A New Day (15 page)

‘I’m not going to let them stop us spending some time together, Alan. Even if we do have to keep dodging into shelters.’

He smiled down at her. ‘We’ll try to keep away from the bombs then.’

She squeezed his arm, pleased he hadn’t argued with her about staying.

They didn’t appear to be in much danger where they were, so they stayed just outside the shelter, ready to dive in if anything got too close. It was almost dawn before the sound of the bombers eventually ceased, and after a while the all-clear sounded.

‘I’ll take you home, Hanna.’

‘And then I suppose you are going over there.’ She pointed towards the glow in the sky.

‘I might be able to help. I’ve had first-aid training in the police. I can’t just ignore this, darling.’

‘I know, but you’re not leaving me behind. I’m good with children and I think they are going to need all the help they can get. I grew up in the East End, Alan, and if I can do anything then I will.’ She glanced up at his face and put her finger on his lips to stop him protesting. ‘How are we going to get there?’

He shrugged, accepting her decision even if he obviously didn’t like her being in the danger area. ‘That won’t be easy, but we’ll find a way.’ He clasped her hand tightly and they headed for the main road.

The first thing they saw was a taxi, so Alan waved him down.

‘Where do you want to go, mate?’

‘Get us as near to the East End as you can, please.’

The driver pursed his lips. ‘Hop in. I’ll see what I can do, but the roads are probably closed around there.’

‘Do the best you can.’ They got in and gave each other a grim smile.

‘Looks like that swine has changed his tactics and is going to try and bomb us into submission,’ the driver said, when they were on their way. ‘Wasting his time, of course. All he’s going to do is make us bloody mad!’

The driver continued to chat and Hanna and Alan were content to sit back and listen. Their progress was good at first, and then they began to come up against blocked-off roads. After many twists and turns the driver pulled up. The road in front of them was strewn with rubble and the smoke from burning buildings was overpowering.

‘What a bloody mess,’ the driver muttered, and then turned back to look at them. ‘This is as far as I can take you. Will it do?’

‘Yes, thanks very much.’ They climbed out and Alan took out his wallet. ‘How much do we owe you?’

‘Nothing, mate. Can’t charge you on a night like this. We’ve all got to do our bit.’

Hanna shook her head as the taxi turned and roared away. ‘That’s the first time I’ve ever known a cabbie refuse to take his fare.’

‘Hmm.’ Alan was preoccupied, scanning the street in front of them. ‘We can’t go down there. That building is blazing and there are firemen everywhere, so we mustn’t get in their way. Let’s see if we can get through down a side street.’

‘Oh, look!’ Hanna gasped, breaking into a trot to keep up with Alan. ‘These houses have been flattened, and people are trapped, by the look of it.’

‘Need some help?’ Alan asked as soon as they reached a group of men trying to move heavy rubble.

Another soldier looked up and nodded. ‘Help me shift this, but be careful. We think there’s someone under there.’

Hanna stood back for a moment wondering what she could do, and then she saw a woman stepping over rubble with a toddler and a baby in her arms. She hurried over. ‘Do you need a hand? Where are you going?’

A policeman came up to her with another woman and two small children, both boys. ‘Miss, take these to the church hall, down the road and turn left.’

‘Right.’ She held her hand out to the girl who was about the same age as the twins. ‘Let’s find this place, shall we?’

‘Where’s our house, Mum?’ One of the boys was staring up and down the road, refusing to move.

‘It ain’t there no more, Jimmy,’ his mother told him with a break in her voice. ‘A bomb fell on it when we was in the shelter.’

Hanna stooped down to the bemused child and took his hand. ‘I’m going to take you somewhere where your mum can get help. They’ll give you food and find you somewhere to stay.’

He stared at her, his bottom lip trembling. ‘My dad ain’t ’alf gonna be mad when he finds out.’

Keeping hold of him with one hand and the little girl in the other, Hanna urged them along, and easily found the hall. It was crowded.

‘Ah, come in, my darlings.’ A WVS woman hastily pulled the blackout curtain back in place, making sure not a chink of light showed.

