The Lie (4 page)

Two

‘
H
ow was your sister's party?' Carole Mortimer asked when Emily arrived for work the following afternoon, which happened to be a Sunday. It was a warm summer's day, too good to be indoors really, and the office where they worked seemed stuffy and airless. ‘Was it nice?'

‘Yes, I suppose so,' Emily replied, with a guilty flush. ‘I was only there for a few minutes  . . .'

‘And what did you do then?' Carole was a bubbly, plump girl with bright blue eyes that sparked with laughter, and she was laughing now. ‘You've got that look in your eyes, Emily. Who was he then?'

‘What look?' Emily giggled as she saw her friend's expression, her guilt fleeing as suddenly as it had come. ‘Frances introduced us at the party, and he asked if I wanted to go for a spin in his Morgan roadster  . . .'

‘So?' Carole demanded. ‘What happened then?'

‘We drove to Ely, walked by the river, had toast and honey for tea, and then he drove me home.'

‘That's all?' Carole looked at her in disbelief. ‘I don't believe you. Come on, now tell me the rest.'

Emily was saved from having to comply by the appearance of their supervisor, who sent them scurrying to their posts. She was glad of the intervention for she hadn't wanted to confess all of it to Carole. They were good friends, but this was something rather precious, something she wanted to keep to herself for the moment.

Simon had stopped the car in a quiet lane on their way home. For a moment or two he'd sat looking at her, then leaned forward to kiss her softly on the lips.

‘I hope you don't mind? I've been wanting to do that all afternoon.'

‘No, I don't mind. I liked it.'

‘Then you won't mind if I do it again,' Simon said, taking her into his arms this time. His kiss had been passionate, demanding and yet tender, arousing feelings that Emily hadn't realized she could feel. When he let her go she sat looking at him, her eyes wide with wonder. ‘You really are rather terrific, Emily.'

‘Am I?' She felt faintly bemused, because she was way out of her depth. ‘Thanks  . . .'

‘I'm not just saying it. I think I've fallen in love with you.'

‘You can't  . . . you don't know me yet.'

‘How long does it take to know you're in love?'

‘I don't know. Is that what this is – the shaky feeling inside and wanting to  . . .? Oh, I don't know, but when you kissed me I wanted it to go on and on for ever.'

Simon laughed huskily. He gave her cheek a teasing flick with his fingers. ‘Yes, that's it, Emily. I wanted to go on and on, and a lot more than kissing – but there's time for all that. I have to go back to my base tomorrow, but I get leave in two weeks. I shall come to the wedding, and then drive back to spend my leave at home. Would you come with me? Would your family let you?'

‘My family  . . .' Emily wondered who was her family now. She'd adored her father, and she was fond of her sister, but Frances wouldn't be there anymore. It would be just Margaret and Connor at home in future. ‘There's no one to stop me, Simon. I sleep at the hostel in Cambridge five nights a week. Margaret won't even know I'm not there.'

‘Good.' He brushed a lock of hair back from her cheek. He seemed to be thinking deeply and his expression puzzled her. Just what was on his mind? ‘I know my family will love you, and I think you will love them. Can you get time off from your job?'

‘I shall just tell the school I'm needed – I only work as a volunteer there – and I'm due for some leave from the Fire Service so it shouldn't be a problem. I'll ask and tell you at the wedding.'

‘That's a date then,' he said, and kissed her again, gently this time. ‘I do like you an awful lot, Emily. I think I might just have found the girl for me, the one I've been looking for.'

Now what did he mean by that? Surely he couldn't be talking about anything as serious as marriage this soon? And yet his words and the look in his eyes were making her heart beat faster.

Emily felt as if she were being swept away on a tidal wave. No one had ever kissed her like that, and they certainly hadn't looked at her the way Simon did, or said such exciting things. He had given her goose pimples all over and she half thought she was dreaming.

She'd woken from the dream very quickly when Simon dropped her outside her door and went off without coming in to say goodbye to anyone else. Frances had pounced on her immediately, and her news had been so startling that she'd forgotten her magical interlude as she went upstairs to Daniel's room.

