holding a wooden crate and a bunch of flowers, gave her a grin.

‘I’m sorry, I’m on the telephone to the police. Mum’s in the kitchen; you know the way,’ Rose told him before returning to her call.

Down in the kitchen, Flora had started to tidy the kitchen and was wondering what to make for the evening meal. No one had had much of an appetite these past couple of days.

‘Knock, knock,’ a familiar voice called from the doorway, making her jump. ‘I hope I’m not intruding?’

Flora felt her heart flutter. She’d told herself there was no future for her with John Bentley, but still he filled her thoughts and her dreams.

‘Hello, stranger,’ she said, trying to react as if it was perfectly normal for him to walk into her kitchen unannounced. As he placed the crate on the tabletop she pulled off her faded pinny and discreetly ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to tidy herself.

‘Rose told me to come down,’ he said. ‘This is from Lady Diana – and these are from me,’ he added, holding out a bunch of red roses.

‘Oh my goodness; they are gorgeous,’ Flora said, breathing in the heady perfume. ‘Surely they aren’t in season?’

‘Let’s just say I know a man with a hothouse,’ John laughed.

‘You’ve not changed,’ she said, smiling. ‘I know the perfect vase for these. It was a wedding present from the girls in the chorus line when I left the business; it seems so long ago now,’ she sighed, kneeling down in front of the dresser and reaching to the back of one of the three cupboards. She pulled out a tall cut-glass vase. ‘Perfect,’ she said as she rinsed it under the tap before carefully filling it with the long-stemmed roses and placing it in the middle of the table. Finally, she stepped back to gaze at the display. ‘Aren’t they beautiful?’

‘Not as beautiful as you,’ he said, moving towards her.

‘Now, John, we agreed to keep things platonic,’ she said, wagging a finger at him, even though she’d have liked nothing more than to have him kiss her. ‘Besides, my daughter could walk in at any minute.’

John laughed quietly. ‘Rose is a grown-up married woman; I’m sure she wouldn’t deny her mother a romance.’

Flora gave him a stern look. ‘Is that your intention, John? Because you’ve a funny way of showing it. You vanish for months on end, then saunter in as if you were here only yesterday without an apology. I can’t live like that, even if you can. I’d rather be friends and nothing more until such a time as you understand I’m not a woman who only wants a dalliance. I’m not talking of marriage, we’ve both done that – and I won’t live in sin either,’ she said as he raised his eyebrows. ‘I just want some kind of commitment, so until you can make up your mind, then keep your kisses to yourself.’

‘I’ll put the kettle on, then, while you open the crate,’ he said, without showing any kind of upset at her sharp words.

‘Ooh, what is this?’ Rose said as she joined them.

‘A Red Cross parcel from Diana, by the looks of it. She’s such a generous person. When did you see her, John?’

‘I didn’t. She sent the crate down by train from Scotland, I collected it at the station in London and delivered it in person as I’m down this way on business. Tea, Rose?’

‘Please,’ she replied, sitting close to where Flora was pulling back the lid and removing the straw packing. ‘If you don’t have a use for the crate, it would make a lovely toy box for Mary; that’s if you don’t want it for Daisy?’

‘What a good idea. Daisy has a toy box, so I’ll have Mildred drop it over to Captain’s Cottage when she’s passing,’ Flora said as she pulled out the first of the items. ‘My goodness, a Dundee cake; I didn’t even think these were being made since the war started. And a bottle of whisky, and a haggis; I’ve not eaten that for years. It’s delicious,’ she said, seeing Rose’s look of distaste.

‘I almost forgot,’ Rose said, reaching into the pocket of her dress and pulling out an envelope. ‘This was by the telephone; I spotted it while speaking to the police. Your name is on the front, Mum.’

John looked puzzled as he brought the tea to the table. ‘What’s this about the police, if you don’t mind me asking?’

‘Anya’s son has gone missing,’ Rose started to explain. ‘Everyone is out looking for him.’

‘Not everyone,’ Flora said, looking miffed as she continued to unpack the crate. ‘Mildred has decided to go and visit a family friend, so won’t be home for a few days. I’d have thought better of her, when we have an emergency on our hands,’ she said, pulling out a beef joint and a shoulder of lamb. ‘Gosh, Diana is so generous. In my next life I’m going to marry a man who owns a farm in Scotland and doesn’t mind feeding his friends during wartime. Help me put these in the larder, Rose, then we can sit down and tell John what has happened. You never know, he may have an idea that can help us.’

Flora and Rose held nothing back, from Anya’s mysterious absence to Alexsy going missing. They even explained how Jennie had moved into Captain’s Cottage for a while to help care for the children so the girls could go to work.