That struck Hanna as slightly unnecessary considering the whole area was lit up with burning fires, but she realized there was no point in getting careless. Seeing that her charges were now being taken good care of, she went out to see if she could find any more women who needed a helping hand.

Hanna was kept busy, and it was well into the morning when she returned to the hall where the volunteers were serving tea for the rescue services. After gulping down a welcome cup of tea, she was just about to look for Alan when he walked in the door. His uniform was torn, and he was covered in dust.

He downed two mugs of tea without stopping, and then he held his hand out to her. ‘We’d better be getting back.’

They were both given heartfelt thanks for their help, and they walked up the road, too weary to talk.

It wasn’t until they reached the main road that Hanna gave a short laugh of disbelief. ‘Look at that! The buses are running!’

The bombers came again the next night, but Hanna was determined that she and Alan would spend the two days together. She was well aware that as the war went on she would see less and less of him, so she was not going to allow anything to stop them spending a couple of precious days together.

When it was time for her to return to the farm, Alan took her to the station and kissed her goodbye. She got on the train feeling troubled and sad, not only about the destruction she had seen, but also because they had no idea when they would see each other again.

As soon as she walked into the yard, Jane hurried out to meet her. ‘Hanna, we are so relieved to see you. We’ve heard the news about the bombing, and it must have been frightening. Are you all right?’

‘I’m fine, but it wasn’t pleasant.’

‘Come in and sit down, my dear. We want to hear all about it.’

Mildred already had the kettle on, and George and Pete were also waiting in the kitchen anxious for news. They listened intently to Hanna’s account of the bombing, and what they did after the raids.

‘Oh, those poor people.’ Jane’s expression was one of sadness and anger. She began to pace the room. ‘I feel so helpless being here, but Sam has told me very firmly that my job is to keep the boys and myself safe. He said that if he didn’t survive the war and I put myself in danger, then our little ones could lose both parents.’

‘He’s right.’ Hanna was on her feet in alarm. ‘It’s devastating for young children to find themselves suddenly orphans, as Jack and I know only too well. You must stay here. London is a very dangerous place now, and Hitler has threatened to destroy it, along with other cities. No, no, you mustn’t take any risks.’ The thought of those two lovely boys ending up orphaned like her and Jack was horrifying.

Jane nodded, sitting down again, sighing deeply. ‘You’re quite right, of course, but I’ve got to do something, Hanna.’

‘I’ve been thinking about that while I was on the train. I spoke to women with young children whose homes were just rubble, and every one of them had a husband in the forces.’ Hanna hesitated, wondering if she had the right to suggest this.

‘Go on,’ Jane urged.

Taking a deep breath, she continued. ‘There are two cottages on the farm. Pete said they used to be for farmhands, but haven’t been occupied for a long time and are in a state, but if we could make them habitable then they would do for two families.’ When Jane just stared at her, Hanna thought she might have overstepped the mark, and said hastily, ‘You don’t have to agree if you think it’s a daft idea.’

‘I think it’s a splendid idea!’ Jane pulled Hanna out of her seat. ‘Let’s go and have a look at them now. Mildred, the boys are having a nap, but would you keep an ear out for them? We won’t be long. And George, your advice will be welcome, and you can take us there in one of the trucks.’

In no time at all they were trundling along in the ancient truck and George said, ‘This is a grand idea, but it will take a deal of work to make the cottages fit to live in, even if it’s at all possible.’

‘We’ll make it possible.’ Jane smiled at Hanna, a determined glint in her eyes. ‘What does Rose Freeman always say, Hanna?’

‘Nothing is impossible.’

‘Exactly!’

The first inspection of the cottages had Hanna doubting that statement. She had only ever seen them from the outside. ‘Perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea after all.’

‘It can and must be done,’ Jane said, undaunted by the mess. ‘What do you think, George?’

‘Well . . .’ He rubbed his chin, and then walked around knocking on walls. ‘Seem sound enough, but we need to get the rubbish out first and then have a proper look. First job after that will be to repair the roofs. Looks like rain has been getting in.’

‘Can you get some men from the village to do the work?’

‘No trouble there, Mrs Harcourt. I know a couple of builders who would be glad of the work.’

‘Good. Go and see them now. I want these ready as quickly as possible.’