‘Can I come in, Dan?' she'd asked, knocking softly. ‘It's Emily  . . .'

‘Wait a moment  . . .' The door had been unlocked a few seconds later and she'd been shocked at the change in her brother. Frances had told her he looked pale, but he was so thin and his face was grey with exhaustion. ‘Sorry. I didn't want anyone coming in without warning.'

‘Shall I go away and leave you to rest?'

‘No, come in for a few minutes.' He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. ‘Mind my left arm and shoulder. They're still a bit sore, and the journey tired me, but I'm all right.'

‘You look as if you should still be in hospital.'

‘I probably should, but I wanted to come home.'

‘I ought not to have written, but I thought you would want to know.'

‘Yes, of course. They only gave me your letter two days ago.'

‘It's ages since I wrote.'

‘Yes, I know. That's the Army for you. They lose everything – equipment, men, letters; nothing too small or too large for them to mislay.'

‘Is it really that bad?'

‘Sometimes it seems that way,' he said, with a wry grin. ‘It certainly felt that way on that damned beach. For a while we thought they were just going to leave us there, and we expected to die.'

‘It must have been awful. We read about it in the papers and heard it on the radio, and I saw a newsreel at the cinema. I wanted to visit you but they said no, and then  . . . I couldn't. It was so awful when Dad died. He was irritable for a couple of weeks or so before they finally took him to hospital, but we none of us knew anything was wrong. Margaret did try to tell him to go to the doctor's but he wouldn't, and then he got so bad that I rang the doctor myself. They sent him to hospital but he was in a coma by the time he got there and he just never came round. He had blood poisoning they said  . . . the wound had gone septic because he neglected it.'

‘So it was his own fault then?'

‘Yes, I don't know what had got into him. He was in a mood for some weeks, snapping at everyone, then he got much worse and I saw him hobbling. I asked him what was wrong and he shouted at me. None of us could talk to him.'

‘He must have had something on his mind. You've no idea what was bothering him, of course?'

‘I wondered if he might have quarrelled with Margaret, but I'm not sure. I don't know what else it could be – but Clay or Henry might. You know they wouldn't tell me anything important.'

‘They still think you're a little girl, I expect, but you're not little Emmy anymore.'

‘No, I've grown up.'

‘Working for the Fire Service I hear?' Daniel smiled at her. ‘I expect that keeps you busy.'

‘There aren't many days without several call-outs,' Emily said, and gave him a wry smile. ‘But we don't want to talk shop – How long are you home for?'

‘Three months, I think,' he replied. ‘I've got to see my own doctor next week and have regular check-ups, and then I'll go back for a medical at the military hospital. After that I expect they will find me a job of some kind.'

‘Then at least you will be here for a while – unless you want to stay with friends?'

‘Most of my friends are here,' Daniel replied, with a little frown. He didn't want to think about other friends, friends who had died – suddenly, some of them; others in slow agony, waiting on that beach. ‘I can't do much on the farm or I would offer to help, but I'll give Henry a hand with the accounts if he wants.'

‘Dad's lawyer wanted to talk to you when you were fit,' Emily said. ‘I suppose it's to do with  . . . well, the land and things. I'm not sure how things have been left. Apparently, there's a small trust for me, but I didn't go to the reading so I don't know the rest. Henry probably knows.'

‘Yes, I expect so,' Daniel said. ‘I suppose I'd better come down now. It will be time for dinner soon and I could do with something, even if it's only a drink.' He frowned. ‘I had better say hello to Margaret. We haven't met yet  . . .'

‘Stop dreaming, Miss Searles,' the sharp voice of her supervisor cut through Emily's thoughts. ‘I've asked you twice to come into my office.'

‘Yes, Miss Brown.' Emily came out of her reverie and got to her feet just as her phone started to ring. ‘Shall I  . . .?'

‘Leave it to one of the other girls. I want to talk to you now.'

Now what had she done wrong? Emily knew that she had been lost in her thoughts when her supervisor called her, but she'd only answered three emergency calls that afternoon. For once they were having a quiet time of it, only a couple of small domestic fires and a potentially more serious one at the jam factory.

