20

Anya looked about her as she stood on the stony shore, trying to keep her balance in the strange shoes she’d been given to wear. Heavy, laced-up brogues were not what she was used to, and the leather was already rubbing on her little toe. She would kick them off once on the boat and see what she could do to make them more comfortable. Steeling herself to forget about her discomfort and take notice of her surroundings, she tried to recall all she been told.

But where was she? It wasn’t Ramsgate or Margate, she knew that for sure. It had been hard to distinguish landmarks while Ruth was driving her to the Kent coast, where she was to meet the boat and the person who would accompany her to France. Thinking it must be Seasalter, or perhaps Reculver, which she’d seen on a map that Flora kept in the hall of Sea View for the residents to use, she turned to Ruth, who was puffing on another cigarette. ‘The boat is late. Perhaps it isn’t coming, and we can all go home and forget this foolish idea.’

Ruth spoke sharply. ‘It is not foolish, as well you know. Besides, the boat is here. If you look out there, you will see a torch signalling to us.’

Anya peered out into the darkness. After staring for a little while, she spotted a pinprick of light. ‘How am I to get out to the boat? I do not swim,’ she snapped. Her stomach was so tight with nerves that she felt sick.

‘There is a rowing boat on its way. It may be a good idea to remove your shoes and stockings, as you will have to paddle a few feet.’

‘Thank goodness,’ Anya groaned as she kicked off the shoes. She reached under the heavy tweed skirt to unclip her rough woollen stockings from the suspenders, stuffing them into the worn leather bag that hung over her shoulder.

‘Tie the laces together and hang the shoes round your neck so they don’t drop into the sea,’ Ruth instructed.

Once the shoes were secure, Anya took a few steps forward and dipped her toes into the gently lapping waves, then swore quietly. ‘Bloody hell, the water is cold. I hope I do not fall in from the boat,’ she said, attempting to laugh. As she spoke the words, her fear returned. ‘Promise me you will kiss my son for me. Go to Sea View tomorrow and do just that. Whisper in his ear that his mama and tata love him dearly. You will do that for me?’

‘I promise, but you will soon be home to tell him yourself, Anya. Keep your son in your heart and tell yourself you will see him very soon.’

‘I will try,’ Anya said as she continued to look out to the estuary that led to the sea and to France.

‘Ahoy there!’ a boy called out, steering a small rowing boat close to the beach. As he approached the shore, they could see that he was wearing a balaclava helmet and was dressed in black, making him harder to see or to identify.

‘I hope the boat that is taking me to France is bigger than that,’ Anya said.

Ruth tried to match her dry humour. ‘You are safe; the boat taking you over the Channel is slightly larger,’ she chuckled. She picked up the leather bag and handed it to the lad, who was trying to coax Anya into his boat. ‘Godspeed,’ Ruth called to them as loud as she dared, watching the boat disappear into the darkness.

‘How long will this take?’ Anya asked. She didn’t like that the boat sat so low in the water; she feared it would sink.

‘Only a couple more minutes and we’ll be there,’ said the boy as he pulled on the oars and breathed deeply.

Anya watched him. ‘You are a brave person, doing this.’

‘Nah, being out in all weathers fishing is brave. This is easy work,’ he said as he stopped rowing and let the small boat glide along until it bumped against the side of a larger vessel. ‘Here you are, madam; there’s a rope ladder you can climb up to get on board. I’ll bring your bag.’

Anya had slipped her feet into her shoes while the lad was rowing. She tied the laces and stood up, trying not to rock the boat too much. With her heart in her mouth, she grabbed the rope ladder and tentatively took a step up, followed by another; one foot after the other, praying she wouldn’t slip. As she reached the top of the ladder, a rough hand reached out and hauled her over, whereupon she fell in an inelegant heap onto the deck.

‘At least stand up. We can’t beat the Jerries with you flat out on the deck like that.’

Anya shook her head to clear her thoughts and looked up. ‘Mildred?’

‘That’s me,’ Mildred chuckled. ‘You look as gobsmacked as I was when I was told you were my passenger,’ she added, taking Anya’s hand and helping her to her feet.

The lad in the rowing boat hauled the leather bag over the side and called out to Mildred. ‘I’ll be off then, boss, if you don’t need anything else doing?’

‘Cheers, Josh. Don’t forget, if anyone asks about me, I’ve gone off on my holidays to visit family. I’ll see you all right for any days’ fishing you’ve missed.’

‘Are you sure I can’t come with you? We’re due some bad weather and you’ll be glad of an extra pair of hands.’

‘Anya can help me,’ Mildred answered as she waved goodbye to the lad.

‘I have no knowledge of boats; I don’t even like the fish you catch,’ Anya said, wrinkling her nose. ‘This boat smells of you.’

Mildred roared with laughter. ‘This trip is going to be interesting with you not even sounding like a Frenchie, let alone looking like one. Come on, let’s go below and have a mug of cocoa before we set off.’

Anya looked about with interest. In all the time she’d lived at Sea View she’d managed not to venture onto Mildred’s boat. She would have to get used to the pungent smell of fish. ‘And you are to accompany me; are you sure you are up to it?’

‘There have been no complaints so far,’ Mildred replied as she led the way down a short flight of steps to below deck. Anya spotted a small area containing a stove and a table; there was a bench against the side of the boat. Elsewhere she could see a heap of fishing nets and boxes.

‘Am I able to ask how many times . . .?’

‘A dozen or so, and before you ask, yes, I’ve been off the boat and on foreign soil as well.’

Anya shook her head as she took it all in. ‘I had no idea you got up to this kind of thing. I thought you went out to catch fish and sell it – and give Flora enough to feed us. I know I complain about the fish, but I want you to know I am grateful. But how do you get the fish when you are out fighting the enemy?’