The next two weeks flew by in a flurry of activity. The two cottages were almost ready, and much needed because the intensive bombing of London was still going on. Andrew and David had started at the nursery school and appeared to be settling in well, although it wasn’t without problems. Some mornings it took a lot of persuading to make them go to school. They often wanted to work in the gardens and couldn’t understand why they had to go every day.

After one such morning, Jane and Hanna collapsed into chairs, exhausted. When the twins decided on something it was a hard task talking them out of it.

Mildred put a tray of tea in front of them. ‘I thought you could do with this.’

‘Oh, bless you.’ Jane sat up straight. ‘Just what we need.’

Hanna poured for both of them. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen the boys be that stubborn before.’

‘I have, but not for some time.’ Jane sipped her tea. ‘We’ve tried never to force them to do something without explaining why it should be done, but they were determined this morning. You were very good, Hanna, and finally got through to them. It was a relief to see them go into the school quite happily in the end. Sam and I realized early on that they weren’t going to be easy children to bring up, and we decided that we wouldn’t fight with them, or give them orders they didn’t understand. I swear that as soon as they were born they looked at us in their knowing way, and silently said, “All right, we’re here, and from now on we’re the boss.”’

Hanna laughed along with Jane and marvelled at her good luck in finding this job. She had been included in the family as soon as she had arrived, and now there was a lovely feeling of companionship. The usual formality of mistress and servant didn’t exist in this household, and that was unusual. The war was breaking down a lot of the old ways, as everyone was in this conflict together, but she doubted that the Harcourt household had ever been any different.

There was a rap on the front door and Mildred went to answer. She was soon back. ‘There’s someone to see you, Mrs Harcourt.’

The door opened wide and Jane jumped to her feet, a wide smile of pleasure on her face. ‘Rose! I thought you were in Wales.’

‘I’m on my way to London and you mentioned in your last letter that you had two cottages for victims of the bombing. Can I see them?’

‘Of course. Mildred, can we have a fresh pot of tea, and then would you ask George if he would bring the truck round?’

‘Right away.’

‘Hello Hanna.’ Rose Freeman turned her dark eyes on Hanna. ‘I hear this was your idea.’

She nodded. ‘I was in London the first night of the bombing and saw the plight of those made homeless. Two homes are a mere drop in the ocean, but it would help a couple of families.’

‘Quite right.’ Rose sat down. ‘Are the cottages ready?’

‘Just about,’ Jane told her.

‘Good. Would you like me to find you suitable tenants?’

‘That would be a big help, Rose,’ Jane agreed, handing her a cup of tea. ‘We weren’t sure how to go about getting someone.’

‘You can leave all that to me.’ Not wasting any time Rose drank the tea and was on her feet, heading for the yard where George was waiting to drive them to the cottages.

Hanna jumped into the back of the truck, leaving the two women to squeeze in the front. Work was still going on when they reached the cottages, but the workmen had said that all would be finished in another couple of days.

After a thorough examination of the homes, Rose pronounced them excellent. ‘I’ll be in London for three days so I’ll find you two families and bring them back with me. Have you got enough petrol to drive me to the station, George?’

‘I’ve got enough for that, Mrs Freeman.’

‘You’re not going at once, surely?’ Jane protested. ‘Can’t you stay for lunch?’

‘Thanks, but I can’t spare the time.’

Jane and Hanna got out at the house and waved to Rose as she left.

‘Phew!’ Hanna shook her head. ‘Does Mrs Freeman ever stop long enough to draw breath? She didn’t say what she was going to do in London.’

‘Whatever it is she’ll be in the thick of things. She’s always been like that. Like us, her family have moved to the country, but I didn’t think she would stay there all the time. She’ll be back and forth, helping in any way she can, and we’re lucky because she will choose carefully for us from the most needy.’

‘She’s never forgotten her roots, has she?’ Hanna said thoughtfully.

‘No.’ Jane looked at her, a sad smile on her face. ‘Just as you never will. That’s why you went to the East End after that first raid.’

‘I suppose you’re right.’

‘Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. Let’s go and see what Mildred has managed to find for our lunch. I don’t know how she manages to produce such delicious meals with the meagre rations we have today.’