‘I'm sorry if I wasn't listening, Miss Brown,' Emily said, as she entered the office. ‘My brother came home yesterday. He was wounded at Dunkirk and has been in hospital for weeks.'

‘I'm sorry to hear that he was wounded, but having had experience of the reality of war yourself, Miss Searles, perhaps it will help you to understand why we need to transfer you.'

‘Transfer me?' Emily stared at her in surprise. ‘I don't understand – have I done something wrong?'

‘Quite the opposite,' the supervisor said, and her sharp features relaxed into a smile. ‘I think you are ready for more responsibility and more demanding work, Emily. They are crying out for girls like you in the big industrial cities, and I want to put you on my transfer list. You might be sent to Coventry or Liverpool, Southampton – or even London. How would you feel about that?'

‘I'm not sure  . . .' Emily was so surprised that she hardly knew how to answer. ‘Yes, I suppose – if you think I could be of use?'

‘Wonderful. I was sure you would agree, but some girls refuse to go because of circumstances at home.'

‘No, I don't have that kind of a problem,' Emily said. Margaret wasn't going to object. They didn't really get on, and there was no one else to worry about her, though Connor might miss her. But he was usually out with his friends to all hours. ‘My parents are dead, and my stepmother won't mind at all.'

‘That's excellent. I imagine the posting will come through in about three weeks' time, and then you will get a few days' leave before you go.'

‘Thank you. My sister's wedding will be two weeks yesterday, and I would like a few days off for that – after it, actually.'

‘I'll make a note of that,' Miss Brown said. ‘You will report back for work here after your leave and I expect we'll have news of your posting by then.'

Emily was feeling bemused when she went back to her desk, but news of a big fire at a local factory was breaking, and she didn't have time to think about herself or anything but coordinating the various fire crews.

It wasn't going well, and three firemen had been injured in a terrible explosion at the site. There were wild reports of it having been a bomb at first, but then it was established that it had been a gas main that caused the trouble. The news that three of their men were hurt cast a shadow over the girls. A few were in tears, because some of them had loved ones amongst the crews, and they all knew and cared about the brave men manning the engines and doing a very necessary job. They were used to fires and to the danger, but when something bad happened it affected everyone.

The chaos and confusion caused by what was clearly a very bad fire kept the girls at their posts all night. No one thought of going home until it was all over, and so it was into the early hours before Carole and Emily walked back to the hostel together.

Carole was subdued, because her fiancé's brother was one of the men hurt, and she would have to write and tell him about it.

‘They lost their parents years ago,' she told Emily. ‘There's only Terry and Jack now. If anything happens to Terry  . . .'

‘It may not,' Emily said, and squeezed her arm. ‘Why don't you visit him in the morning, and then write your letter to Jack?'

‘Yes, I suppose that would be a good idea. Would you come to the hospital with me?' Carole gave her a pleading look.

‘Me?' Emily was surprised but didn't hesitate. ‘Yes, all right, if you want. It's my morning for the school, but I'll telephone and let them know I'm not coming. I shall have to give it up soon anyway.'

‘Why is that?' Carole looked at her curiously.

‘They are transferring me somewhere – one of the ports or perhaps London.'

‘Not you too,' Carole said, and pulled a face. ‘They asked me but I said I couldn't go. My mother wouldn't put up with it. That's why I volunteered for this instead of joining the Wrens.'

‘My father felt much the same,' Emily confessed. ‘He wanted me to stay home until I got married, but let me join the Fire Service because I would have had to do something once the war started. He wouldn't have wanted me to go away, but it doesn't matter now.'

‘You don't like your stepmother much, do you?'

Emily grimaced. ‘No. It's awful of me, I know, but I shall be glad to get away from the house – though Daniel is home at the moment. I wouldn't have minded seeing more of him.'

‘He can visit you wherever you are.' Carole looked thoughtful. ‘I shall miss you. It makes me think I ought to have said yes. Do you think they would send us both to the same place?'