‘It’s been like playing chess at times. We’ve even planned our shifts at the two shops around caring for the little ones,’ Rose explained. She looked at her mum. ‘I’m moving back in here for the foreseeable future. I’ll let Ben know, and pop over to the house and shut it up for a while. I have good neighbours who will keep an eye on it and let me know if anything should happen.’

‘Happen?’ John asked.

‘Air raids. We are at war, if you’d not noticed,’ Rose ribbed him.

‘Tell me more about this Tom White,’ he said, taking a small diary and a pencil from an inside pocket of his jacket. He started to make notes as the women talked, and occasionally asked questions. ‘Where does he tend to pick up his lady friends?’ he asked, trying to be tactful.

‘He found Jennie at the Ramsgate teashop, but we feel he was only in there to try to find out about Lily. From what I remember, when he worked for Joe Lyons, he did like to have a drink. If he is still in the area, no doubt he’ll be visiting the pubs,’ Rose said.

Flora looked concerned. ‘He wouldn’t take Alexsy to a pub, would he? People would ask questions, and with the number of posters we’ve pinned up around town he’d be a fool to even try it.’

‘What if he isn’t working alone?’ John suggested.

‘I can see no reason why he would work with someone else. Unless . . .’ Flora started to speak, but hesitated and looked to John for guidance.

‘Unless what, John?’ Rose asked frantically. ‘If you have an idea, please share it with us.’

‘Well, perhaps he has someone lined up to take on a little girl for the right price. There must be plenty of couples who would adore to be parents of a daughter he is not interested in. Why else would he come back to Ramsgate and ask about Lily and where she lives?’

Rose’s eyes opened wide. ‘You could be right. But what happens when he realizes it isn’t Mary, and instead he has stolen a little boy?’

‘I’ve been worrying about that all day,’ Flora said miserably. ‘Oh God, it’s all so dreadful.’ She leant her head into her arms and started to weep.

‘Stop crying,’ John told her firmly. ‘We’ve got to keep thinking about what could have happened. Then we can go out and find him.’

Flora wiped her eyes and straightened up, apologizing. ‘I’m fine,’ she said as Rose looked concerned. ‘John’s right; let’s keep thinking. I take it the police have not come up with anything, Rose?’

‘They made all the right noises, but I didn’t learn anything from the conversation. Our hopes lie with what we can do ourselves.’

John looked thoughtful. ‘If he, or a possible companion, wanted to get rid of the boy, where would they take him? I’m not even suggesting they’d have killed him and got rid of the body. Tom White may be a bad one, but I doubt even he would stoop to killing an innocent child.’

‘Perhaps he’d have left him somewhere?’ Flora chipped in.

‘We can forget about them leaving him on the doorstep of a police station, as we’d have heard by now.’

‘Put yourself in his place: what would you do?’

‘I would want to leave the child somewhere safe. And I’d also want to know who he was,’ Flora answered.

‘Mum, if he’s still in the area, the chances are he will have found out who Alexsy is from all the posters and the locals gossiping. He’s only got to overhear someone talking. I do believe he will leave Alexsy somewhere safe – somewhere where he will be found. Have you checked our back garden? The gate isn’t locked. I doubt he would leave Alexsy on the front steps . . .’

The women looked at each other for a moment and then leapt up and dashed to the back door, flinging it wide open. There wasn’t a child in the garden.

‘That was a silly idea. He’d know he might be seen entering our small garden,’ Flora said as she closed the door.

‘It was worth checking, Mum. We don’t know what he’s thinking.’

Flora started to pace around the kitchen. ‘We’ve got to work it out; I feel as though we are almost there.’

‘It would help if we had a photograph of Tom that could be shown around town. Didn’t the police ask if Lily had one?’

‘They did, but Lily was so shocked at the idea of him trying to abduct Mary that she couldn’t think straight at the time. There again, they didn’t have the kind of courtship that she’d have kept mementos,’ Flora explained to John. ‘Would you agree, Rose?’

Frown lines creased Rose’s forehead. ‘Mum, do you have the family photograph album handy? I’m sure I gave you a couple of photos that were taken at the Margate teashop’s Christmas dance round about the time Tom White worked for the company.’

‘I put a lot of our photos into a biscuit tin and hid it under a floorboard in the cupboard under the stairs, in case the house took a hit during an air raid. I’ll get it now,’ Flora said as the ominous sound of the air-raid siren started to build from a few streets away. ‘Trust Moaning Minnie to interrupt us,’ she sighed. ‘Rose, can you go and collect Miss Tibbs and Daisy? They are sorting out Miss Tibbs’ button box,’ she smiled. ‘John, grab those bags by the door while I fill the flasks, and then we must hurry to the tunnels. I take it you will join us?’

‘Try to keep me away,’ he said, already on his feet and following her instructions.