Mildred shrugged her shoulders. ‘There are a few of us who do this kind of thing, and part of working undercover is to share the catches. Otherwise people would become suspicious.’

‘Do you change your clothes when you get to France?’ Anya asked, looking at Mildred’s attire: oily overalls, wellington boots and a knitted bobble hat that had seen better days.

‘Yes, and I scrub up well,’ Mildred laughed as she put a can of water onto the small stove and checked the flame underneath. ‘That should do,’ she said, closing the small door to the stove.

‘Are we going to set off, or just sit here in the middle of the sea drinking cocoa? The sooner this is over, the sooner I can be home.’

‘I’m giving Josh time to get clear before I fire up the engine. We are still in the estuary now; when we get out into the Channel, that’s when it gets dangerous.’ Mildred poured hot water into two mugs and, after stirring the liquid frantically with a bent spoon, handed one to Anya. ‘Come and sit up on deck and enjoy the view while you can,’ she said, once again leading the way.

‘The night is as black as coal out here. What is there to see?’

‘Sit still and look to the heavens. You will soon see what I see.’

Anya sat down on a wooden bench and leant back against the bridge, staring into the night sky. ‘I cannot see the moon, but there are a few pinpoints of twinkling stars. They are too far away to see properly, which is a shame.’

‘Thank goodness they are. I’d have preferred a sea mist, or even a heavy fog, so that we could slip through unseen; but there is heavy rain on the way, which will help. It’ll be a bit rough, but that means there won’t be as many enemy patrol boats on the French side.’

Anya felt squeamish at the thought. ‘Perhaps we should go back until the weather is better, then we can try again?’

Mildred laughed heartily again, almost spilling her cocoa. ‘Now I will explain to you what we are going to do to get safely across so we can track down this friend of yours.’

‘She is not my friend,’ Anya snapped. ‘I am just to identify someone I once knew at home in Poland.’

‘That’s as may be, but we must get you there first.’ Mildred picked up an overall that had been lying on the floor. ‘You will wear this over your clothes, along with a hat like mine – and tuck your hair underneath. I want you to look like one of my helpers. Yes, I know it is dirty,’ she said as Anya made a face. ‘It smells of fish as well, so you’ll have to put up with it. We want to fool the Germans into thinking we are out fishing.’

Anya was aghast. ‘You mean you will speak with them?’

‘It has been known, and that is why I always have a crate of fish ready to hand over to them.’

‘If I had a gun, I would shoot them all,’ Anya spat. ‘You are a traitor colluding with the enemy. You should be locked up along with your stinky fish.’

Mildred laughed again. ‘Bless you, girl. It has taken ages for the Germans in their patrol boats to get used to the fishing vessels. Along with the French fishermen, we’ve risked life and limb to gradually inch closer, and if it means we hand over some of our catch, all the better. All the time we keep fishing, it is possible for one of our boats to slip through and drop off an agent. Do you understand now?’

Anya was thoughtful. ‘You are saying there are other fishermen out here tonight just to help me get through.’

‘And me. When we leave this boat, someone will slip on board and take over the Saucy Milly.’

‘It sounds too easy,’ Anya said, not wanting to believe what she had been told.

‘It has worked several times before; we just have to hope we will be lucky again.’

‘When haven’t you been lucky?’

Mildred shook her head, not wanting to mention that one of the agents she had helped had been shot. All she’d brought home on that voyage was the body of a brave young woman.

‘How do we get back?’

‘The fishing fleet will be out on certain nights when there isn’t a full moon; a rowing boat will be waiting at a set time. If we aren’t there, they will return twice more . . .’

‘Then . . .?’

‘Then they will presume our mission has failed, and will not return.’

Anya shuddered. Ruth had told her nothing of the dangers involved in getting to France, let alone escaping afterwards.

Flora couldn’t sleep; she had so many ideas spinning around in her head. In front of her the mug of Camp coffee was going cold while in her hands she held the primrose yellow blanket she’d collected that day from the chemist’s. John’s follow-up chat with Mr Francis hadn’t yielded very much additional information. Even with John adopting the air of someone in authority, Francis had not provided a detailed description of the couple who’d dropped the blanket. One minute he thought she was blonde; the next he wondered if she might have been wearing a headscarf over her hair. The man had apparently worn a mackintosh, like so many others who were not in uniform.

John was apologetic when he returned to Sea View, and Flora could not comfort him very well, as she’d hoped for so much more. He made his apologies, as he had to head back to London, but told Flora and Rose to keep thinking about where the mysterious couple might be. They knew the town better than he did – where would a couple with a child have gone, that’s if they hadn’t left Thanet?

‘Mum?’

‘Rose, love; did I wake you?’ Flora said, as Rose entered the kitchen. She was wrapped up in the old dressing gown she kept at Sea View for times like this when she didn’t go home to her cottage in Pegwell Bay.

‘No. I did drop off, then had an awful nightmare where Tom White was auctioning off baby Alexsy to the highest bidder.’

‘Goodness, that must have been frightening.’

‘It was, and every time I tried to bid the words wouldn’t come out of my mouth. He was standing on a stage and looking down on us all and Alexsy was crying his little heart out. I woke in such a sweat.’

‘You look flushed even now. Let me make you a cup of hot milk? It might help you drop off to sleep.’

‘No, I’m past feeling tired. I’d rather sit down here with you, that’s if you don’t mind?’

‘Of course not. Let’s move over to sit by the stove, it’ll be warmer there. It looks like rain is on the way,’ Flora remarked, looking out of the window as she moved to her armchair. A flash of lightning lit up the night sky. ‘I’d hate to be out at sea on a night like this.’